The plant is located in the industrial zone of Ruitz, in the municipal districts of Houchin and Ruitz, 10km from Béthune and 50km from Lille. Société de Transmissions Automatiques is located on an agricultural plain. It occupies an area of 49 hectares of which 16.3 are covered, and in which the buildings occupy an area of 10hectares. The plant’s main activities are powertrain manufacturing, machining and stamping.

• Evaporation using mechanical vapour compression

The Société de Transmissions Automatiques (STA) was in 1997 the first mechanical industrial site to produce zero liquid effluents due to its adoption of the evaporation technique. More precisely, the plant adopted the "falling film" technique, involving mechanical vapour compression.
  
Widely used in the agro-food sector, this technique combines reliability with low energy consumption. This system replaces the treatment of liquid effluents by special treatment plants, and involves separating out water from other products, which are concentrated. The purified water is then re-used to prepare cutting fluid and detergent solutions. 
 

• Liquid effluents 

Infrastructure has been put in place to provide a car park for heavy goods vehicles, in order to prevent accidental spillage into the natural environment.  All stormwater discharge outlets are equipped with a settling tank and hydrocarbon separator. 
  

• Renewable energies

In 2007, the factory took its first step towards renewable energy sources with the installation of thermal solar panels used to heat the domestic water in the factory canteen.

• World Environment Day

Every year, on the occasion of the World Environment Day in June, special events are organised to increase awareness amongst employees of the importance of sustainable development.

(*): Change in scope

For further details, see registration documents:

• 2009 registration document
• 2008 registration document 
• 2007 registration document