Eveready Battery Company
Encyclopedia
Eveready Battery Company, Inc., headquartered in St. Louis
, Missouri
, is an American manufacturer of battery
brands Eveready and Energizer, owned by Energizer Holdings
.
.
In 1905, Hubert changed the name again to The American Ever Ready Company, selling flashlights and batteries under the trademark Ever Ready.
In 1906 the British Ever Ready Electrical Company was formed for export of batteries; it became independent in 1914.
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.
In 1917, National Carbon Company merged with Union Carbide
to form The Union Carbide and Carbon Company.
From 1917 until 1921, Eveready used the trademark "DAYLO" for their flashlight
s and on their batteries.
In 1957, employees Lewis Urry
, Paul Marsal and Karl Kordesch
invented the long-lasting alkaline battery
. The company did not aggressively market the invention, however, and instead continued to market the old Zinc-carbon battery
. As a result, the company lost significant market share to Duracell
.
Prior to 1980, the company's alkaline battery had been called the Eveready Alkaline Power Cell. In 1980, it was rebadged under its current name, Energizer.
In 1986, Union Carbide
sold its Battery Products Division to Ralston Purina Company
for US$1.4 billion, becoming the Eveready Battery Company, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary. At that time, the Eveready and Energizer batteries held 52 percent market share. The company under Ralston lost market share to rival Duracell
.
In 1992, it bought the British Ever Ready Electrical Company from Hanson Trust, the manufacturer of Gold Seal and Silver Seal batteries.
In 1999, Eveready sold its rechargeable battery
division, although it still markets them for retail
sale.
In 2000, Ralston spun off Eveready, and it was listed on the New York Stock Exchange
as a holding company
, Energizer Holdings, Inc.
, with Eveready Battery Company, Inc continuing as its most important daughter company
.
The company's current US production facilities for batteries and battery parts are located in Asheboro, North Carolina
; Bennington, Vermont; Maryville, Missouri
; St. Albans, Vermont
; and Marietta, Ohio
; with a technology center for research located in Westlake, Ohio
. There are also numerous production facilities outside the US.
on radio.
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 advertising campaign featuring Mark 'Jacko' Jackson and his pitch line "Energizer! It'll surprise you! Oi!".
Since 1988, the well-known Energizer Bunny
has been featured in its television ads. The bunny was based on the similar Duracell Bunny
used in the UK. Often, the bunny would appear in competition with inferior rival battery Supervolt, which was based on Duracell.
In 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.
Both the Eveready and Energizer marques are used under license by auto parts magnate Pep Boys
for their in-house car batteries. The Energizer logo used by Pep Boys is similar to the 1980s-era logo first used with the consumer dry cell batteries.
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, is an American manufacturer of battery
Battery (electricity)
An electrical battery is one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and especially since the technically improved Daniell cell in 1836, batteries have become a common power...
brands Eveready and Energizer, owned by Energizer Holdings
Energizer Holdings
Energizer Holdings is an American manufacturer of batteries and personal care products, headquartered in Town and Country, Missouri. Its most well known brands are Energizer and Eveready batteries, Schick, Wilkinson Sword and Edge shaving products, Playtex feminine hygiene and baby products, and...
.
History
On January 10, 1899, American Electrical Novelty and Manufacturing Company obtained U.S. Patent No. 617,592 (filed 12 March 1898) from David Misell, an inventor. 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. Misell, the inventor of the tubular hand-held "electric device" (a.k.a. electric torch or flashlight), assigned his invention over to the American Electrical Novelty and Manufacturing Company owned by Conrad HubertConrad Hubert
Conrad Hubert was a Russian inventor known for electric flashlights. He was the son of Russian Jewish parents who were distillers and wine producers as were their ancestors.- Early life :...
.
In 1905, Hubert changed the name again to The American Ever Ready Company, selling flashlights and batteries under the trademark Ever Ready.
In 1906 the British Ever Ready Electrical Company was formed for export of batteries; it became independent in 1914.
In 1914, The American Ever Ready Company became part of National Carbon Company
National Carbon Company
The National Carbon Company was founded in 1886 by the former Brush Electric Company executive W. H. Lawrence, in association with Myron T. Herrick, James Parmelee, and Webb Hayes, son of U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes, in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1890, National Carbon merged with Thomson-Houston,...
. Hubert stayed on as the president. The trademark was shortened to Eveready.
In 1917, National Carbon Company merged with Union Carbide
Union Carbide
Union Carbide Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company. It currently employs more than 2,400 people. Union Carbide primarily produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more further conversions by customers before reaching consumers. Some are high-volume...
to form The Union Carbide and Carbon Company.
From 1917 until 1921, Eveready used the trademark "DAYLO" for their flashlight
Flashlight
A flashlight is a hand-held electric-powered light source. Usually the light source is a small incandescent lightbulb or light-emitting diode...
s and on their batteries.
In 1957, employees Lewis Urry
Lewis Urry
Lewis Frederick Urry, , was a Canadian chemical engineer and inventor. He invented both the alkaline battery and lithium battery while working for the Eveready Battery company....
, Paul Marsal and Karl Kordesch
Karl Kordesch
Karl Kordesch was an Austrian chemist and inventor, most notable for jointly inventing the alkaline battery.-Life:...
invented the long-lasting alkaline battery
Alkaline battery
Alkaline batteries are a type of primary batteries dependent upon the reaction between zinc and manganese dioxide . A rechargeable alkaline battery allows reuse of specially designed cells....
. The company did not aggressively market the invention, however, and instead continued to market the old Zinc-carbon battery
Zinc-carbon battery
A zinc–carbon dry cell or battery is packaged in a zinc can that serves as both a container and negative terminal. It was developed from the wet Leclanché cell . The positive terminal is a carbon rod surrounded by a mixture of manganese dioxide and carbon powder. The electrolyte used is a paste of...
. As a result, the company lost significant market share to Duracell
Duracell
Duracell is a brand of batteries manufactured by Procter & Gamble.Additionally, Duracell owns the Procell professional-use brand.-Products:Duracell manufactures alkaline batteries in many common sizes, such as AAA, AA, C, D, and 9V...
.
Prior to 1980, the company's alkaline battery had been called the Eveready Alkaline Power Cell. In 1980, it was rebadged under its current name, Energizer.
In 1986, Union Carbide
Union Carbide
Union Carbide Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company. It currently employs more than 2,400 people. Union Carbide primarily produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more further conversions by customers before reaching consumers. Some are high-volume...
sold its Battery Products Division to Ralston Purina Company
Ralston Purina Company
Nestlé Purina PetCare Company is the pet food division of Swiss-based Nestlé S.A., following its acquisition of the American Ralston Purina Company on December 12, 2001 and subsequent merger with Nestlé's Friskies PetCare Company. As a wholly owned subsidiary, it is headquartered at the General...
for US$1.4 billion, becoming the Eveready Battery Company, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary. At that time, the Eveready and Energizer batteries held 52 percent market share. The company under Ralston lost market share to rival Duracell
Duracell
Duracell is a brand of batteries manufactured by Procter & Gamble.Additionally, Duracell owns the Procell professional-use brand.-Products:Duracell manufactures alkaline batteries in many common sizes, such as AAA, AA, C, D, and 9V...
.
In 1992, it bought the British Ever Ready Electrical Company from Hanson Trust, the manufacturer of Gold Seal and Silver Seal batteries.
In 1999, Eveready sold its rechargeable battery
Rechargeable battery
A rechargeable battery or storage battery is a group of one or more electrochemical cells. They are known as secondary cells because their electrochemical reactions are electrically reversible. Rechargeable batteries come in many different shapes and sizes, ranging anything from a button cell to...
division, although it still markets them for retail
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
sale.
In 2000, Ralston spun off Eveready, and it was listed on the New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
as a holding company
Holding company
A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...
, Energizer Holdings, Inc.
Energizer Holdings
Energizer Holdings is an American manufacturer of batteries and personal care products, headquartered in Town and Country, Missouri. Its most well known brands are Energizer and Eveready batteries, Schick, Wilkinson Sword and Edge shaving products, Playtex feminine hygiene and baby products, and...
, with Eveready Battery Company, Inc continuing as its most important daughter company
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
.
The company's current US production facilities for batteries and battery parts are located in Asheboro, North Carolina
Asheboro, North Carolina
Asheboro is a city in Randolph County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 21,672 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Randolph County, and is the home of the state-owned North Carolina Zoo.-Geography:...
; Bennington, Vermont; Maryville, Missouri
Maryville, Missouri
Maryville is a city in Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. The population was 10,581 at the 2000 census. The town, organized on February 14, 1845, was named for Mrs. Mary Graham, wife of Amos Graham, then the county clerk. Mary was the first Caucasian woman to have lived within the boundaries...
; St. Albans, Vermont
St. Albans (city), Vermont
St. Albans is a city in and the shire town of Franklin County, Vermont, in the United States. At the 2000 census, the city population was 7,650. St Albans City is completely surrounded by St. Albans town, which is incorporated separately from the city of St. Albans...
; and Marietta, Ohio
Marietta, Ohio
Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Ohio, United States. During 1788, pioneers to the Ohio Country established Marietta as the first permanent American settlement of the new United States in the Northwest Territory. Marietta is located in southeastern Ohio at the mouth...
; with a technology center for research located in Westlake, Ohio
Westlake, Ohio
Westlake is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 32,729 at the 2010 census. It is an affluent suburb of Cleveland, Ohio and is located 12 miles from Cleveland's downtown.-Geography:Westlake is located at...
. There are also numerous production facilities outside the US.
Advertising
In the 1920s, the company sponsored The Eveready HourThe Eveready Hour
The Eveready Hour was the first commercially sponsored variety program in the history of broadcasting. It premiered December 4, 1923 on WEAF Radio in New York. Radio's first sponsored network program. it was paid for by the National Carbon Company, which at the time owned Eveready Battery...
on radio.
In 1986, the company highlighted an advertising campaign best known for Mary Lou Retton
Mary Lou Retton
Mary Lou Retton is an American gymnast and Olympic gold medalist. She was the first female gymnast from outside Eastern Europe to win the Olympic all-around title, after 14 Eastern Bloc countries boycotted the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.-Personal life:Retton was born in Fairmont, West...
averring: "It's supercharged!"
In the late 1980s, there was an advertising campaign featuring Mark 'Jacko' Jackson and his pitch line "Energizer! It'll surprise you! Oi!".
Since 1988, the well-known Energizer Bunny
Energizer Bunny
The Energizer Bunny is the marketing icon and mascot of Energizer batteries in North America. It is a pink toy rabbit wearing sunglasses and blue and white striped sandals that beats a bass drum bearing the Energizer logo. It is a parody of the preexistent Duracell Bunny, still seen in Europe and...
has been featured in its television ads. The bunny was based on the similar Duracell Bunny
Duracell Bunny
A Duracell Bunny is any of several anthropomorphic pink rabbits powered by batteries, used to promote Duracell brand batteries. In commercial advertisements, the Duracell Bunny is actually only one of these rabbits, powered by a Duracell battery rather than rival batteries...
used in the UK. Often, the bunny would appear in competition with inferior rival battery Supervolt, which was based on Duracell.
In 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.
Both the Eveready and Energizer marques are used under license by auto parts magnate Pep Boys
Pep Boys
The Pep Boys — Manny, Moe & Jack , branded as Pep Boys Auto and commonly abbreviated as Pep Boys, is a full-service and tire automotive aftermarket chain....
for their in-house car batteries. The Energizer logo used by Pep Boys is similar to the 1980s-era logo first used with the consumer dry cell batteries.