Let’s Make This Clarios: Canby Battery Plant Part of $13.2 Billion Acquisition of Johnson Controls Division

Johnson Controls Power Solutions, a global leader in energy storage manufacturing that includes a large battery production facility on NW 3rd Avenue in Canby, is now Clarios.

Brookfield Business Partners, a publicly traded corporation headquartered in Toronto, purchased the battery division from Johnson Controls Inc. for $13.2 billion, and announced the acquisition and name change earlier this month. Sources tell us the former Johnson Controls facility in Canby was part of the deal, and that new signs for the plant have already been ordered.

A press release said the new company, Clarios, will generate $8 billion in revenues with more than 16,000 employees, 56 facilities worldwide and 130 years of expertise. They’re the worldwide leader in vehicle battery technologies — producing one-third of the automotive industry’s total output per year.

“Our vision is to power progress by creating the world’s smartest energy storage solutions that benefit people, business, and the planet,” said Joe Walicki, president of Clarios. “As a global leader with a product used in virtually every vehicle from conventional to fully electric, we are well positioned to capitalize on market trends, including a move toward more electrified and autonomous vehicles which are elevating the critical role of the battery and accelerating the need for more advanced batteries.”

Battery technology has become increasingly important because today’s vehicles house more than a hundred electrified devices to comply with growing industry regulations and to support consumer demands for safety, fuel economy, comfort and sustainability.

And, with the growing shift toward more autonomous vehicles, advanced safety features will become even more critical, requiring a proven, reliable energy storage solution. Clarios promises to invest in the people, process and technologies to help meet these growing demands and power even greater mobility and connectivity in the future.

Clarios will build on decades of leadership in the circular economy where it designs, builds, recovers and recycles batteries, a pioneering “closed loop collection system” aimed at helping create a more efficient and sustainable approach to energy storage. Clarios batteries are designed and made so up to 99 percent of the materials can be recovered and reused in the new batteries it makes.

The company will maintain its current global manufacturing and operations footprint, including its corporate headquarters in Glendale, Wis.

The Canby facility started its life as Globe Union, a battery plant in Oregon City. Globe was acquired by Johnson Controls in the 1960s, which moved the plant to Canby in 1972.

Photo courtesy Clarios.

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