Collaboration and Innovation Power the Corporate Travel Experience at Safran

A SAFRAN CASE STUDY

Ambition: Aerospace, defense and security technology group Safran – headquartered in France – operates worldwide with more than 70,000 employees working in 60 countries.When SAFRAN wanted a more seamless and advanced travel technology

platform for employees, Sabre was selected to power its travel program.

SAFRAN engineers, scientists and programmers travel the globe every

week to design, build and deliver some of the world’s most advanced

aircraft engines, avionics, and digital ID systems.

Needless to say, this very bright and talented group has high standards

when it comes to technology. They expect form and functionality that

make life easier, safer and more productive.

A CASE STUDY SAFRAN

Eric Tilly is the head of the purchasing group that oversees travel, logistics and transportation at Safran and it is his job to make sure the Safran corporate travel planning and expense management systems meet the needs of his demanding colleagues.

“Because of our reach and complexity as a

company, we need travel solutions that work

well in any country,” says Eric Tilly. “In the past,

we didn’t have the speed or sophistication that

we really wanted, so we decided to search and

assemble the best travel technology solutions

we could fi nd.”

After an exhaustive search and thorough

evaluation of options, Eric Tilly and Safran travel

partners selected Sabre.

“We wanted a travel technology partner with

global coverage, a commitment to ongoing

innovation, and a team that was responsive and

easy to work with,” says Eric Tilly. “We found it

all when we chose Sabre in the spring of 2014.”

TECHNOLOGY TEAM EFFORT PAYS OFF WITH BETTER CORPORATE TRAVEL PROGRAMSAFRAN, a global provider of aviation, aerospace

and security technology has a long tradition of

technology excellence and innovation. With more

than 70,000 employees working in 60 countries, the

company has complex needs in travel, safety and

expense tracking.

SAFRAN and its key partners selected Sabre to

remodel its travel technology platform to streamline

booking, expenses, and traveler tracking.

SAFRAN now has a universal corporate travel

program that covers its busiest offi ces worldwide,

employees are happy with the changes, and

SAFRAN has a more transparent and controllable

program.

A CASE STUDY SAFRAN

Our corporate travel experience has gotten measurably better. We’re providing the best itineraries at the best prices, our expenses are more

visible and more compliant, and we’ve got great partners in Sabre, BCD Travel, CDS Groupe, Concur, KDS and Axys Consultants to help

us innovate and improve our systems each year to make sure

we get the most for our money and the best value long-term.

Eric Tilly, Head of Commodity Group, Travel, Logistics and Transportation, Safran

Action: Bigger is better when it comes to global travel bookingAccording to Eric, Sabre was chosen because of its

worldwide scalability and accessibility. The Sabre

solution was considered more manageable across

countries, cultures, and open to working with other

global technology partners.

KDS led the way on development, making sure all data

connectivity between the travel booking and expense

tool and Sabre was handled properly.

BCD Travel is a key partner for Safran. As their travel

management company, they manage a high number of

« off line » bookings, and their DecisionSource®

statistics allow Safran to measure the performance of

their program. BCD Travel teams works closely with

Sabre and KDS to make sure the available data and

displays comply with the commitments, and with CDS

Groupe to deploy their hotel solution at a global scale.

Once the travel booking platform was ready, BCD Travel

agents needed to be trained.

“With BCD Travel making the switch to the Sabre

solution getting their agents familiar with the tool was

challenging, but expected,” says Eric Tilly.

“A few travel agents from BCD were familiar with the

tool but we also built in plenty of training time. Sabre

executed the migration training fl awlessly ensuring a

smooth transition.”

Eric Tilly, Head of Commodity Group, Safran

A CASE STUDY SAFRAN

Outcomes: Better Safety, Better Service, and Better Expense Controls

We have a true end-to-end process for our corporate travel now that includes

booking, ticketing, payments and invoicing that connects directly with our corporate

accounting systems. We’ve made significant gains in efficiency and

productivity in our travel accounting; it’s simply easier

and faster now.

Eric Tilly, Safran

The new travel technology platform has gone well

beyond just a travel and expense tool. It has

brought other positive changes like standardizing

how travel is managed in Safran offi ces around the

world and streamlining the validation and approval

of expense reports.

“We have a true end-to-end process for our

corporate travel now, that includes booking,

ticketing, payments and invoicing that connects

directly with our corporate accounting systems,”

says Eric Tilly. “We’ve made signifi cant gains in

effi ciency and productivity in our travel accounting;

it’s simply easier, faster and more accurate now.”

Eric and his department follow the management

principle “what gets measured, gets managed”

and corporate travel is no exception. The switch to

the new travel program powered by Sabre has

driven positive results:

• The new program now covers the 15 main

countries where Safran does most of its

business (up from seven).

• Satisfaction among corporate travelers is at 83

percent – higher than expected considering the

widespread changes for thousands of travelers.

• Safran now has overall better cost controls,

traveler tracking has improved, and regular

safety bulletins keep all employees informed

on latest alert levels and risk factors.

“Our corporate travel experience has gotten

measurably better,” says Eric Tilly. “We’re providing

the best itineraries at the best prices, our

expenses are more visible and more compliant,

and we’ve got great partners in Sabre, BCD Travel,

CDS Groupe, Concur, KDS and Axys Consultants

to help us innovate and improve our systems each

year to make sure we get the most for our money

and the best value long-term.”

A CASE STUDY SAFRAN

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