Safran Employees Involvement

Since the project Safran Sailing Team began end 2005, nearly two hundred employees of the Group have contributed to it, some day, critically for other engineers, technicians, chemists, auditors, insurers, lawyers, buyers, responsible for communication...
That they are all here thanks.

© Jean-Marie Liot/DPPI/Safran

Focus

Portrait of Pierre Bourcier : the autopilot whisperer
This marine electronics engineer, who set up the “Seaways” electronics research centre, specializes in autopilots. Marc Guillemot and the Safran Sailing Team entrusted him with ensuring that Safran was fitted with the best you can find. So what has been Pierre Bourcier’s work? He is applying to boats the latest computer technology used in Formula 1 via a “black box” developed by a racing car manufacturer. Using special software, this enables real time data to be obtained about the forces on the boat, her performance, the wind and sea state, etc. Pierre Bourcier sums up: ‘It’s a bit like an athlete being permanently monitored with his pulse, muscular contraction index, the efficiency of his contact with the ground, etc.”

Pierre-Yves Chevalier : Technical expert
Pierre-Yves Chevalier is in charge of the “Systems” test lab at Messier-Bugatti’s plant in Vélizy, near Paris. A specialist in hydraulic systems for landing gear, Pierre-Yves contributed his expertise during the design of the keel actuation system for the boat. Coordinating work by the naval architect Guillaume Verdier, the Safran Sailing Team, and the Italian company Cariboni, the system designer, he helped draw up specifications, validated technological choices, participated in initial testing, etc. Since the launch of the boat, he is regularly called on to help diagnose various problems and develop targeted improvement solutions.

Patrick Alliot : Risk analysis and decision aids
Patrick Alliot is a senior expert in mechanical engineering at Vernon, the Snecma (Safran group) plant dedicated to space propulsion. He participated in the design of the boat’s keel as an advisor to the naval architects, carrying out technical audits, providing methodological recommendations and participating in progress meetings. Patrick Alliot also helps analyze incidents that occur during races, such as the loss of the keel and the break in the main sail rail during the Vendée Globe round-the-world race in 2008, and recommends corrective actions.

Christian Landreau : Test and analysis
Christian Landreau is a general technical expert at Villaroche, the Snecma (Safran group) production plant dedicated to commercial and military aircraft engines. A general technical expert oversees the different types of investigations needed to identity damage and breaking mechanisms in components, including definitions, dimensional and surface inspections, non-destructive and metallurgical testing). Based on this work, he recommends the most appropriate corrective actions, for example when the keel actuator breaks.