Philadelphia, PA, 2 June 2023 – PSA BDP, a leading provider of globally integrated and port-centric supply chain, transportation, and logistics solutions, celebrated the inauguration of its new Electric Vehicle (EV) battery logistics warehouse in Dunkirk, France, on the evening of 1 June.
The inauguration of the newly built 22,000 square meter warehouse featured a formal reception attended by prestigious and well-recognized personalities including Patrice Vergriete, Mayor of Dunkirk and President of the Urban Community of Dunkirk, Xavier Bertrand, President of the Hauts-de-France Region, Franck Dhersin, Vice-President of the Hauts-de-France Region, François-Xavier Bieuville, Sub-Prefect of Dunkirk and Maurice Georges, CEO of Dunkirk Port, as well as many stakeholders from the EV battery industry, the Port of Dunkirk, the supply chain sector and PSA BDP.
With this highly specialized warehouse, PSA BDP will offer contract logistics services to the region’s rapidly growing Auto EV cluster. The facility is BREEAM* certified and meets the highest standards for sustainable EV battery handling, including in-rack sprinklers, temperature and humidity cameras, quarantine containers and water basins. PSA BDP chose Northern France for its new warehouse as this region is becoming a prime location for the development of EV technology with no less than four EV battery gigafactories announced to date. In April, PSA BDP shared news of the agreement to handle the contract logistics and hinterland transportation for Automotive Cells Company (ACC) in Dunkirk. A joint venture between Stellantis, Mercedes-Benz and TotalEnergies, through its subsidiary Saft, ACC is establishing its first gigafactory in Billy-Berclau in Northern France.
With its proximity to the Port of Dunkirk logistics zone, the PSA BDP warehouse is ideally positioned to service the region's nascent Auto EV industry by offering enhanced connectivity to deploy sustainable solutions like e-trucks, e-barges, and rail transportation. As such, PSA BDP can support EV battery producers’ ambition of achieving zero emissions and enabling circular supply chains. During the inauguration event, attendees witnessed a test drive from the eActros, the first all-electric truck from Mercedes-Benz, from ACC’s gigafactory in Billy-Berclau to PSA BDP‘s warehouse in Dunkirk.
“Our team is thrilled to commemorate this pivotal moment for PSA BDP and the industry as a whole with the inauguration of this state-of-the-art supply chain center,” noted Mike Andaloro, CEO, PSA BDP. “We are honoured to be surrounded by so many distinguished guests as we celebrate this new opportunity to offer enhanced, sustainable, and end-to-end solutions to EV customers in this flourishing region.”
Pascal Reinards, Head of Business Development, PSA BDP, shared his excitement about this new development for the organization: “This new and specialized warehouse addresses all supply chain needs of the burgeoning EV battery industry in Northern France. EV battery manufacturers are seeking to partner with companies that offer the full suite of services and are also flexible enough to adapt to their constantly changing needs. This profile fits PSA BDP perfectly.”
*BUILDING RESEARCH ESTABLISHMENT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT METHOD, THE WORLD’S LONGEST ESTABLISHED METHOD OF ASSESSING, RATING AND CERTIFYING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF BUILDINGS.
