Johnson Controls to Build $200M Automotive Battery Manufacturing Facility in China

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Johnson Controls, a global automotive supplier with major operations in Plymouth Township, will invest $200 million in a new automotive battery manufacturing facility in northeastern China. Construction of the new plant is expected to begin early next year with production starting in 2018. ​

"We have a long-term commitment to China, and the new plant will play a strategic role in our plans to meet the increasing expectations of quality products and services from customers and consumers in the country, which is one of our most important markets in the world," says Joe Walicki, president of Johnson Controls Power Solutions.

Walicki says batteries for start-stop vehicles, which can help automakers meet future fuel economy and emission regulations, will be the focus of the new facility. It will have capacity to produce 6 million automotive batteries a year.

The plant will be built in the city of Shenyang, one of the largest cities in northeast China. It has been an important industrial base for China since the 1930s.

"We welcome the decision of Johnson Controls to establish its new plant in Shenyang, and we believe the company can bring its world-class manufacturing and sustainability experiences and its advanced technologies to the city for local economic development," said Pan Liguo, mayor of the city of Shenyang.

Johnson Controls entered the Chinese automotive battery supply market in 2005, and has two battery manufacturing plants in both eastern and western China. The company also has a R&D center for automotive batteries in Shanghai. Johnson Controls has more than 170,000 employees in 150 countries.