Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty along with local and company officials announced Wednesday that P&G Duracell will expand its battery manufacturing and packaging facilities in Cleveland. The expansion will create 60 new jobs and represents a $36 million investment by P&G Duracell, a manufacturer of alkaline batteries.
“Existing Tennessee industries are an integral part of the communities they call home, and I would like to thank P&G Duracell for reaffirming its commitment to the citizens of Bradley County,” Commissioner Hagerty said.
“Expansion decisions are only made after careful and thoughtful consideration, and this announcement shows a tremendous vote of confidence in the area’s quality workforce and the state’s favorable business climate.”
The Cleveland manufacturing facility is one of only three P&G Duracell plants in the U.S. and will be the sole producer of C- and D-cell batteries for the Duracell brand. The company’s other manufacturing plants are located in Lancaster, S.C. and LaGrange, Ga. The Cleveland packaging facility is the only one of its kind in North America, packaging batteries for all three U.S. plants at the Bradley County location. The batteries made and packaged in Cleveland are then distributed throughout the U.S. and to Europe, Asia and Latin America.
“Duracell has been making batteries in Bradley County since 1961," said Bradley County Mayor Gary Davis. "As county mayor it’s good to know that Duracell is reinforcing its commitment and belief in this community, our citizens and our workforce. This $36 million is more than an investment to secure the future of Duracell’s largest plant. It also adds to this community’s tax base, provides 60 new jobs at a competitive wage and secures the future of hundreds of employees already on the Duracell payroll. I think it’s great that the world’s most trusted battery is trusting Bradley County to be a partner as we continue to expand and grow together.”
“On behalf of the city of Cleveland, I can say that we are very pleased to see Duracell continue to invest in our community,” Cleveland Mayor Tom Rowland said. “This is another testimony to the employees of Duracell and the strong quality of our local workforce. We compliment the leadership of the Bradley/Cleveland Industrial Board and the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce staff for their work on behalf of our community. We are proud to support the continued expansion of one of our fine manufacturing companies which will bring over $500,000 in new tax revenue to the city of Cleveland and Bradley County. Congratulations Duracell.”
“This is a great announcement for Duracell, Cleveland and all the citizens of our community,” Ross Tarver, chairman, Bradley County/Cleveland Industrial Development Board, said. “It is yet another example of the importance of supporting our existing industry and what it means to our community to have strong companies like Duracell reinvesting in America. My compliments to P&G/Gillette corporate management for choosing Cleveland for this exciting expansion project. My hat’s off to Bill Barkley and all the employees of Duracell for their hard work and effort in making the Cleveland facility a true world class operation. I’d also like to thank Governor Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Haggerty for the strong support the project received from the State of Tennessee.”
State Rep. Kevin Brooks said, "We are thrilled that The Gillette Company, who powers Duracell, has announced this new $36 million expansion, which is expected to power-up 60 new local jobs. Our local Duracell family has been such an important part of our local existing industry, not only in their manufacturing and shipping Cleveland-made products around the globe, but also with their hometown heroes who quickly and willingly came to the rescue of co-workers and neighbors after the tornadoes in both 2011 and 2012. Duracell has helped our community to prepare and protect for these natural disasters, and we are grateful for it.
“In the aftermath of the storms, we are also grateful that our Cleveland Duracell family helped to equip our local first-responders who became a lifeline for so many here in Bradley County. Duracell programs such as the ‘Power Those Who Protect Us’ demonstrate their corporate commitment not just to investment and expansion but for their investment in people, in families and in communities like Cleveland, Tn. Duracell, we congratulate you, we celebrate you, and we are grateful to you."
In September, the Cleveland plant celebrated 50 years of battery production. The facility opened in 1961 under the Mallory Battery name and began producing batteries under the Duracell name in 1964. The Duracell brand is now part of Procter & Gamble’s portfolio of trusted quality brands that are available around the globe; brands that touch and improve the lives of more consumers in more parts of the world more completely.