Manbat consolidated with European siblings to form Ecobat Battery Technologies

Last week’s Automechanika Frankfurt show was the exhibition debut for a new name in the battery world – Ecobat Battery Technologies. The company was recently created through the consolidation of three independent businesses operating within the Ecobat group, a consortium which itself spawned from Ecobat Technologies, the world’s largest producer of lead and lead alloys. With this entirely new entity, Ecobat says it intends to “offer a unique and comprehensive battery service across Europe.”

The three consolidated businesses are Hefra, Manbat France and Manbat UK, companies with a strong heritage and reputation in their respective home markets; Manbat – or Manchester Batteries, as it was originally known – has been present in the UK since 1952 and is now the country’s largest battery distributor and sole supplier of the Lucas battery brand. Now brought together under a single European identity, the expectation is that these businesses will be able to benefit their existing customers and influence the wider market in a way that wouldn’t have been possible as individual entities.

“The establishment of Ecobat Battery Technologies is a strategic development that makes the business Europe’s number one battery partner, offering a four-fold service from product conception, design and construction, to its regional and local circulation and end of life collection,” shares the company in a statement. “In the process it is able to provide the most suitable solution for every aspect of the aftermarket battery supply business and demonstrate the power of partnership with its existing and future customers.”

The new company offers a number of brands that cover all market segments, such as VMF, Numax and Varta. Another prominent name in its portfolio is Lucas, a brand widely recognised across the continent and one the company sees as offering huge potential for future growth. In the UK, where Manbat Ltd has been responsible for the brand for a number of years, sales of Lucas batteries have grown year-on-year and the brand has become a major aftermarket player in terms of its aftermarket penetration for both the automotive and commercial vehicle markets. Yet despite its UK origins, the Lucas brand is not confined to our island. Historically, the brand has been active across many other industries and on the global stage, and therefore Ecobat Battery Technologies view it as an extremely prominent brand that commands great influence. The new company reports it has reached an agreement with the global owners of the Lucas brand to enable Ecobat Battery Technologies to supply Lucas batteries across multiple sectors throughout Europe.

As you’d expect, the new company offers a closed-loop recycling service that takes care of all workshop waste management requirements and ensures the most environmentally sensitive outcome for battery disposal. Ecobat Battery Technologies services such as this, combined with the brands on offer and the consolidation of three successful existing businesses, enables it to offer the European aftermarket a positive and unique solution that sets new standards across a wide range of requirements, while delivering “quality products and a level of service that will make a genuine difference to its customers and the profitability of their businesses.”

As reported yesterday, Ecobat Technologies has appointed Philippe Desnos as Ecobat Battery Technologies’ vice-president and managing director in order to spearhead the transition from the three existing businesses to the combined, pan-European entity. Further details are available here.