Lead producer and battery recycler Ecobat has bolstered its position in Europe with the buyout of Belgium-based industrial battery distributor Emrol.
The Texas, US, based firm said the acquisition complements its operations by allowing it to serve customers in Europe with “solutions and services” for energy storage.
This acquisition expands Ecobat’s offerings of batteries in non-automotive markets such as motive power and niche e-mobility markets.
Emrol distributes a range of battery types, including lithium-ion and lead-acid.
Ecobat chief executive officer Jimmy Herring, said: “As a leading distributor of motive power solutions used in industrial applications, this strategic acquisition of Emrol underscores our continued strategy to grow Ecobat Battery across Europe.”
This acquisition expands Ecobat’s footprint throughout the Benelux region (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg)
European expansion
In August, Ecobat bought lithium-ion battery recycler Promesa as it looked to gain a hold in the European EV battery recycling market, which is expected to be worth $4.7 billion in 10 years, according to Ecobat.
Ecobat’s buy-out of the Hettstedt, Germany, firm gave Ecobat a full suite of recycling services for lithium-ion batteries, from collecting, discharging and dismantling batteries, to crushing and sorting them and arranging for black mass disposal.
The company said that Promesa’s strategic location in the vehicle manufacturing and lithium battery centre of Germany provided a “crucial entry point” for battery access and OEM factory scrap.