Manitou Group has announced the acquisition of an 82 per cent stake in easyLi, a specialist in the design and production of lithium-ion batteries. This strategic transaction gives the group specific skills in the context of energy transition.
Founded in 2011, easyLi manufactures and maintains lithium-ion battery systems for electric mobility and stationary energy storage solutions. It has 25 employees and is based at Poitiers in Western France.
As a result of the acquisition, Manitou Group has extended its competence with business lines dedicated to R&D and the production and reconditioning of lithium-ion batteries. Group president and CEO, Michel Denis, said easyLi’s expertise added substantial value to the organisation.
“By internalising this expertise, we’re going to be able to study machine-battery interactions in depth and thus continue to reduce total cost of ownership for our users,” he added. “This operation is in keeping with our research and development plan to accelerate our energy transition.”
The founder and CEO of easyLi, François Barsacq, said he was proud to be joining the Manitou Group.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity to share our know-how internationally on different ranges of handling products,” he added, “while stepping up our activities on our historical markets of urban electric mobility, on-board energy systems and self-sufficient environments.
“We look forward to accompanying Manitou Group in this new stage.”
