News Article

Duracell gets incentives for Lancaster plant renovation

July 13, 2008

Charlotte Business Journal

Duracell is launching a $60 million renovation and modernization at its 400-employee plant in Lancaster that makes the company's entire U.S. supply of AA batteries.

The changes will create about 25 jobs at the facility. Most of the investment will go to new machines, building repairs and modifications to be made over five years, says Kurt Iverson, a spokesman for The Proctor & Gamble Co., which owns Duracell.

"It really isn't an expansion," he says. "The building's footprint doesn't change."

The 32-year-old structure, on S.C. Highway 9 on the west side of Lancaster, will get a new roof and a new heating and cooling system. "It will make it a nicer place for our employees," Iverson says.

Keith Tunnell, president of the Lancaster County Economic Development Corp., estimates that as much as 75% of the $60 million will go to equipment.

In return for the investment, Lancaster County Council has agreed to cut Duracell's assessment rate for property taxes by 45% to 6% and rebate 25% of the company's county taxes for five years.

Meanwhile, the plant has made technological advances that improve the batteries it produces, Iverson says. "Over the past 15 years, we've doubled the life of AA batteries