Barry Callebaut, one of the world's largest chocolate manufacturers, recently took a major step toward sustainable transportation.
By using electric trucks to transport fresh chocolate between its factory in Wieze and the distribution center in Lokeren, this green innovation fits into the company's broader strategy to reduce its ecological footprint and make logistics processes more sustainable.
Charging these electric trucks is done via fast chargers installed on the site in Lokeren, where Barry Callebaut opened a state-of-the-art distribution center three years ago. This distribution center, located next to the E17, was developed by WDP, a leading developer of logistics real estate.
“We constantly consider all the needs of our customers to make their logistics activities not only as efficient as possible, but also as environmentally friendly as possible. That is why we have fully invested in the charging infrastructure with WDP to be able to charge the trucks quickly and efficiently,” stated Svetlana Nikolayonok, business developer at WDP Energy, opposite Made in, the regionally involved news brand for inspiration and news from and for enterprising Flanders.
To support the electrification of logistics transport between Wieze and Lokeren, Barry Callebaut has installed two Alpitronic Hyperchargers. These chargers, with an impressive capacity of 300kW each, ensure that the electric trucks can be charged quickly.
Although the exact number of electric trucks involved in this operation has not been made public, it is clear that the main challenge in the project lies in minimizing the trucks' downtime for charging.
Wannes van Rysselberghe, logistics manager at the Barry Callebaut Global Distribution Center, emphasized the complexity of this operation: “There is very little time to recharge.” To meet this challenge, an innovative scheduling strategy was developed, combined with the installation of high-performance charging stations, allowing the trucks to run almost uninterruptedly.
This new electric transport initiative fits into a broader sustainability strategy of Barry Callebaut, which is also visible in the design of the distribution center in Lokeren. The warehouse is equipped with solar panels that generate up to 4 MW of solar energy at peak times. It also uses geothermal energy to heat and cool the building. These energy-efficient techniques contribute to reducing CO2 emissions and increasing the energy efficiency of the company.
With this step, Barry Callebaut sets an important example in the food industry, where sustainability is increasingly becoming a critical factor in the value chain. By investing in green technologies, such as electric trucks and renewable energy, the company is demonstrating its commitment to not only producing high-quality chocolate, but also doing so in a way that has the least impact on the environment.
The implementation of electric trucks and associated infrastructure is an important milestone for Barry Callebaut and could potentially set a precedent for other companies in the sector to take similar steps. The combination of fast charging infrastructure and an energy-conscious distribution center ensures that the company makes its logistics operations not only more sustainable, but also more efficient.
