A specialist in the rental of industrial vehicles with drivers, Labatut LVI, a subsidiary of the Labatut Group which has been active in the transport sector for over 90 years, has been working since the beginning of the year with the Point.P Group, France's leading distributor of building materials. Thanks to a subsidy from the FrenchEnvironment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME), Labatut LVI, a pioneer in this field, has been able to lease a fleet of vehicles running on Natural Gas for Vehicles (NGV) to Point.P, a successful first experiment!

In operation since the beginning of the year on behalf of the Point.P Group, Labatut LVI's first CNG-powered vehicles with drivers (a 3.5T utility vehicle, a 19T forwarder and a 44T road tractor with a double-deck trailer) have enabled both companies to benefit from highly encouraging operating feedback. This economical and environmentally-friendly solution combines flexibility and competitiveness in energy management. The GNVert network on which it is based also provides a dense, high-performance network.

The initial results have been extremely positive," confides Jean-François George, Labatut LVI's Director of Operations. We've seen real motivation and commitment from our drivers and delivery personnel, as well as from the recipients. Our trucks deliver daily to points of sale in the Paris region, as well as to Point.P Group customers, and initial feedback from recipients has been excellent. We would like to thank ADEME, which has supported us in this forward-looking project by financing part of our new CNG fleet.

This first test, which was very conclusive, is part of the Point.P Group's eco-responsible transport approach. Called Evoluvert, it aims for 100% clean transport by 2017, as Max-Antoine Grolleron, Transport Director of the Point.P Group, explains: "This partnership with Labatut LVI facilitates delivery in urban environments. With the vehicles provided by Labatut LVI, we can control our particulate and noise emissions. To achieve this, Labatut LVI supports us in our development strategy and offers us distribution solutions adapted to our needs, such as additional fuel tanks that guarantee greater autonomy for heavy vehicles.

On the strength of the success of this first project, Labatut LVI is confident that it can expand its CNG fleet not only with the Point.P Group, but also with other customers, with whom it is already in talks.