The Salindres company specializing in wood heating is expanding online.
After several months of work, the new 1,500 m2 storage sheds of the Gard Bois company are up and running. In the Synerpole industrial zone in Salindres, the company has specialized in the supply of wood products for heating. Guillaume Charmasson and his team can now cope with the many orders that come to them via their online sales site.
Pellet sales are also in summer
“With this tool, and since the energy crisis, we have entered another dimension, notes the head of the Salindres business. The tensions we experienced for the supply of pellets are behind us. We said to ourselves that we had to accelerate with our projects to equip ourselves with a more efficient tool. The investment is substantial, more than €800,000, but it was necessary in order to secure our supplies, remain consistent in terms of product quality and have good prices. The company has gained in sustainability, which has allowed us to hire.”
The two hangars are equipped with solar panels and produce the equivalent of the consumption of around twenty houses. “My idea is to create a mode of collective self-consumption. It consists of sharing the production of electricity with our neighbors in the area. A sort of short supply chain for electricity.”
A company in full expansion
The first shed is dedicated to bulk or bagged pellets. The other shed stores wood chips for industrial boiler rooms and wood shavings for mulching or for shock-absorbing floors for playgrounds. “We work for landscapers who won the contract for the new Montpellier tram line, says Thomas Establet, sales manager. Wood chips help retain moisture in the soil, it’s eco-friendly, and not very expensive.”
To avoid market tensions, consumers no longer wait until winter to stock up. “There is no longer a drop in activity in the summer, notes the boss of Gard Bois. Consumers no longer wait for winter to buy. It smooths out the market… and the prices. With the volumes we pass, particularly for mass distribution, we can offer negotiated rates to individuals. We ensure deliveries up to 100 km around Salindres. We also have a drive at the depot.”
Between Jeunes Pousses, the company specializing in the creation and maintenance of gardens and Gard Bois, the group has 30 employees. “We have just recruited two apprentices and a manager for online sales management. And to think that we started with two people! Next year, the company will be ten years old.”
