Century Batteries is Australia's oldest and most recognised battery manufacturer with a proud history of designing and manufacturing batteries in Australia since 1928. 

Our reputation for quality and innovation has been refined and demonstrated over many decades, and during this time we have developed the manufacturing expertise and technical know-how needed to build batteries better suited to Australia's climate and harsh operating conditions.

Today we pride ourselves in offering our customers a range of market leading products and services, which continue to set new standards in performance and reliability.
 

 

Century charged to keep Aussie manufacturing positive

Not only has Century been a long stalwart of local manufacturing, but they’ve also made a significant commitment to both the business future and jobs for their workers. Century employs around 600 employees across Australia & New Zealand, putting over $100 million back into the Australian economy every year.

The company is about to showcase this commitment, with a multimillion-dollar upgrade of factory equipment and a significant upgrade and expansion of their research and development team. This will enable Century to dramatically boost their plate production capability – and it’s the plates which are the most critical components of lead acid batteries.

Stu Stanners, General Manager Automotive Sales (Australia & New Zealand), said the investment would boost annual production capacity by almost 20% to 1.3 million batteries.

“Manufacturing in Australia has fallen over the last two decades from 13 per cent of gross domestic product to 6 per cent,” he said. “We are committed to continuous new product development and invest significantly in local manufacturing to ensure we set new standards in product performance.
 
“Our core strength and competitive advantage lie in delivering exceptional products supported with an industry-leading service network. Almost every component needed for our manufacturing comes from other local manufacturers - whether that is lead ore from South Australia, recycled components from New South Wales and plastics and signage from Queensland. We have Australia’s back and we hope when you need a new battery next, you’ll insist on a Century battery and support an Australian made product.”
 
The call to buy Australian made also comes from Century Yuasa General Manager of Operations Matthieu Anquetil. “As a manufacturer we certainly need state of the art machinery, but that can only go so far. We are only as good as our people and our customers,” he said. “We want people to know we are about keeping jobs here in Australia, so we need every Australian to really consider Australia-made.”
 
“We have spent many millions in factory upgrades making our facility the equal of any manufacturing plant around the world,” he said. “In fact, it is world leading, allowing us to lift efficiency and reduce costs so we can compete against imported products. Manufacturing in Australia is getting tougher, so we have to become more innovative, designing batteries that better suit the Australian climate.”

Century has a strong focus on innovation and technical excellence, and they were the first battery company in Australia to introduce polypropylene cases and lids. Still, the real watershed moment in Century’s success story occurred in the 1980s when they formed an international partnership and signed a technical agreement with Japan Storage Company and Yuasa.

“It was at this point we became Century Yuasa Batteries,” said Mr Stanners. “From there we started supplying to original equipment manufacturers such as Ford, General Motors, Nissan and Toyota. In the late 1980’s we entered New Zealand in the mid-1990’s we secured our position as the leading battery distributor in that market as well.

“We have over 8,000 customers in Australia and 3,000 in New Zealand and while a small percentage of products in the Century range are imported from Century Yuasa affiliated and approved suppliers, the majority of the more than two million units Century Yuasa sells every year are manufactured in the Queensland plant.”

With automotive manufacturing the lowest it has ever been in this country, Century is on a course to be the first manufacturer to achieve a “Century” in business.

Both Stanners and Anquetil say this is achievable with the support of a country that sticks by its mates.