Safran Electronics & Defense, a subsidiary of the French Safran group, launched construction on Wednesday of a major extension of its industrial site in Nouaceur, in a ceremony attended by Morocco’s Minister of Industry and Trade, Ryad Mezzour, the President of Safran Electronics & Defense, Franck Saudo, the site’s Director General Laurent Figari, the Governor of Nouaceur province Jalal Benhayoun, and French Ambassador to Morocco Philippe Lalliot. The project mobilises an investment of 350 million dirhams and is expected to create 500 additional jobs over the next five years.
The extension covers 17,000 square metres and will house 15 new production lines. It is designed to accommodate the strong growth in the company’s activity and the arrival of new programs and commercial contracts. The project is being built to industry-of-the-future standards and incorporates eco-responsible features. The new positions to be created will span engineers, technicians and production operators, supported by ongoing partnerships with training institutions including the Institut des Metiers de l’Aeronautique (IMA) and ISMALA.
Minister Mezzour said the groundbreaking confirms the maturity, high competitiveness and attractiveness of Morocco’s aeronautics platform, and described the investment as the reflection of a solid and historically grounded partnership, as well as a strong signal of mutual confidence between the Kingdom and Safran.
Saudo traced the extension to more than 25 years of industrial presence at the Nouaceur site, which he described as having progressively established itself as one of Safran’s strategic poles worldwide thanks to the competencies developed locally and the trust built with the national ecosystem. Figari added that the site’s headcount had grown from 190 to over 450 employees, while production hours had more than doubled over the same period — the result, he said, of a deep transformation of industrial processes, supply chain modernisation and continuous skills investment.
The Nouaceur site currently designs, assembles and maintains high-technology systems including actuators, flight computers and measurement systems for major international aircraft manufacturers. The extension will anchor it more firmly within the global aeronautics value chain at a moment when Morocco is consolidating its position as a preferred destination for leading international aerospace manufacturers and equipment suppliers.
