Mosel plant honoured for environmentally-friendly policies

The state of Saxony in Germany has presented a prestigious environmental award to GKN Driveline Mosel in recognition of its committed and innovative approach to the environment.

At the award ceremony Stanislav Tillich, the state minister for environment and agriculture, praised the plant’s implementation of dry turning technology which has removed the need for cooling liquid.

The sustainable use of dry turning also reduces costs associated with cleaning activity, as well as biological waste water treatment and disposal. Other benefits include energy saving gains, improved working conditions and an overall process cost reduction, as well as a more environmentally-friendly production environment. Although dry turning has been adopted at a number of other GKN Driveline plants, it is still a comparatively new concept in Saxony.

Other positive actions taken by the Mosel plant have included; reroofing the external waste area, installing a self-sufficient oil and coolant management system, refurbishing waste water channels, and making use of oil fog extraction machines. The heating requirements of the plant are now met by the more environmentally-friendly use of gas, while new ultrafiltration technologies have been adopted, along with optimised filter techniques to extend the cycle time for cooling liquids.

“Environmental manager Anja Rochner and her colleagues can be very proud of their achievements,” comments Dieter Wilmers, director – risk management, GKN Driveline Driveshafts. “ This award once again demonstrates our determination to win customer and other external awards for excellence in the way that we run our business.”