Energy Storage Solution Provider Draws Inspiration from Rich History and a Promising Future of Innovation and Growth
Milton, Georgia – (June 15, 2018) – Today Exide Technologies (www.exidegroup.com), a global provider of stored energy solutions for the Automotive and industrial markets, is marking the 130th anniversary of its founding. To commemorate this milestone, Exide employees around the world at each of its locations are gathering to celebrate throughout the month of June.
“It is not every day a company can celebrate a heritage dating back to 1888,” said Vic Koelsch, President and CEO of Exide Technologies. “The company grew from a single idea for a better way to store energy in the form of a lead acid battery, to a 9,000+ employee global corporation producing and recycling millions of batteries every year in both the Automotive and industrial segments, which are used all over the world. While our history is impressive, moving forward we embrace the mind-set of being a ‘130-Year-Old Start-Up’ and are focused on bringing value and innovative and disruptive solutions to our customers, while standing for safety and quality in all that we do as a company.”
Founded in 1888 by W.W. Gibbs, Exide began with the launch of The Electric Storage Battery Company. Gibbs formed the Electric Storage Battery Company to create a dependable mechanism for storing power so electric lighting companies could provide services to their customers when needed. It wasn’t long before the Company’s batteries were used in nearly every mode of Automotive including locomotives, automobiles and airplanes. From the ocean depths to the top of Mount Everest and even on the moon, Exide batteries have been helping power the world forward for 130 years.
More recently, Exide solidified its position in the Motion industry with the launch of new solutions, including LiFTFORCE LPX™, a new Lithium-Ion battery available in North America for forklifts, Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and other demanding applications, and TENSOR® xGEL™, available in Europe, a maintenance-free VRLA (valve-regulated lead-acid) battery that can replace a standard flooded traction battery. Exide’s recent acquisition of Aker Wade® Power Technologies, a company which designs and manufactures advanced fast and opportunity charging systems for industrial forklifts, completes the Motion offering with the industry’s leading charger technology and very sophisticated modeling and monitoring tools, which enable the configuration of the optimum battery/charger solution in lift trucks.
Exide is bringing innovation to the Automotive industry as well, with engineering enhancements to meet new power requirements consumers place on their batteries with the introduction of Exide’s Enhanced Flooded Battery (EFB) technology in the North America after market. Exide is also launching a new flat top design to its automotive batteries in North America, which provides enhanced leak resistance and features an ergonomic handle for easy installation. In Europe, Exide is continuously enhancing its Start-Stop Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) and EFB batteries for the aftermarket based on the latest battery technologies the Company has developed together with the leading car manufacturers, helping to increase fuel economy and reduce CO2 emissions. Exide also recently launched its next-generation Exide HVR® (high vibration resistant) technology for Euro5/6 trucks in Europe.
The standby and stored energy needs of the world are evolving rapidly and Exide is a key player with its proven Energy Solutions applications. Exide brings safe and reliable solutions to backup power sources for telecommunications, UPS, utility and other critical power needs, as well as smart energy management for renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power stations. Exide is proud to be a supplier of multiple military applications as well and we continue to grow our business in this important segment.
“It is an exciting time to be a part of Exide,” said Koelsch. “We are investing in our future, adding capacity, adopting best practices in manufacturing technology and bringing innovation to our products through our research and development teams in North America and Europe. I would like to thank all of our employees, customers and partners for their commitment to Exide over the years and invite them to share in our celebration of 130 Years of Powering Forward.”
About Exide Technologies
Exide Technologies (www.exidegroup.com) is a global provider of stored electrical-energy solutions for the Automotive and industrial markets. Exide’s 130 years of technology innovation combined with operations in more than 80 countries enables the company to deliver compelling solutions for the world’s current and future power needs. Exide produces and recycles a broad range of products, serving the Automotive, Energy Solutions and Motion market segments with battery and energy storage systems and specialty applications for a broad range of industries including: agricultural, automotive, electric, light and heavy-duty truck, marine, materials handling, military, mining, powersport, railroad, security, telecommunications, utility and uninterruptible power supply (UPS), among others. Exide is Powering the World Forward - history and scale combined with a start-up mentality make Exide the right choice for customers who want more than simply a battery supplier.
