Originally Posted by
CatFan
Johnson Controls doesn't make Exide batteries. Exide makes them. Exide also makes Diehards.
Johnson Controls makes batteries all over the world, with the majority built near where they are sold. They have 8 factories in the US, including Missouri, Ohio and Delaware where they have spent nearly half a billion dollars in the last couple of years to increase capacity.
Thanks CatFan for your input. It was my understanding, from an article in the Journal Sentinel 2/3/2010, that Johnson Controls had taken back the Die-Hard account.
"In the mid-1990s, Sears, Roebuck & Co. dumped Johnson Controls in favor of Exide to make its Diehard brand batteries. That led to Johnson Controls to rework its battery business by cutting costs, boosting productivity and increasing its focus on technology, efforts that paid off in 1999 when the company again became the exclusive supplier of Diehard batteries".
I believe this article, concerning automobile batteries, in the Detroit Free Press on 6/13/2016 references the "half a billion" dollars you referenced;
"Johnson Controls said Monday it plans to invest $445 million to double production capacity of its advanced car batteries in North America and also to build a new battery plant in China.The investments will help JCI boost output of its absorbent glass mat batteries -- a technologically advanced car battery that is more expensive than a conventional lead acid battery but can better handle the strain of frequent engine restarts and the ever-increasing electrical load placed on car batteries.
The two investments -- $245 million to double its battery output and $200 million for a factory in China"
I was unable to locate any info on their deep-cycle manufacture locations in the U.S..
A "Search America 1st" article of 1/19/2016 spoke of Interstate batteries being being made by Johnson Controls in Mexico and the U.S.; "The actual origin of the manufacturing process for Interstate Batteries is vague. The automotive, truck, and marine batteries are made by Johnson Controls which makes 65% of the automotive, truck, and marine batteries sold in the USA. Johnson Controls also makes the batteries for Wal-Mart and AutoZone. From Louisiana to Southern California the Interstate brand batteries are made by a Johnson Controls manufacturing plant in Monterrey, Mexico. In the other states, the batteries are made by Johnson Controls in the United States."
"“We do have some batteries manufactured in Mexico but not all of them. We have several plants located here in the US located in the North, East, South and West. If a battery is manufactured in Mexico it is required by law to have a sticker on the top of it that says “Made in Mexico”. If there is not sticker, it is made in the USA.”
It appears that Interstate auto/lawn mower batteries are made in the USA, but their power sport batteries are not: "Since their major automotive battery manufacturer is an American company with locations worldwide, approximately 98% of the automotive batteries Interstate sells are made in the USA. With the exception of the power sport batteries (motorcycle, jet skis, ATV’s, etc) the automotive batteries and small engine / lawn mower batteries are made in the USA."
It's a shame there is not a good clear-cut source for consumers to use to research and compare the companies behind the name and countries of manufacture. Because of logistics I agree one would think that "manufacture as close to point-of-sale" would make both sense and cents, but it still amazes me how many companies with American addresses are finding it more profitable to import all or a portion of their goods made available to us. It seems government regulations have been the issue for battery plants. I erred in adding Exide to the Johnson Controls list, thanks correcting me. I looked at articles involving them and saw some of the same infractions placed on other battery makers.
Pass the "Sportsman Baton" on before you're gone, promote values for others to hunt and fish upon.