Tereos inaugurates its export logistic center in Escaudoeuvres, a key facility for the Group’s export strategy

François Leroux (Chairman of Tereos’ Supervisory Board), Alexis Duval (Chairman of the Group’s Executive Board), Xavier Bertrand (Chairman of the Hauts-de-France region) and Thierry Hegay (Deputy Prefect of Cambrai, representing the Prefect of the Hauts de France region) inaugurated on November 20 the Tereos Export Logistics Center in Escaudoeuvres in the département of the Nord.

“Being on the side of Tereos’ governance clearly means being on the side of employment. Tereos is a large international group, the second largest in the world. It has not forgotten its roots, and its roots are its planters and farmers. I have come here to say that Tereos is very important to this region. If I’m here it is not a coincidence; it’s because I trust the current governance. It is this governance which has raised this group to second place worldwide” – Xavier Bertrand, Chairman of the Hauts-de-France region.

“At a time when the sugar sector, and the agricultural sector in general, are in an extremely difficult position, with depressed markets, wide-scale restructuring and volatility becoming the rule in what is now a globalized market characterized by merciless competition, we need consistency and cohesion more than ever before. The time has come to stand together to support a clear plan for Tereos, a plan of which, as we can see today, the Escaudoeuvres Export Logistics Center is a perfect illustration,” declared François Leroux, Chairman of Tereos’ Supervisory Board.

“As a result of the end of the quota system, which had protected the European market for 50 years, the sugar industry has entered a new era which makes competitiveness the focal challenge. This new logistics tool dedicated to international sugar exports is a key factor in our strategy for the period after sugar quotas. The setting up of the Escaudoeuvres Export Logistics Center is a perfect illustration of the fact that Tereos is a strong group, a group that continues to look to the future as it has always done, and that believes in the full potential of the Hauts-de-France region,” added Alexis Duval, Chairman of the Tereos Executive Board.

A major asset for Tereos’ export strategy

As the end of sugar quotas has led to the end of export quotas, renewing its export drive is becoming key in a Europe which is already a net exporter of sugar. Tereos aims to consolidate its leadership in this context, thanks to a long-term strategy based on diversification and internationalization.

With facilities in 17 countries and distributing an extensive range of products in 130 countries throughout the world, Tereos is well placed to become a key operator in what is now a fully globalized world sugar market.

To boost its exports to the fastest-growing markets, Tereos has decided to locate the nerve center of its export strategy in Escaudoeuvres, in the Hauts-de-France region.

The Escaudoeuvres Export Logistics Center, which has already been up and running for a year, is the largest container loading facility in the Hauts-de-France region, and probably in the whole of France (in terms of number of containers per day), and the only one to operate 24 hours a day. It is a cutting-edge logistics tool that features:

– a surface area of 900 m²;
– two lines that package sugar into 50 kg bags, operating 24 hours per day, 6 days out of 7;
– a filling capacity of 70 containers per day, i.e. 1,680 tonnes of sugar per day and 500,000 tonnes per year. Around 260,000 tonnes of sugar were exported via the Escaudoeuvres Center in 2017.

A decision to use waterway logistics The strategic location of the Center will enable Tereos’ sugar production to be transported to major ports in Northern France and Europe, so as to supply the global market. The location of the Escaudoeuvres Export Logistics Center has also been chosen in order to make full use of waterway logistics, on the banks of the Escaut Canal, and close to the ports of Valenciennes and Marquion, where one of the main multi-modal platforms of the future Seine-Nord Europe Canal will be located.

This choice of waterway logistics was made for reasons of economic efficiency as well as of environmental efficiency (reduction in CO2 emissions and relieving congestion on road networks). Tereos transports tens of millions of tonnes of raw materials and finished goods every year at Group level, and expects to use the future Seine-Nord Canal to transport up to 1 million tonnes per year out of an estimated overall traffic of 20 million tonnes, thus representing 5% of the total traffic on the canal.

A major agricultural and industrial operator in the Hauts-de-France region
Tereos’ operations in the Hauts-de-France region involve 9 industrial facilities; 2,400 employees; 9,600 cooperative members; and the processing of 141,000 hectares of sugar beet. This is the Group’s main operating region in France, and is a key production area not only for sugar beet, but also for potatoes and wheat.

Tereos is a major operator in the farming sector in the Hauts-de-France region thanks to the outlets it offers farmers, thus enabling them to extract value from their sugar, alcohol, starch and protein production, with the by-products going for animal feed.
The Group has invested over €220 million in its industrial facilities in the Hauts-de-France region since 2014, recruiting over 630 people (including 140 totally new positions) and forming industrial partnerships that create new business activities and employment with Nigay in the caramel sector, and with the start-up Innovafeed in the field of insect protein for aquaculture. In addition, the creation of around 120 new jobs in the region is planned for 2019.