Johnson Controls To Invest $245 Mln To Boost AGM Production In North America

(RTTNews) - Johnson Controls Inc. (JCI), the world's largest manufacturer of Absorbent Glass Mat or AGM batteries, announced Monday that it is investing $245 million between 2016 and 2020 to double AGM production capacity in North America.

The diversified technology company noted that its AGM batteries are engineered for ever-increasing vehicle demands, including superior starting power even at low states of charge, reliability in harsh weather and extreme conditions, as well as excellent durability in high-load applications.

Joe Walicki, president, Johnson Controls Power Solutions, said, "Due to increasing power needs for vehicle accessories and safety functions, along with changing environmental standards, automotive batteries play an increasingly important role in today's vehicles."

In addition to growing consumer demand for replacement batteries, automakers depend on AGM technology to help improve fuel efficiency up to 5 percent in vehicles with start-stop systems. The number of cars built in North America with start-stop systems will approach 50 percent in 2020 due to increasingly stringent environmental regulations, the company added.

Between 2015 and 2020, Johnson Controls said it will invest more than $780 million in total globally to increase AGM manufacturing capacity.