Johnson Controls-Saft to open Lithium-Ion battery site

Johnson Controls Inc. announced plans Tuesday to build its first U.S. manufacturing facility for lithium-ion hybrid batteries.

Subject to final state and local incentives, the company, through a joint venture with France-based Saft SA, will use an existing Johnson Controls facility in Holland, Mich.

“Battery technology is strategically important to the future of the U.S. automotive industry and the economy at large,†said Alex Molinaroli, president of the power solutions business for Glendale-based Johnson Controls.

The plant will have about 500 employees.

Johnson Controls-Saft to open battery site - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

 

Holland, MI —
Johnson Controls Inc. officials formed a team Wednesday to assure 500 new jobs producing batteries for electric and hybrid vehicles at its Meadowbrook facility in Holland will become a reality in 2010.

Company and city officials who met at Holland City Hall agreed to form a group of city staff and JCI representatives that will shepherd the project and remove any hurdles, Mayor Al McGeehan said.

“This was not on our radar screen when we came to work on Monday morning,†he said. “This is a very, very fast-moving project.â€

More details about the timeline will emerge in coming weeks, but that hasn’t slowed the attention from people across the country.

“We continue to be excited about it,†McGeehan said. “There’s a lot of buzz.â€

JCI announced on Tuesday the Meadowbrook site would become the company’s first U.S. cell manufacturing facility for lithium-ion hybrid car batteries. It plans to spend $220 million at the site.

Local officials said the project was just what the area’s economy needed.


City leaders gear up for JCI hybrid battery plant - Holland, MI - The Holland Sentinel

 

Our view: Battery plant may be the spark we need - Holland, MI - The Holland Sentinel

As important as the project is for Holland is its importance to the state of Michigan, which is investing hundreds of millions in tax credits to support the JCI-Saft venture and three other advanced-battery manufacturing plants planned around the state. As the auto industry rolls out more electric and hybrid vehicles, Michigan could ill afford to see production of a component as valuable as lithium-ion batteries ceded to foreign manufacturers.

We are also fortunate in Holland that the new factory is not the dream of a start-up company, no matter how promising, but of an established, well-managed multinational corporation with deep pockets. JCI brings to the project not only its financial strength and long history in the automotive industry but also its experience with Saft making lithium-ion batteries in France and a commitment from Ford to use JCI-Saft batteries in its coming electric models.