H.Essers constructs its first CO2 neutral warehouse of 10,000 m² at high Seveso standards for Agricover Distribution in Bolintin Deal
H.Essers is expanding its footprint in Romania. It is constructing a new warehouse for crop protection products and seeds for Agricover, a major player in agribusiness in the Romanian market. This new development, encompassing 10,000 m² of new warehousing capacity on H.Essers’ high Seveso site in Bolintin Deal, enhances Agricover’s logistics capabilities and marks the next level in the partnership between Agricover and H.Essers.
Compliance and centralization
Agricover and H.Essers recently started collaborating in 2023, with the latter providing logistics services such as storage and handling. The construction project marks a new milestone in this partnership. “The expansion of our near Bucharest site is about more than adding warehousing space. It is about continuously improving our services for Agricover to meet their specific needs, particularly when it comes to compliance, safety, and customer service. The new warehouse will support Agricover in streamlining its supply chain,” said Jeroen Fabry, Business Unit Manager at H.Essers.
Largest high Seveso logistics site in Romania
The facility is due to be functional by August 2024, and Agricover Distribution will start centralizing its logistics operations on H.Essers’ high Seveso site in Bolintin Deal– the largest of its kind in Romania. This new warehouse represents the fourth phase of H.Essers’ site expansion. “Between 2013 and 2023, this location grew from bare land and dust to 53,000 m² of warehouses today, of which 20,000 m² are dedicated to hazardous chemicals. With this construction project, we are adding another 10,000 m² to this capacity,” explained Jeroen Fabry.
“Agricover deals with large volumes of various inputs for agriculture, such as crop protection products and certified seeds, so a high Seveso site was a prerequisite. They needed a partner capable of building a warehouse that not only meets the highest standards for full compliance, but also features a layout designed by professionals in chemical logistics,” Jeroen Fabry added.
H.Essers first CO2 neutral warehouse in Romania
H.Essers is a forerunner in the industry when it comes to sustainable logistics and supports its clients in reducing the carbon footprint of their supply chain. This project, too, is an example of this ambition. “The new warehouse features solar panels to provide renewable energy. It also has heat pumps, the first H.Essers CO2 neutral warehouse in Romania, since the heat pumps will be working instead of the conventional gas heating system for most of the time. Only if temperatures fall below -15 °C will gas take over, as heat pumps don’t work at such temperatures,” continued Jeroen Fabry.
Moving in record time
“The first discussions between H.Essers and Agricover were held mid 2022, with the logistics operations setting off in April 2023. The new construction started with the groundbreaking in mid-October 2023. “Our strategies being perfectly aligned, the projects moved ahead in record time. We are following a tight timeline, but the building phase is proceeding as planned. The progress from early discussions to construction confirms our aligned goals and the mutual trust,” noted Jeroen Fabry.
“The long-term agreement with Agricover is set for seven years and we believe we can make this partnership a big success for both companies. This is just the beginning: there is tremendous potential for our partnership to grow in the future,” Jeroen Fabry concluded.