Employees and government dignitaries helped Johnson Controls honor an important historical milestone in Burgos, Spain today. The company’s battery manufacturing facility, built in 1974, celebrated its 40th year in the community with a ceremony that included the President of the Junta de Castilla y León, Juan Vicente Herrera, and the mayor of Burgos, Francisco Javier Lacalle.
“Over the last 40 years, employees at our Burgos plant have been committed to providing customers with the latest technological advances in the automotive energy storage industry,” said Ron Weller, vice president and general manager Components for Johnson Controls Power Solutions. “I’m proud of our work there and the continued emphasis the team puts on continuously making great products.”
Since its inception, the Burgos plant has produced 94 million batteries. It supplies all major automakers and aftermarket retailers in Spain, throughout Europe, Turkey and North America. In 2011, the facility began making VARTA® Start-Stop batteries with Enhanced Flooded or EFB technology.
Last year, the Confederation of Business Associations (Confederación de Asociaciones Empresariales de Burgos) recognized the plant with an Innovation Award for launching the first EFB production lines for Start-Stop applications in Spain. This technology can save drivers three to five percent in fuel economy by shutting off the engine while the vehicle is stopped. Automotive accessories remain on with power from the battery.
Johnson Controls has also been recognized among the top 100 desirable companies to work for by Actualidad Economica, one of the most important business magazines in Spain.
“With nearly 300 employees, we are dedicated to improving the community through volunteer projects and donations to local non-profit organizations,” said Burgos plant manager Eduardo Quintanal.
Since 2013, Johnson Controls employees at the plant have volunteered with the Asociación de Parálisis Cerebral. One of the projects included retrofitting wheelchairs for people dealing with cerebral palsy.
