Behind the scenes of industrial logistics
In Nanteuil-le-Haudouin, logistics provider SeD leased a 93,500-square-meter logistics platform at the end of 2022 to support its growth. The operator notably serves industrial companies. Its president sheds light on the organization of industrial logistics.
To find the right fit—especially in a context where new logistics warehouses are becoming increasingly scarce—industrial players plan well in advance to support their growth. This is how, in 2022, the SeD group pre-leased an entire 93,500-square-meter platform in Nanteuil-le-Haudouin (Hauts-de-France) from Telamon (formerly Panhard). Two years later, the industrial logistics provider has indeed moved into this XXL facility, which features, among other things, photovoltaic panels. “ This site, the largest we operate, meets all our criteria to ensure the greatest responsiveness under exceptionally high safety standards ,” says Christophe Dubois, president of SeD.
As a reminder, this family-owned group generates annual revenue of around €100 million through three business lines: transportation, logistics and real estate. “ To date, we operate more than 430,000 square meters of warehouses and international transit platforms in the Paris region and elsewhere in France (Lyon, Rouen, Lille, Toulouse, etc.). ” Active in e-commerce, industry, cosmetics and textiles, logistics provider SeD employs around 600 full-time-equivalent staff.
Industrial logistics: service above all else
Above all, industrial players’ logistics is about “ a service ,” according to Christophe Dubois. “ We must anticipate this service according to our customers’ demand and regulations, he continues. Our business requires highly meticulous methods and organization. For example, today we are organizing how to deliver goods to Paris during next summer’s Olympic Games. Even if public authorities are still unclear on the matter, our group must already reassure its customers. ”
As Gazette Oise points out, “ adaptable solutions and the management of supply constraints have made the group SeD’s reputation .” According to Christophe Dubois, however, industrial logistics is being organized amid increasingly turbulent conditions. “ The worst is yet to come, he says. For several months, our sector has been mobilized to make itself heard by the government, particularly to support our customers in implementing their master plans within the allotted time, meaning ensuring delivery of their products with the lowest possible carbon footprint. ”
The impact of ZAN on logistics projects
Like many of his peers, SeD’s president believes the carriers’ crisis has not been resolved. “ We need to be heard in order to develop our business and withstand the avalanche of French regulations, which are added to European Union regulations. ” As a result, some customers prefer to go through the Netherlands or Germany, where the administrative framework remains less complex than in France. “ The overall climate signals a storm ahead! The decarbonization choices made by policymakers are not currently funded ! ” He takes the same view of the effects of the no-net-land-take policy: “ ZAN will further exacerbate the warehouse shortage in the future, a problem we have faced for several years. ”
On this matter, Christophe Dubois calls for a collective roadmap to be drafted and submitted to the government in order to “ avoid disaster ”. “ Unlike farmers, truck drivers, taxi drivers and others, we cannot block highways with our warehouses, nor can we consider closing access to our sites to make our legitimate demands heard, he declares. We must be supported, just as the absurd ICPE constraints need to be streamlined. ” In his view, a simple warehouse classified under ICPE category 1510 in France remains “ far more restrictive ” than among its European and British neighbors. Calling for European harmonization, he denounces the need for different types of sprinkler heads depending on the nature of the stored products (plastic, mattresses, cardboard, etc.). “ These products have no problem traveling together in the same vehicle or being displayed in retail stores ! Spot the inconsistency ! ”
Betting on green energy
While investing in the development of cybersecurity, data and IT, the SeD group is not neglecting the environmental dimension of its sector. “ It is up to us industrial logistics providers to innovate and find solutions for our customers. ” Christophe Dubois therefore believes it is necessary to continue considering the structural development of self-sufficient warehouses powered by green energy. “ We are firmly committed to innovating in order to move faster than our Chinese or American competitors, but France and the EU must also adopt protectionist laws for our sector and our companies ,” he concludes.
Les spécificités des bâtiments logistriels
Historiquement, la fonction logistique était intégrée dans les usines même. Dans les schémas modernes, cette logistique n’est plus systématiquement internalisée mais localisée à proximité immédiate de l’usine, dans un technopôle par exemple. Et les entrepôts dédiés à cette activité, des bâtiments logistriels, ont plusieurs spécificités. « Outre son implantation à proximité des sites industriels qu’il dessert, il doit être connecté à des infrastructures de transport (port, voie ferrée, autoroutes..) permettant un acheminement rapide et au sein d’un bassin de main d’œuvre formée aux métiers industriels et logistiques », explique Léo Barlatier, co-fondateur de Barjane.
Il ajoute : « Le bâtiment logistriel doit être flexible pour s’adapter dans le temps aux évolutions futures afin de ne pas devenir obsolète au bout de quelques années seulement. Cela signifie des cours profondes, des hauteurs libres importantes, un surinvestissement sur la dalle pour avoir une résistance au sol élevée et être en capacité d’accueillir différentes configurations… » Enfin, la disponibilité en énergie (puissance électrique par exemple) est cruciale : « Si le bâtiment fonctionne par exemple avec des process automatisés, ce qui est souvent le cas dans la logistique industrielle, cela nécessite une puissance électrique plus importante qu’un entrepôt traditionnel », souligne Léo Barlatier.
Barjane développe actuellement un bâtiment logistriel à Cholet pour le compte de Thales. Il a été imaginé dès l’origine du futur campus industriel du groupe dédié aux radiocommunications et systèmes d’information. Cet ensemble logistriel « sur-mesure » de 18 300 m², dont 980 m² de bureaux, présente un certain nombre de caractéristiques industrielles, comme une planéité de la dalle et une résistivité particulière (sol dissipatif pour protéger les composants électroniques des décharges électrostatiques), un contrôle de la température et de l’hygrométrie, une isolation renforcée, une puissance électrique renforcée, des équipements particuliers liés à la multiplication des postes de travail à l’intérieur de la halle (nombre de prises électriques par exemple), un accès dédié pour des navettes directes avec le site de production… Sa livraison est prévue au 2ème trimestre 2024.
