Haas Automation Europe and the Factory outlet Haas Realmeca have inaugurated a Htec (Haas Technical Education Center) at La Joliverie, near Nantes, the first opened in the western France. La Joliverie is a school/college teaching industrial processes to its students, using the latest manufacturing technologies, including 10 Haas models of machine tools. The Htec is located in a newly constructed 6.000 sq m building, known as Le pôle des process industriels, in the heart of the Sant-Sébastien-sur-Loire suburb.
The hosting institute is a well-know school in the Loire-atlantique region and in wider France for winning the Shell Eco-marathon several times with its Microjoule, a energy efficient car with low consumes, holding the record of close to 3.000 km run with a litre of gasoline. The contribution of Haas CNC machines was decisive for the creation of the Microjoule car, as well as the collaboration with companies such as Michelin and Bosch, and the car is rebuilt and fine-tuned every year by a team of students from the school. Pictured, to the left Jens Thing, general manager Haas Automation Europe, with Patrick Bizet, general manager La Joliverie.