Dowty Automotive (Malta) Ltd was recently awarded first prize in the Environment Award in Industry, a prestigious honour awarded by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) and the Institute for Cleaner Technology.
Its award in Conservation for Sustainable Development is the fruit of the massive investment it has directed into environmental abatement equipment as well as projects to achieve environmental targets for reducing waste.
It is in line with European Union-based environmental legislation that Dowty Automotive (Malta) Ltd is designing and constructing its new facilities at Hal Far. The first of these facilities, the 'Brakes Business Unit', that was opened last year, is a leading example of 'best practice' when it comes to environmental standards.
Dowty Automotive is undergoing a massive restructuring programme that will see the company move away from its old Mriehel base and into seven new smaller, process-based market-focused business units at Hal Far and one new compound mixing facility at Marsa.
In each stage of planning this move, environmental issues are given equal importance to other business-related factors.
The first of the new Hal Far factories has been designed to the latest European standards and incorporates environment-friendly equipment that is normally non-standard to Malta. The main environmental benefits will come from new machinery and equipment that include:
¤ an air scrubber (or electrostatic precipitator) removes rubber fumes and dust from the air extracted from production equipment to produce clean, odour-free air that is discharged into the atmosphere. The scrubber, which cost Lm60,000 to install, also ensures that the site complies with new EU-based environmental legislation;
¤ a water treatment plant that treats wastewater generated by production equipment. This equipment treats wastewater containing particles of worn out ceramic media and fine rubber particles from the centrifugal finishing machines in the finishing area. The treatment plant, which cost Lm16,000 to install, sediments the solids out of the water and the treated water is then reused in the production process;
¤ a rainwater reservoir with a volume of one million litres collects rainwater from the roof area, easing the burden on the national water supply, as well as the power station to feed the desalination. The reservoir, installed at a cost of Lm32,000, is being used for cooling purposes and fire fighting; and
¤ an air handling system (rather than air-conditioning) tracks and spot cools the work area where operators stand, providing a comfortable working temperature. The system, which cost Lm65,000 to install, provides a comfortable working temperature for employees in the production areas in spite of the hot presses and ovens. This is far more energy-efficient than air-conditioning, and therefore helps contribute to reduced emissions from the power station.
Old production equipment has been replaced by safer (CE marked) and more efficient equipment. Increased efficiency from state-of-the-art machinery means less energy and materials consumed in the production process.
Air showers fitted into the entrance to the inspection area, together with HEPA filters in the fresh air intake to this same area ensures that the air circulating inside is very clean (Class 100,000). This will in turn have a positive effect on the output quality of the automatic inspection machines and reduce waste product.
To avoid contamination of the environment through spills of oils or other chemicals, the oil store has a secondary containment that keeps any spills or leaks inside the store.
The soffit of the site is made of a one-hour fire retardant material to ensure that, in case of an emergency, fire will not spread through the soffit.
To protect employees, the environment and equipment a fire detection system has been installed. A fire fighting team equipped with necessary fire fighting equipment has been extensively trained to deal with fires.
The company's new compound mixing facility in Marsa also features remarkable efforts in safeguarding the environment. These include:
¤ a rainwater reservoir with a volume of 2,000 m3. As with Hal Far, the rainwater collected from the roof area shall be used for cooling purposes and fire fighting;
¤ an oil/solids interceptor to remove any traces of oils or solids that may be washed into the floor drains has been installed; and
¤ an area has been allocated for an automatic dispensing unit that will feed ingredients automatically into the rubber mixer. This will help eliminate dusts that are generated during the manual compounding process.
The Conservation Award for Sustainable Development is recognition of the efforts and investments that the company directs into environmental protection. In the spirit of continuous improvement, both the Hal Far Brakes Business Unit and the Marsa Mixing Facility, are the baseline for the environmental standard of our future new facilities.