Safran Nacelles appoints Michael Rigalle as managing director

Michael Rigalle has been named the managing director of Safran Nacelles Ltd ahead of a £12m investment into the Burnley site.

The Lancashire division of the global company is responsible for the design, development and manufacture of nacelles for a wide range of aircraft – from the business jets to large commercial aircraft.

The wider Safran group employs a total workforce of more than 91,000 in 60 countries around the world, with turnover of around £15bn in 2017. Its nacelles division is one of Burnley's largest employers.

Michael joined the company in 1995 as manufacturing engineer after graduating from the Institut Catholique des Arts et Métiers. In 2006, he joined Safran Electrical and Power, in Pryor, United States as site manager.

He then joined Safran Helicopter Engines in Pau, France in 2008, holding the roles of centre of excellence manager (Pau, France) and then vice president and general manager of Safran Aircraft Engines in Rochester, United States for four years. He was most recently responsible for Industrial Strategy in Safran Nacelles in Le Havre, France.

Michael said: “It’s an exciting time for Burnley as we are investing £12m in the site over the next four years to enhance our manufacturing capabilities and ensure we successfully increase the rate of production on the Airbus A320neo and A330neo.

“We will also continue to utilise our expertise in engineering design, quality, composite and component manufacturing, and final assembly for our other programmes such as the Trent 700 thrust reversers and the HTF7000 thrust reversers, for which we are a worldwide centre of excellence. “Having seen the talented workforce here, I know that these challenges will be met with enthusiasm and delivered to the highest standard.”