The company has ten international standard factories spread across five states in the country, out of which 8 factories are dedicated to lead-acid batteries and 2 factories manufacture Home UPS Systems. The factories are located in Ahmednagar, Chinchwad & Taloja in Maharashtra, Haldia[1] & Shyamnagar in West Bengal, Roorkee & Haridwar in Uttarakhand, Hosur in Tamil Nadu, Bawal in Haryana, and Prantij in Gujarat.
Exide also has manufacturing facilities in Sri Lanka, UK and Singapore and does business globally through its subsidiaries and international affiliates.[2]
Exide exports its batteries to more than 60 countries across the globe. It has a strong 95,000+ distributor & dealer / sub-dealer network.[3][4]
The company has forayed into manufacturing of lithium-ion battery modules and packs through its subsidiary Exide Energy Private Limited (under the brand Nexcharge) for India’s electric vehicle market and stationary applications. Further, it has recently set up a wholly-owned subsidiary – Exide Energy Solutions Limited - and is in the process of setting up a plant for multi-giga watt hour lithium-ion cell manufacturing business at Bengaluru, Karnataka.[5][6][7][8][9]
Exide through its wholly owned subsidiary, Chloride Metals Limited, operates 3 modern lead recycling facilities in the state of West Bengal, Maharashtra & Karnataka.[10]
History
In India, as in many other erstwhile colonies of Great Britain, Exide batteries were imported for many years before the Chloride Electrical Storage Company (CESCO) was finally set up in 1920. It started only as an assembling and manufacturing facility and the first manufacturing unit was set up in Shyamnagar, West Bengal in 1947. This marked the momentous entry of Associated Battery Makers Eastern Limited (ABMEL) in the Indian industrial scenario.
For road vehicles, ABMEL's principal brands were Exide and Dagenite (used by Rolls Royce) but the Company was changing its course on other tracks too. Exide "Iron Clad" batteries powered the Railways and in 1963, following the Chinese aggression, the company doubled its production of special defence batteries. The same year saw the manufacture of large stationary batteries for railway track electrification.
The rapid rate of expansion was seen with the establishment of a second factory in 1969 at Chinchwad, Maharashtra to cater to the growing demand for automobile batteries and was strategically established near automobile Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).
Over the years, the company has grown steadily, modernised its manufacturing processes, and taken initiatives on the service front. Constant innovations have helped Exide to produce the world's largest range of industrial batteries extending from 2.5 Ah to 20,600 Ah and covering various technology configurations.
In the year 2022, the company celebrated 75 years of its corporate existence in India.
Products
Exide’s product range includes batteries that are used in automotive, industrial, inverter, and home UPS applications. Automotive batteries are used for SLI application across 2-wheelers, 3-wheelers, and 4-wheelers (Cars, Jeeps, Buses & Trucks) as well as for primary power sources in E-rickshaws. In Industrial, usage is across a gamut of applications in segments such as power (both conventional and renewable), telecom, infrastructure projects, IT/ITES industries, railways, mining, and defence sectors. Exide is also present in the battery energy storage solution business where it designs and integrates power generated through renewables for use in remote areas of the country. Also, Exide supplies submarine batteries to the Indian Navy.[11][12][13][14]
Research and Development
The company’s Research and Development Centre in Kolkata, West Bengal was established in 1976, and since then it has been driving consistent innovation for better processes and products. The best-in-class facility has been recognised by the Department of Scientific & Industrial Research, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India since April 1977.
Also, Exide’s R&D boasts a range of significant international technical collaborations that contribute to its innovative endeavours. These collaborations span across the globe and include partnerships with renowned entities such as Moura Batteries in Brazil, Furukawa Battery in Japan, East Penn in the USA, Advance Battery Concepts in the USA, and SVOLT Energy Solutions Company Ltd in China (for Lithium-ion Cell Manufacturing).
CSR Initiatives
The company has adopted Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as an integral part of its core organisational strategy to contribute and add value to its immediate and larger communities. The CSR activities revolve around the main pillars of Exide’s CSR philosophy within the focus areas of Children & Education, Health & Sanitation, Environment, Women & Community Empowerment, and Skills Development.
Relationship between Exide Industries and Exide Technologies
Chloride Electric Storage Co. Ltd. (CESCO) was the United Kingdom-based division of the United States-based Electric Storage Battery Company (ESBC), a predecessor to today's Exide Technologies. In 1947, ESBC was forced to sell off CESCO following the decisions of a United States district court, and CESCO held the "Exide" trademark in the UK, and later sold batteries under the Exide name in India. In 1991, CESCO's successor, Chloride Group plc, fully divested its trademark in India and battery manufacturing operations to its current management.[15] In 1997, Exide Industries filed a lawsuit against Exide Technologies of the United States when the latter tried entering the Indian market, and both companies entered a prolonged legal battle that was heard by the Delhi High Court, which led to a 2012 verdict that Exide Industries was the legal owner of the Exide trademark in India.
An appeal was filed and in 2017, it was ruled that while Exide Industries was the trademark owner in India, Exide Technologies held the goodwill of the "Exide" name and both companies had a legitimate claim to use of the name in the Indian market. A further appeal from the Indian company that went to the Supreme Court of India led to a stay of the verdict, however, there was a restraining order on the use of the "Exide" name from the American company until the final verdict. Both parties settled in 2017, with an out of court settlement from Exide Industries to Exide Technologies, terms being that Exide Technologies waives any rights to the "Exide" trademark in India in perpetuity.[16]
₹14,592 crore (US$1.8 billion) (2022-23)