The aerospace industry is experiencing a significant resurgence, with 649 aircraft delivered in the first half of 2026—reaching a level close to the record set in 2018. This growth is expected to continue in the coming years, but it requires the entire supply chain to keep up with the increased pace. One of the companies facing this challenge is Safran, a major supplier of aerospace components. Julien Mille, a project manager and investments officer at Safran Landing Systems, explained that to meet the demands of aircraft manufacturers like Airbus and Boeing, the company had to double its machining volume and produce 10,000 parts annually. This is not just a matter of quantity but also of quality and predictability in production. To address these challenges, Safran opened ExcelFAB, a 4.0 factory in Molsheim, Alsace, one year ago. This facility focuses on producing critical parts for landing systems and aims to improve both productivity and quality. Julien Mille emphasized that the factory uses digital tools that are practical and effective, rather than unnecessary technologies. The factory was designed virtually using a digital twin, which modeled the building, equipment, and operational flows. This approach allowed Safran to test different scenarios and ensure that the project met the expectations of all stakeholders. Data plays a central role in the production process at ExcelFAB. Traditional workshops often detect deviations only after they occur, but ExcelFAB aims to predict and prevent them. For example, the temperature in the workshop is monitored before each machining operation to compensate for machine expansion. Automated routines regularly check the geometry of machining centers to prevent drift that could affect part quality. This digital approach also helps identify cause-and-effect relationships that were previously difficult to detect. "We finally have the opportunity to observe cause-and-effect relationships that we had not even anticipated sometimes," said Julien Mille. The benefits of this advanced factory are both qualitative and quantitative. Next-generation machines and optimized machining strategies have significantly reduced manufacturing times, while automated supervision maximizes machine efficiency. Julien Mille noted that the most significant improvement is in quality, with a fourfold reduction in defects. The factory also uses predictive maintenance, which ensures robust and sustainable performance. In terms of energy efficiency, ExcelFAB consumes 40% less energy than a typical industrial building, thanks to enhanced insulation, a bioclimatic design, and reversible thermodynamic systems. These features help reduce overall energy consumption by about 10 to 15%. For the operators, the benefits are also clear: centralized information on large screens and indicators allow them to monitor production conditions more effectively. The design of the facility also focuses on reducing noise and improving ergonomics, helping operators focus on value-added tasks. These innovations are explored in detail in an episode of Radar, the Safran podcast.