Something about Simmol

Simmol was incorporated in 2021 as a result of the demerger of the lead-acid battery company “Emrol”. The operations were separated from the land & building, the latter moved into the newly incorporated company Simmol.

Did you know “immo” (short for “immobiliën”) is the Dutch word for real-estate? The S and L were added from the founder’s name Stefan Louis. An impression of the holding portfolio is available from the website.

In April 2023 the consultancy services were added to the activities. Over the years we developed a large industry network, enabling us to provide a wide variety of services, all under the Simmol quality flag.

Stefan Louis is into Energy Storage since his parents started a battery company in 1981
He started, led, acquired, merged, demerged and sold several successful organizations in the field
Trained & experienced in business modelling, product design and production line planning
Today, a team of China-based experts are at your service to assist with your energy storage challenges, in Mandarin or English !

Skill profile Stefan Louis

Business

Strategic planning, business and budget management, new business development, business model development, customer driven value proposition innovation, sales & marketing, product development, international business, contract reviewing, waterfall and scrum-based project management, innovation and knowledge management, negotiation, forecasting and inventory management, forex hedging, fully proficient in Office and many IT apps.

Personal

Entrepreneurial, ambitious, mission-driven, innovator, diplomatic, strong communicator, out of the box thinker, agile, very focused on growth, result driven, inspirational, perfectionist, efficient, demanding, strong helicopter view, cause and effect analysis, self-confident, disciplined, hard-working, problem solver, respect for values, determined, positive attitude.

Languages proficiency

Flemish/Dutch: native, English: full professional, French: professional, Italian: elementary, German: elementary.

Technical

Requirements analysis, electrical and electronic engineering (schematic and board design), power electronics, software analysis and coding, database design, yield improvement.

People

Recruitment and coaching, compensation & reward management, planning and performance cycle management, conflict resolution, motivational leader.

Experiences

1992

Business Manager, Emrol, July 1992-June 2015 Emrol imports batteries, chargers and accessories from all over the world and distributes them in the Benelux. Emrol was setup in 1981 by my parents and was in the family for 40+ years until sold in 2021. In 2013 I made a first of several acquisitions thereby branching abroad. I managed the company since 2005 and in March 2014 I appointed a managing director to run this business unit (then 35 FTE, +16M€ revenue, +5M€ private equity) so that I could focus on new technologies and business.

Board of directors, Recybat, September 2003-April 2012 Recybat is a non-profit organization supporting battery manufacturers and distributors in Belgium with regards to battery recycling and the responsibilities towards the state. I was board member.

Board of directors, BPM, April 2009-June 2014 BPM is a non-profit organization to stimulate the durable cooperation between the 150 companies located in the Malle industrial park. I was founding member and secretary.

Managing Director, Fullriver Europe, January 2011-January 2015 Fullriver is a Guangzhou, China based manufacturer of lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries, and Fullriver Europe is the headquarter for 29 European countries providing sales, marketing and logistic services. I was founder and the majority shareholder, together with Fullriver CN and Fullriver USA. (3 FTE, 3M€ revenue). I sold the company in 2015 after reaching profitability.

Business Manager, Trineuron, January 2012-June 2015 Trineuron develops and manufactures medium to large format lithium-ion battery packs. In the years before the business unit was officially separated I already invented and had produced battery capacity testing equipment and lead-acid battery management systems for material handling equipment. Apart from designing battery packs we have developed state of the art battery management systems and IoT telemetry database solutions. The engineering team developed to 7 FTE. This division was owned by myself and then sold to Leclanché in 2015. At Trineuron I gathered a deep insight into the eMobility markets from electric cars to fork lift trucks and electric ferries.

Chief Strategy Officer, Leclanché, July 2015-July 2016 As Chief Strategy Officer I was responsible for assisting the CEO with developing, communicating and executing sustainable strategic initiatives. I supported the 3 business units in creating strategies that allow alignment of all team members, helping them to get a clear view on our value to customers, mapping the market needs and making a gap analysis. This led to clear objectives for the teams and individuals. I wrote the company’s mission and vision statements and led 13 due diligences as part of M&A efforts. The CSO role transitioned to secretary of the innovation board to broaden the scope.

Senior Vice President Systems R&D, Leclanché, July 2015-March 2018The Systems R&D team develops and tests all core technology that Leclanché offers to the market: battery modules, battery management systems, control circuits, up to IoT solutions. We work closely together with the electrochemical team that handles cell development. I set the systems R&D road map and lead the team. I have defined 43 R&D projects with value creation and cost reduction being the main focus. I also develop and manage some of the strategic projects for the company including a 6M€ license agreement and technology transfer for stationary storage systems and an acquisition of Energy Management Software (EMS) also including the technology transfer. I successfully negotiated a €72m 5-year joint development and supply agreement with Skoda Electric for battery packs for electric buses. At Leclanché I learned about integrating storage for stationary markets for renewable sources, T&D applications and hybrid generation, C&I applications and residential storage.

Executive Vice President eTransport, Leclanché, April 2018-November 2018 As one of the 6 executives of the company I lead the eTransport business unit. In my first year I focused on staffing the team, implementing process and accelerated business development to +50% CAGR. We target large automotive projects up to €500m with a 4 year contract. From April 2018 I developed and presented the 5 year business and financial plan for a JV with an Indian partner, which led to my next job.

CEO & CTO, Exide Leclanche Energy Pvt Ltd, December 2018-September 2022Started the JV and set a unique value proposition in the market based on our vision. Then built the factory, designed 150+ battery products, defined processes and hired 500+ people to form a team. Expected revenue in year 5 is INR 1’000Cr. As of 2021 my focus started shifting to preparations for cell production.

Executive Board member and CSO, Exide Energy Solutions Ltd, September 2022-March 2023 Similar to the roles since 2015, but this time building a 6+6 GWh lithium-ion cell factory. Cyclindrical NMC and prismatic LFP. This project is scheduled to be ready in 2025. For more information please consult the former employer.

Director, Simmol, September 2021-todayThe company started in 2021 as my personal real-estate holding (see Spaces), but in April 2023 consultancy services were added in the domain of energy storage / conversion / management. These services pivot around product & production line design as well as strategic business services.

Let’s work together, from molecule to megawatt.

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