Exide Technologies |
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Official Site: Exide.com
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History
The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Exide page on 9 September 2019, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Exide Technologies is an American manufacturer of lead-acid batteries, including automotive batteries and industrial batteries. Its four global business groups (Transportation Americas, Transportation Europe and Rest of World, Industrial Power Americas, and Industrial Power Europe and Rest of World) provide stored electrical energy products and services.
Exide's global headquarters are located in Milton, Georgia. It has both manufacturing and recycling plants. The former are located throughout the U.S., Pacific Rim, Europe and Australia. Recycling plants are located in Canon Hollow, which is north of Forest City, Missouri, and Muncie, Indiana. Two former recycling plants in Frisco, Texas and Vernon, California have been closed in 2012 and 2013. The plants in Reading, Pennsylvania and Baton Rouge, Louisiana have also been closed.
Exide has a controversial record and history in many of the U.S. communities where they operate or used to operate including stories of environmental contamination, excessive emissions of toxic particulates and public health and safety violations. Exide products and batteries are distributed and sold throughout the United States by a number of companies including: Jiffy Lube, Tractor Supply Company, Home Depot, Dick's Sporting Goods, Camping World, American Tire Depot, BJ's Wholesale Club, Menards, and Discount Tire Centers.
In light of Exide Technologies' environmental and safety record in the U.S., some residents in communities where Exide operates are questioning Exide's partners and distributors about their corporate responsibility and culpability in selling Exide's products when millions of dollars in cleanup costs for Exide's role in toxic contamination in California, Texas and Pennsylvania are outstanding.
Exide's predecessor corporation was the Electric Storage Battery Company, founded by W.W. Gibbs in 1888. Gibbs purchased the ideas and patents of inventor Clement Payen to make the storage battery a commercial product. Gibbs targeted electric lighting companies so they could use the storage batteries to provide services to their customers.
An important early customer for Electric Storage was the Electric Launch Company, also known as Elco.
In 1893, the Norwegian explorer, Fridtjof Nansen, used Tudor accumulators supplied by the AFA during the expedition to the North Pole, which began in 1893, and from which he returned safely and intact in 1896. The batteries which gave light during the long polar nights were charged by windmill, and the dynamos which were used for recharging are exhibited in the Fram Museum in Oslo, Norway.
In 1898, an Electric Storage battery provided the submerged power for the USS Holland (SS-1), the first submarine commissioned in the US Navy. Electric Storage remained a significant supplier of US Navy submarine batteries at least through World War II. Isaac Rice, president of Electric Storage in 1899, was instrumental in founding the Electric Boat Company as a bailout of the Holland Torpedo Boat Company.
In 1899, a Fulmen battery equipped the "La Jamais Contente" electric car – the first car in the world to exceed 100 km/h (62 mph).
In 1900, the Electric Storage Battery Company developed a product of greater capacity and less weight for electric taxicabs. This battery was the first to bear the name Exide, short for "Excellent Oxide".
In 1902, The Electric Storage Battery Co. formed Willard Storage Battery Co. when they acquired the battery-making assets of a jewelry manufacturer in Cleveland, OH and incorporated them. By 1950 Willard automotive batteries were outselling Exide automotive batteries although The Electric Storage Battery Co. was larger due to diversification.
In 1911, Charles F. Kettering turned to the Electric Storage Battery Company for a suitable automotive battery to complement his new electric starter. This project yielded the first car battery of the modern type. (Within 5 years, there was a substantial field of aftermarket brands in storage batteries and starters for automobiles, as evidenced by the advertisements in automotive trade journals of the era.)
When the United States entered World War I, Exide batteries were used to operate airplane radio sets and power radio stations.
In 1934 the Electric Storage Battery Company filed for the trademark Exide Ironclad and in 1935 their trademark was registered.
In 1938, the Electric Storage Battery Company acquired the Giant Storage Battery Company, and expanded into battery chargers and testers.
During World War II, the Electric Storage Battery Company was a major supplier of batteries for U.S. Navy submarines and primary contractor for batteries used in the Mark 18 electric torpedo.
Exide entered the dry-cell battery industry in 1957 when it acquired the Ray-O-Vac Company, the then second largest producer of dry-cell batteries in the US.
Following the acquisition of the Wisconsin Battery Company, Exide started producing motorcycle and specialty batteries.
In 1972, Exide acquired the Edison Storage Battery Company, which had developed a practical nickel-iron battery in 1901. The production of this type of battery was subsequently discontinued in 1975.
In 1987, Exide acquired General Battery Corporation and moved the company headquarters to Reading, Pennsylvania.
Exide became a publicly traded company in October 1993.
In 1997, Exide NASCAR Select Batteries were introduced, which is the official battery of NASCAR. Exide NASCAR Select is engineered to start high compression engines that demand nearly twice the starting power of a typical car. In 2000, the battery brand was renamed Exide Select.
Arthur M. Hawkins resigned as chairman and chief executive officer of Exide in October 1998. Robert A. Lutz, former president and vice chairman at Chrysler Corporation, was appointed Exide's Chairman of the Board. He reorganized the worldwide management structure into Global Business Units and sold off non-battery units to allow the company to concentrate on its primary business.
In 2000, Exide acquired GNB Technologies, a North American supplier of automotive batteries.
In 2002, Exide filed for bankruptcy after compiling a debt of $2.5 billion as a result of the recent acquisitions. In April 2004, a judge approved the company's plan to eliminate $1.3 billion in debt and exit bankruptcy protection by the end of the month
In June 2013, Exide again filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with the aim of cutting debt and implementing a restructuring plan (Exide Technologies, Case No. 13-11482, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware).
In April 2015, the company emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, which reduced its debt by approximately $600 million.
On May 20, 2015, the Company announced the appointment of Victor M. (Vic) Koelsch, former Executive Vice President, Michelin North America, as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company.
On May 24, 2017, Exide completed a series of financing transactions to fund growth and additional capacity.
On May 24, 2018, Exide expanded its motive power offering with acquisition of Aker Wade Power Technologies.
Headquarters and Locations
Exide Technologies' global headquarters is located in Milton, Georgia. It has both manufacturing and recycling plants located throughout the U.S. and Europe. Exide's European Headquarters is located in Gennevilliers, France. Exide operates in approximately 80 countries around the world.
Exide operates three R&D facilities including one in the U.S.(Milton, Georgia), and two in Europe (Büdingen, Germany and Azuqueca, Spain)
Exide operates seven manufacturing plants and three recycling plants in the U.S. In Europe, Exide operates ten manufacturing plants and three recycling facilities.
Exide maintains principal sales offices in Mexico City, São Paulo, Dubai, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Sydney.
| Date | Article | Author/Source |
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| 14 March 2016 | Exide Launches New Battery Finder App | Exide Technologies |