GNB Technologies and Optima Batteries Sign Technology Agreement
4 October 1999
GNB Technologies and Optima Batteries Sign Technology Agreement
ATLANTA--Oct. 4, 1999--Atlanta-based lead-acid battery manufacturer and recycler GNB Technologies announces a long-term technology partnership with Optima Batteries.Over the next five years, GNB and Optima, manufacturer of the original spiral wound lead-acid battery design, Optima SpiralCell Technology(R), will work together to market and develop valve-regulated, spiral-wound batteries for automotive, marine and heavy duty applications in the U.S. and Canadian markets. This partnership will combine GNB's innovative technical infrastructure, and customer base, with the Optima SpiralCell Technology(R), the original design in the spiral-wound battery segment.
Optima Batteries, owned by the Gylling Group headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, with production in Aurora, Colorado, pioneered the original automotive Optima SpiralCell Technology(R) battery in 1988. Optima's Red, Yellow and Blue TopTM batteries have taken the conventional battery market by storm, providing consumers with batteries that have dramatically increased power and life span. The Optima SpiralCell Technology(R) configuration, featuring high purity lead plates wound with a glass mat, allows for superior performance in hot or cold climate and resistance to the biggest battery killers: vibration and shock. GNB brings features such as its patented, silver-enriched AG-9TM Alloy, which provides superior heat resistance, along with state-of-the-art R&D capabilities and world-renowned expertise in metallurgy, oxide performance, and battery design, to name a few. This agreement will allow GNB and Optima to develop new battery designs that feature the best developments of both companies.
"GNB has distributed Optima batteries for nearly ten years in the U.S. market. With the challenges brought on by new vehicle designs and increasing electrical requirements, now is the ideal time to establish a stronger technological partnership," says Russ Reynolds, Vice President and General Manager for GNB Technologies Automotive Battery Division. "Our alliance with Optima will allow GNB and our customers to stand head and shoulders above the competition."
"With this long term agreement with GNB we will fuse our superior battery design elements with marketing and distribution muscle to stay in the forefront of the battery market," says Bengt Hagander, Vice President of Gylling Optima Batteries AB.
NOTE TO EDITORS : GNB Technologies is an integrated provider of power technology products. It manufactures and recycles lead-acid batteries for the automotive, recreational boating, farm, heavy duty truck, electric utility, industrial electric vehicle, photovoltaic, lift truck, railroad, telecommunications and uninterruptible power supply markets. GNB Technologies is wholly owned by Pacific Dunlop Limited of Melbourne, Australia , which is traded as an ADR. GNB can be found on the Internet at www.gnb.com.
Gylling Optima Batteries AB (public), member of the Gylling Group of Scandinavia founded in 1912, is the parent company of the Optima Group. Optima Batteries are sold by Authorized Dealers and are primarily used by professionals in demanding applications such as heavy construction, military, emergency and motorsport vehicles. Optima Batteries Inc. in Aurora Colorado is the Group's R&D and manufacturing company and handles sales and marketing in North and South America.
Optima Batteries AB in Stockholm, Sweden is responsible for sales and marketing in rest of the world. Optima can be found on the internet at www.optimabatteries.com. Gylling Optima Batteries AB is listed at Stockholm Stockexchange (SX-O: OPTB).
(R)Champion is a registered trademark of Federal-Mogul Corporation. TMAG-9 Alloy is an U.S. Patent. (R)Optima Batteries and Optima SpiralCell Technology are registered trademarks owned by Gylling Optima Batteries AB.
This text and corresponding photo are available on the Internet at www.gnb.com (Our Story, News).