Safran, a leading global aerospace manufacturer, is renowned for its world-class facility in Burnley, which specialises in the production of sheet metal components, composites and then the assembly of nacelles - the protective enclosures for aircraft engines.

As part of its ongoing commitment to addressing challenges within the aerospace sector, Safran is prioritising sustainability, with a goal to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030. The company is also focused on developing the future skills and technologies necessary to meet these ambitious targets.

To accelerate its progress, Safran has significantly increased its engagement with industry and academic partners across the UK, particularly in Lancashire. Leading this effort is Strategy Director, Adam Patterson.

“The pandemic highlighted the need for rebuilding and innovating through collaboration,” Patterson explained. “Given that we’re based in one of the largest aerospace clusters in the world, it makes sense to deepen our engagement with local organisations and explore opportunities where we can create the most value.”

After reaching out to Lancaster University to explore a potential partnership, Safran was invited to participate in Innovation Catalyst Burnley, a six-month initiative connecting key stakeholders with academic expertise to tackle emerging challenges such as global market competition, carbon reduction, security risks, skills shortages, and staff retention.

Kicking off in May 2024 with a two-day residential event, the programme united Safran with SMEs from diverse industries to explore potential collaboration opportunities. Participants included Emerson & Renwick, a producer of production machinery; ELE Technologies, a maker of high-integrity, safety-critical components; FDM Digital Solutions, specialists in 3D printing; Burnley College; and precision engineers Tooling Solutions.

Lee Ashton, Director of Safran’s Sheet Metal Centre of Excellence, recalled that initial discussions focused on leveraging the region’s strengths to position Burnley as a hub for advanced manufacturing.

“Our conversations centered around what educational institutions are doing today to prepare for the future of advanced manufacturing,” Ashton said. “We all shared concerns about the shortage of skilled workers and the long-term implications for the sector. From Safran’s perspective, while the demand for air travel will continue to grow, we need to focus on developing the right skills and technologies to support the industry for decades to come.”

“We saw great value in working closely with academic institutions to solve the technology and skills challenges facing our industry and developed an action plan in collaboration with the University to explore potential solutions.”

The next phase of the Catalyst programme involved a series of Innovation Collaboratories, solutions-focused workshops facilitated by Lancaster University Management School (LUMS). These sessions allowed participants to exchange knowledge, share expertise and resources, and accelerate innovation.

A key challenge Safran aimed to address through the Catalyst programme was reducing carbon emissions in its sheet metal manufacturing process. To support this, Lancaster University assigned a student intern, Joshua Cordova Armellini, a third-year Business Management student, to conduct research on technologies that could help.

“While we’ve already made progress by replacing compressed air tools with battery-powered equipment, Josh’s research took us further,” said Ashton. “He provided a detailed cost analysis of different battery-powered tools for drills, sanders, and grinders, helping us make more informed decisions. This research has been invaluable in accelerating our carbon reduction efforts.”

“Josh’s contributions were a perfect example of how academic partnerships can provide additional resources and drive innovation within our industry. He brought fresh ideas, energy, and time. His support has been key in pushing our carbon reduction initiatives forward.”

In addition to research support, the Catalyst programme offered valuable networking opportunities. One connection formed through the group enabled Safran to address a critical tooling challenge using 3D printing, resulting in a successful solution.

“This programme has shown us how powerful collaboration can be,” Ashton said. “Bringing together such a diverse group of people to explore shared challenges has been incredibly beneficial for Safran. Innovation thrives in environments where different sectors and ideas collide.”

The positive experience with the Innovation Catalyst led to further opportunities at the University.

In December 2024, Safran participated in Good Growth Burnley, a four-month programme designed to help business leaders create strategic frameworks for growth that enhance both people and the planet.

The programme began with a two-day session to embed its core principles. Follow-up sessions, supported by digital tools and informed by Professor Steve Kempster’s ‘Good Dividends’ research, assessed how various aspects of businesses contributed to growth. This process helped establish a baseline for measuring progress and identifying practices that could address both local and global challenges, ultimately generating value for all stakeholders, including the planet.

For Safran, the Good Growth programme was particularly timely, as the company accelerates an ambitious strategy to reduce carbon emissions and future-proof its operations.

Patterson, who participated in the programme, saw it as an opportunity to align site-level activities with the company’s broader global goals.

“Our biggest external challenge as a sector is making aviation sustainable,” Patterson explained. “People want to travel without the carbon footprint. We’re committed to being part of the solution. But as a business, our internal challenge is making that global vision tangible for employees on the factory floor. The programme gave me a framework to help people find meaning in their work, whether on a global or local level. My test for myself was: What is the experience of one of the 650 people working in our factory? How would this feel to them? We need to make the vision more relatable at the site level.”

One of the most influential exercises in the programme encouraged participants to explore the six pillars of good growth.

“We learned that success in one area, such as people, could lead to dividends in other areas like innovation, environmental impact, or even financial performance,” Patterson said. “This reinforced the idea that all elements of a business must work together-rather than being siloed, with finance as the sole focus.”

Another inspirational session, featuring a business that had successfully incorporated good growth principles, helped Patterson overcome a blockage in his approach.

“Smaller companies are more agile and can implement changes quickly, but for a company as large as Safran, applying new strategies across operations is far more complex,” Patterson explained. “It’s like trying to change the course of an oil tanker-it’s slow and requires a lot of effort. But once you do it, the momentum carries you forward. What I took from that session was to start small, try things, and build on them. It gave me the confidence that we don’t need to have everything figured out overnight. We can take pieces of the good growth model that fit our business and build on them gradually."

Another key takeaway for Patterson was the opportunity for businesses in the Burnley area to collaborate.

“Despite being in different industries,” he said, “the shared geography helped foster open exchanges where businesses could help each other solve challenges. We found common ground, and the open discussions were both valuable and supportive. It was interesting hearing from businesses with different focuses, but we all faced similar challenges and opportunities."

The initial experiences of working with Lancaster University and Safran through both the Innovation Catalyst and Good Growth programmes could not have gone better and have already led to additional opportunities, including a student project with the School of Engineering, exploring the transition from gas heating to ground-source heating.

“The key takeaway is that the opportunities are vast,” Patterson said. “There’s so much to explore, and we just need to figure out what fits and how we can integrate it into our operations. We’re still in the early stages, but there’s a real sense of optimism about what’s to come.”

Funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The Innovation Catalyst and Good Growth programme are designed and delivered by Lancaster University as part of the Lancashire Universities Innovation Programme in partnership with Burnley Council.

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