Energy storage for the world

In light of the debate over internal combustion engines, one technology in particular is truly taking off: batteries. In Nersac, a town of just 3,000 people in the Charente department in western France, nearly 300 people work for ARTS Energy—a company that in 2013 was spun off from battery manufacturer Saft, in which mineral group Total holds a majority stake. What makes ARTS Energy special in the market is that it is the only company of its ilk that manufactures its products in Europe; the rest of the competition is based in Asia.

At the heart of this energizing business idea was and is rechargeable nickel and lithium-ion batteries, which ARTS Energy delivers from rural France to all of Europe and around the world. Transporting them has been the responsibility of DACHSER’s Niort branch, near La Rochelle, for the past four years.  

At the end of 2014, DACHSER initially handled 20 percent of overland transport, delivering to the battery manufacturer’s customers in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Spain. A year later, that number had grown to 50 percent.  

Today, in addition to the home market of France, DACHSER supplies customers primarily based in Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Spain. What’s more, DACHSER became the company’s exclusive partner for sea freight one year ago. From Nersac the goods are transported by truck to the port of Hamburg, and from there to the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, and Singapore. And when time is tight, DACHSER can also organize air freight services.

Shorter transport times

Delivery speed is also important to ARTS Energy, and thanks to DACHSER, it could reduce transport times to Austria from four to two days, and also cut delivery times in half for transports to Hungary and Romania. This calls for a high degree of reliability, transparency, and of course an equally high standard of quality. DACHSER constantly strives to achieve this with its own software, such as the MIKADO warehouse management system and its DOMINO transport management system.  

“In DACHSER, ARTS Energy has found a partner that is always interested in improving its processes and the quality of its services,” says Anthony Mériet, head of logistics at ARTS Energy.  

As the company continues to grow, it relies in no small way on logistics—and its partner DACHSER. After all, ARTS Energy generates 70 percent of its revenue (EUR 38 million last year) from exports, and all signs point to further growth. At the moment, the company’s top priority is expanding its business in North America. A joint venture with Amigo Tec in the US should considerably increase the share of revenue generated there, currently at 12 percent. In other words, the success story continues—with full power, at top speed, and with all the electric momentum of the energy transition.