French construction specialist GSE is set to deliver a 42,000 sqm warehouse adjacent to the ACC (Automotive Cells Company) gigafactory in northern France by early 2027, after a one-year build cycle. Located within the Artois-Flandres Industrial Park between Lens and Lille, the facility is being developed on a build-to-suit basis by SDAN (Société de Développement Axe Nord) to act as a dedicated factory store for ACC.
A bespoke logistics platform for Europe’s EV battery push
ACC was founded in 2020 as a joint venture between Stellantis (then PSA) and TotalEnergies, with Mercedes-Benz joining the partnership a year later. The new warehouse will primarily handle inbound raw materials and packaging for just-in-time replenishment of battery cell production, alongside finished goods storage and buffer stocks for components sourced from Asia.
The project underscores Europe’s strategic push to anchor a domestic battery value chain, supporting the wider electrification of the regional automotive sector. ACC began commercial production in 2024 but has faced ramp-up challenges through 2025 and early 2026, particularly around quality and scrap rates.
Seveso upper-tier classification and AMR-driven operations
The 10-hectare site, located on land bordering the ACC plant, will operate under the BBD acronym — combining the names of host municipalities Billy-Berclau and Douvrin. Designed by Santer Van Hoof Architecture, a long-standing SDAN partner that already worked on two earlier large-format warehouses near the port of Dunkirk, the building will carry a Seveso upper-tier classification.
Several of its seven cells will require specific ICPE authorisations to handle hazardous or flammable materials, reflecting the regulatory weight of battery-grade chemicals. Internal logistics will lean on autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), embedding automation into materials handling from day one.
200 jobs targeted for round-the-clock operations
Throughout the planning phase, around 200 jobs were flagged for the site, with three-shift, 365-day operations envisaged at full capacity. Initial throughput may run below that target while ACC continues to stabilise its production output. SDAN is positioning the warehouse as a long-term logistics asset capable of scaling alongside the gigafactory’s volumes.
The BBD platform reinforces SDAN’s track record in delivering large-scale industrial logistics projects in northern France, and adds another reference point for GSE in the European EV-supply infrastructure pipeline.
