DURACELL history, company profile (overview) and history video
Duracell Inc. is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of alkaline batteries, specialty cells and rechargeables. It has global regional headquarters in the USA, EIMEA, and Asia.
HISTORY
Duracell’s history began in the early 1920s with an inventive scientist named Samuel Ruben and an eager manufacturer of tungsten filament wire named Philip Rogers Mallory. Ruben came to the P.R. Mallory Company seeking a piece of equipment he needed for an experiment. Ruben and Mallory created a partnership that was the bedrock of Duracell International.
The company’s first alkaline batteries were marketed under the Mallory brand name. These batteries were specifically designed for Kodak to help feed its Instamatic camera with built-in flash.
In 1956, P. R. Mallory & Co. acquired General Dry Batteries, Inc. (GDB), which was then one of the largest manufacturers of zinc-carbon batteries in the U.S.
In 1965, the Duracell brand name was introduced. The name came from “durable cell”.
In 1969, Duracell was part of the Apollo 11 mission and became the first battery on the moon.
In 1971, Duracell introduced its iconic copper & black colors, which symbolize the conductivity, strength, and superiority of its battery formula.
In 1973, the Duracell Bunny was born. New York advertising agency Dancer, Fitzgerald and Sample created the memorable ‘Drumming Bunny’ TV advertisement.
In 1978, P. R. Mallory was acquired by Dart Industries, which later merged with Kraft in 1980.
In 1988, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. acquired Duracell.
In 1989, Duracell became a public company.
In 1996, Duracell was acquired for $7 billion by The Gillette Company.
In 2005, Gillette (Duracell’s parent company) was acquired by Procter & Gamble for $57 billion.
In 2016, Duracell was acquired by the Berkshire Hathaway Company.
PRODUCTS
- Duracell optimum;
- Alkaline batteries;
- Coin/button batteries;
- Specialty and rechargeable batteries;
- Hearing aid batteries.
*Information from Forbes, Wikipedia.org, and www.duracell.co.uk.
**Video published on YouTube by “Companies History“