Johnson Controls Inc. (NYSE: JCI) plans to invest more than $100 million to build a new facility for recycling automotive batteries in Florence County, South Carolina. The facility is expected to create 250 new jobs.
Johnson Controls’ new facility in Florence will be located on a
270-acre site that is near other major corporate leaders such as Roche
Carolina, DuPont, and Smurfit-Stone. The company plans to develop approximately 36
acres for its facility and parking, leaving the remaining acreage
undeveloped. Portions of the site will be permanently protected through
a conservation easement.
“The proposed Florence facility will be the most innovative battery
recycling operation in the world,” said Alex Molinaroli, president of
Johnson Controls Power Solutions. “Our closed-loop system is
state-of-the-art in terms of environmental controls, conforming well
within all federal, state and local environmental regulations.”
The company already provides more than 1,000 jobs in the nearby region,
including at its distribution center in Florence and a manufacturing
facility in Oconee.
Johnson Controls’ Power Solutions business is the world’s leading
supplier of automotive batteries, a leading independent provider of
hybrid battery systems, and also a recognized leader in closed-loop,
automotive battery recycling.
Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., Johnson Controls is a global Fortune 100 company with leadership positions in automotive interiors, building efficiency, and power solutions.
In April the joint venture Johnson Controls-Saft announced plans to build its first U.S. cell manufacturing facility for lithium-ion batteries for hybrid vehicles at an existing Johnson Controls facility in Holland Michigan.