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Eveready Battery Company

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This article is about the original American parent company. For other uses, see Eveready.
Eveready Battery Company, Inc.
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryConsumer goods
Founded1896; 128 years ago (1896) (as the American Electrical Novelty and Manufacturing Company)
HeadquartersSt. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Key people
Alan Hoskins (CEO)
ProductsBatteries
ParentEnergizer Holdings
Websiteeveready.com

Eveready Battery Company, Inc. is an American manufacturer of electric battery brands Eveready and Energizer, owned by Energizer Holdings. Its headquarters are located in St. Louis, Missouri.[1]

The predecessor company began in 1890 in New York and was renamed in 1905. Today, the company makes batteries in the United States and China and has production facilities around the world.

History

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January 1899 Ever-Ready flashlight ad mentioning the proceedings against the alleged patent-infringing rival companies

On January 10, 1899, American Electrical Novelty and Manufacturing Company obtained U.S. Patent No. 617,592 (filed March 12, 1898) from David Misell, an inventor.[2] This "electric device" designed by Misell was powered by "D" batteries laid front-to-back in a paper tube with the light bulb and a rough brass reflector at the end.[3] Misell, the inventor of the tubular hand-held "electric device" (flashlight), assigned his invention over to the American Electrical Novelty and Manufacturing Company owned by Conrad Hubert.[2][4]

In 1905, Hubert changed the name again to The American Ever Ready Company, selling flashlights and batteries under the trademark Ever Ready.[5] In 1906 the British Ever Ready Electrical Company was formed for export of batteries; it became independent in 1914.[6][7] In 1907, Ever Ready announced AA dry cell, and in 1911 it developed AAA dry cell.[8][third-party source needed]

In 1914, The American Ever Ready Company became part of National Carbon Company. Hubert stayed on as the president. The trademark was shortened to Eveready.[9] In 1917, National Carbon Company merged with Union Carbide to form the Union Carbide and Carbon Company.[10] From 1917 until 1921, Eveready used the trademark "DAYLO" for their flashlights and on their batteries.

In 1957, employees Lewis Urry, Paul Marsal and Karl Kordesch invented a long-lasting alkaline battery using a zinc/manganese dioxide chemistry while working for Union Carbide's Cleveland plant.[11][12] The company did not aggressively market the invention, however, and instead continued to market the zinc–carbon battery. As a result, the company lost significant market share to Duracell.[13]

Prior to March 1, 1980, the company's alkaline battery had been called the Eveready Alkaline Battery (1959–1968), Eveready Alkaline Energizer (1968–1974) and Eveready Alkaline Power Cell (1974–February 29, 1980). On March 1, 1980, it was rebadged under its current name, Energizer.[14]

In 1986, Union Carbide sold its Battery Products Division to Ralston Purina Company for $1.4 billion. After the transfer, the division was named Eveready Battery Company, Inc., becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Ralston Purina.[15] By the end of 1987, Eveready held 58-60% percent market share, but that number had fallen to 40-45% by 1989 thanks to competition from Duracell.[16][17] In December 1988, Eveready's European unit acquired Cofinea, a French company that made Wonder and Mazda batteries.[18]

Eveready announced its first lithium AA battery in 1988 and began selling it in December 1992.[19][20] The company introduced its first mercury-free Battery in 1990.[21]

In 1992, it bought the British Ever Ready Electrical Company (manufacturer of Gold Seal and Silver Seal batteries) from Hanson Trust,[22] bringing its former subsidiary back under common ownership. Hanson retained it's South African division at the time.[23]

By December 1998, Eveready's market share had fallen to 30% against Duracell's 50%.[24] In June 1999, Ralston Purina announced it would spin off the Eveready business.[25] By September, it was announced that Eveready would sell its rechargeable battery division, though it retained a minority stake.[26]

Ralston completed its spin off Eveready in April 2000. The business unit was renamed Energizer Holdings, Inc., with Eveready Battery Company, Inc continuing as a subsidiary.[27]

The company's current U.S. production facilities for batteries and battery parts are located in Asheboro, North Carolina; Bennington, Vermont; Maryville, Missouri; and Marietta, Ohio; with a technology center for research located in Westlake, Ohio.[28] The majority of batteries are made in China. There are also numerous production facilities outside the US.

In October 2019, Eveready announced the planned closure of its Bennington, Vermont, plant. Production operations will be moved to a new facility in Portage, Wisconsin.[29]

Advertising

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In the 1920s, the company sponsored The Eveready Hour on radio.[30]

In 1941, after the United States entered World War II, the slogan changed to "Change your batteries, get a nickel!" to encourage economic growth.

In the 1970s, actor Robert Conrad was the spokesman for Eveready Alkaline Power Cells, in which he compared his tough physique to the performance of the battery placed on his shoulder, and daring someone to knock it off.

In the early 1980s, it utilized the slogan, "Energized, for life!", showing people using Energizers in everyday situations.

In 1986, the company highlighted an advertising campaign best known for Mary Lou Retton averring: "It's supercharged!"

In the late 1980s, there was an Australian advertising campaign featuring Mark 'Jacko' Jackson and his pitch line "Energizer! It'll surprise you! Oi!".[31]

Since 1988, the well-known Energizer Bunny has been featured in its television ads. The bunny was based on the similar Duracell Bunny. Initially, ads had the Energizer Bunny interrupting what seemed like other brands' commercials.[32] Later, the bunny would appear in competition with inferior rival battery Supervolt, which was based on Duracell. In 1991, it made the jump to print advertising.[33]

In Asia, Australia, NZ, and the UK, the mascot for Energizer is a muscle-bound anthropomorphic AA battery. He performs his actions with extreme speed, which is intended to illustrate that Energizer batteries are long lasting. This is primarily because Duracell advertises their batteries in the market using the Duracell Bunny.

Both the Eveready and Energizer marques are used under license by auto parts magnate Pep Boys for their in-house car batteries.[34] The Energizer logo used by Pep Boys is similar to the 1980s-era logo first used with the consumer dry cell batteries.

Both Eveready and Energizer are marketed as different brands in some markets in Asia. This has led to the availability of both "Eveready Gold" Alkaline batteries and Energizer Alkaline batteries on store shelves. However, both target different market segments and Eveready batteries tend to be marketed for lower end devices, while Energizer batteries are marketed for power-hungry devices and are priced accordingly.

[edit]
  • Misell's Patent 617,592
    Misell's Patent 617,592
  • 1899 Eveready flashlight
    1899 Eveready flashlight
  • "9 Lives" logo
    "9 Lives" logo
  • Eveready #742 1½ volt "A" battery with Fahnestock clip terminals for vacuum tube radios (1920s logo)
    Eveready #742 1½ volt "A" battery with Fahnestock clip terminals for vacuum tube radios (1920s logo)
  • Eveready #460 battery, 45 Volts
    Eveready #460 battery, 45 Volts

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Eveready Battery Company, Inc. Privacy Policy Archived 2018-03-07 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved 2010-10-30.
  2. ^ a b "Patent number: 617592 by David Misell". Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  3. ^ "History of Batteries (and other things)". Electropaedia. Mpoweruk.com. Archived from the original on October 3, 2017. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  4. ^ "Flashlight Museum". Wordcraft.net. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  5. ^ "Ever Ready Company | Science Museum Group Collection". Science Museum Group. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  6. ^ "Ever-Ready". Rochester Avionics Archive. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  7. ^ Bowen, David (1993-06-26). "Assault and battery: The fall of the Ever Ready empire: a classic tale". The Independent. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  8. ^ "About Eveready". eveready.com. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
  9. ^ "American Ever Ready Company". The Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments. Retrieved 2024-11-06 – via Harvard University.
  10. ^ "Union Carbide Co". Syracuse University Libraries Digital Collections. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
  11. ^ Baird, Gabriel (2011-08-03). "Thomas Edison provided Lew Urry spark of idea for better alkaline battery: Greater Cleveland Innovations". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2024-11-09 – via Cleveland.com.
  12. ^ 2960558, Marsal, Paul A.; Karl, Kordesch & Urry, Lewis F., "Dry cell", issued 1960-11-15 
  13. ^ "History of Energizer Holdings, Inc. – FundingUniverse". www.fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  14. ^ "Manufactured Object, Torch 'Eveready' c1950, c1950". Victorian Collections. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  15. ^ "Ralston Purina Buys Carbide Unit". The New York Times. July 1, 1986. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  16. ^ Sims, Calvin (December 4, 1987). "Kraft Says It Will Sell Its Duracell Division". The New York Times. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  17. ^ Foltz, Kim (October 23, 1989). "Amid TV's Ad Clutter, a Rabbit Runs Wild". The New York Times. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  18. ^ "Unit of Eveready To Buy Cofinea". The New York Times. December 2, 1988. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  19. ^ "Eveready Develops A Lithium Battery". The New York Times. September 30, 1988. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  20. ^ Durniak, John (April 4, 1993). "Longer Drumbeats For Lithium Battery". The New York Times. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  21. ^ "Eveready Battery Is Mercury Free". The New York Times. May 5, 1990. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  22. ^ "Assault and battery: The fall of the Ever Ready empire". The Independent. London. 27 June 1993. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
  23. ^ "Hanson Sells Ever Ready". The New York Times. April 14, 1992. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  24. ^ Guart, Al (1999-05-11). "GUNNING FOR BUNNY DURACELL SUES OVER PINK HARE'S 'WHITE LIES'". New York Post. Retrieved 2024-11-09.
  25. ^ "RALSTON PURINA TO SPIN OFF BATTERY SUBSIDIARY". The New York Times. June 11, 1989. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  26. ^ "RALSTON PURINA AGREES TO SELL BATTERY UNIT TO MOLTECH". The New York Times. September 29, 1999. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  27. ^ "Ralston Purina completes Energizer spinoff". www.bizjournals.com. April 3, 2000. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  28. ^ Where we work Archived 2010-10-08 at the Wayback Machine, Energizer website. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
  29. ^ Therrien, Jim (25 October 2019). "Officials poised to assist Energizer workers". The Bennington Banner. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  30. ^ Dunning, John (1998-05-07). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3.
  31. ^ "Mark 'Jacko' Jackson - Biography". IMDb. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
  32. ^ Foltz, Kim (October 23, 1989). "Amid TV's Ad Clutter, a Rabbit Runs Wild". The New York Times. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  33. ^ Stuart, Elliott (November 25, 1991). "The Energizer Bunny Is Jumping Into Print". The New York Times. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  34. ^ Pep Boys Offers ENERGIZER Automotive Batteries with Lifecycle Technology Archived January 10, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
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