Heidelberg Materials announced the successful completion of the sale of its capital-intensive French cement transportation business Tratel S.a.s. to five regional transport specialists: Groupe Garnier in the North-West and Île-de-France region, e-b-trans in the South-East and South-West, Groupe DESERT in the West, and T2GL in the East of France. Heidelberg Materials France will keep managing order intake, chartering, and dispatch activities, guaranteeing a seamless customer experience and interface. All parties have agreed not to disclose the financial terms of the transaction, which includes more than 450 trucks and around 770 trailers.
The divestment of the French transport business enables greater focus on Heidelberg Materials France’s key activities and is part of Heidelberg Materials’ ongoing portfolio optimisation strategy of focusing on its core businesses in promising market positions.
Heidelberg Materials France is active in cement, aggregates, and concrete businesses with around 300 production sites. The company is currently implementing an ambitious modernisation programme across its main operations located in Airvault (Deux-Sèvres), Bussac-Forêt (Charente-Maritime), Beaucaire (Gard), and Couvrot (Marne) with the aim of substantially reducing their carbon footprint. An additional investment of €65 million in the company’s Bussac-Forêt plant announced last year aims to accelerate innovative technologies with a focus on substituting cement clinker with calcined clay, thereby expanding Heidelberg Materials’ portfolio of low-carbon products.