Exide goes from hero to superhero

Thursday, 19 February 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

At the launch from left: Associated Battery Manufacturers (Ceylon) CEO M. Ramachandran, Browns Group Executive Chairman Ishara Nanayakkara, Brown & Company PLC Deputy GM Battery Division Ajith De Silva and Associated Battery Manufacturers (Ceylon) Head – Technical P.P. Midya – Pix by Daminda Harsha Perera By Senuri De Silva Associated Battery Manufacturers (ABM), the Sri Lankan arm of Exide Industries, together with the island’s sole distributor, Brown and Company PLC, launched five new batteries and now offers up to five years warranty. The batteries feature technology from India, USA and Japan, and have been fully tested for durability and performance in Sri Lanka. They have been designed to be a better fit for local climatic conditions while catering to the increasing demand for energy caused by various features in modern day motor vehicles.

The Exide Matrix Battery comes with a five year warranty, the longest warranty up to date for a product of this nature. The remaining range of Exide batteries launched recently are, Exide Mileage, Exide Power MF, Exide Ultra MF and Exide 3WB MF that cater to a variety of different vehicles. Associate Battery Manufacturers (Ceylon) Ltd CEO M. Ramachandran spoke of the number of improvements that embody the line of batteries launched on this day. He pointed out that the batteries were built to cater to the additional features that can be found in modern day vehicles such as GPS systems and radios. It should also be easy to maintain with the least amount of fuss, ideally allowing the user to ‘fit and forget’ the battery. Furthermore the batteries are now factory charged for the convenience of the seller who will no longer have to deal with dangerous chemicals such as acid which may impose severe health hazards, as well as the customers who will not have to wait for this process to be completed when purchasing the batteries. The new batteries also have superior cranking power which allows the vehicle to start sooner. This stems from its ability to bear a larger load while being continuously connected to the electric current in the vehicle. The company also adopted a new method of measuring battery life in terms of start-cycles rather than years stating that it provided a more accurate idea of the life time of the battery depending on the frequency of vehicle use that can differ from personal vehicles to occupational vehicles. Speaking of the results of ‘life endurance tests’ conducted on these batteries to truly determine the improvement of their life cycle he stated, “The conventional battery only gave 290 cycles whereas the new product has given more than 400 cycles which clearly shows it’s much superior to all other products.” In addition to this, Brown and Company PLC, Deputy General Manager – Battery Ajith De Silva spoke of the additional support Brown and Company provides their customers saying, “It is the only battery to carry SLS certification. It offers upto five years warranty, coupled with our strong dealer network and island wide Battmobile services giving it that edge, while Browns’ 140 years of trusted excellence speaks for itself.” The SL Standard Institution, Director General Dr. N. Senavira was also present at the event to hand over the prestigious SLS certification to Ramachandran. He also pointed out that customers were more likely to buy products with SLS certification, further strengthening their market, which Brown and Company PLC already maintains at a stronghold of 60% according to Ajith Silva. Pix by Daminda Harsha Perera