Dowty wins environment award

Dowty Automotive (Malta) Ltd was awarded first prize in the environment award to industry, an honour bestowed by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and the Institute for Cleaner Technology.

The Conservation Award for Sustainable Development was the result of Dowty's investment in environmental abatement equipment and in projects to achieve targets for reducing waste.

Dowty's new facility in Hal Far, the Brakes Business Unit, was an example of best practice when it comes to environmental standards, the company said.

The company is undergoing a massive restructuring programme that will see it move away from its old Mriehel base and into seven smaller, process-based, market-focused business units at Hal Far and one new compound mixing facility at Marsa.

At each stage of planning this move, environmental issues are given equal importance to other business-related factors, Dowty said.

The first of the new Hal Far factories has been designed to the latest European standards and incorporates environmentally friendly equipment that is normally non-standard to Malta.

Dowty said the main environmental benefits will come from new machinery and equipment that include an air scrubber, a water treatment plant, a rainwater reservoir, an air handling system instead of airconditioning and the replacement of old production equipment.

The company's new compound mixing facility also features measures to protect the environment. These include a rainwater reservoir and an oil/solids interceptor.