What Exide Technologies makes

Exide Technologies designs, manufactures, and recycles batteries and stored-energy systems for automotive and industrial markets. The automotive division supplies starter, lighting, and ignition batteries in lead-acid, enhanced flooded (EFB), and absorbed glass mat (AGM) chemistries for start-stop vehicles, sold to car and truck OEMs and to Tier 1 integrators, as well as through the aftermarket under the Exide and Sonnenschein brands. The Motion division builds traction batteries for forklifts and material-handling equipment, and the Energy Solutions division builds stationary storage, from backup power to large-scale battery energy storage systems. A dedicated recycling arm recovers lead and plastics from spent batteries across three European plants, a form of nearshored circular supply that lead-acid battery makers depend on.

The company traces the Exide name to 1888 and lists more than a century of milestones, from powering U.S. Navy submarine batteries through World War II to supplying nickel-zinc cells for NASA Apollo missions. In 2004 its European engineering team designed one of the market's first start-stop AGM batteries for a French carmaker, and in 2008 it developed an early enhanced flooded battery for start-stop cars. Today Exide sells into more than 60 countries and runs research and testing centers alongside its plants.

Ownership and history

Exide Technologies, operating as Exide Group, is a standalone company covering the Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific regions, headquartered at 5 Allee des Pierres Mayettes in Gennevilliers, near Paris, France. The current structure dates to October 2020, when the EMEA and Asia-Pacific business separated from the former U.S. parent, Exide Holdings, and was transferred to a group of long-term shareholders under Energy Technologies Holdings LLC, a vehicle representing the company's long-standing noteholders. In the same 2020 restructuring, the North American operations were sold separately to Atlas Holdings and now trade as Stryten Manufacturing, a distinct company that is not part of Exide Group.

Stefan Stubing has served as President and Chief Executive Officer since November 2020; he joined Exide in 1995 through the acquisition of the CEAC group and previously ran the company's EMEA region. The senior team includes Szymon Cellary as Senior Vice President Finance and Chief Financial Officer, Daniel Royer as Senior Vice President Automotive, Laurent Wieczorek as Senior Vice President Motion and Recycling, and Michael Geiger as Senior Vice President Energy Solutions, per the company's own leadership page.

Manufacturing footprint

Exide names five European automotive battery plants: Azuqueca de Henares and Manzanares in Spain, Budingen in Germany, Poznan in Poland, and Romano in Italy. Its industrial energy plants include Bad Lauterberg and Budingen in Germany, Castanheira do Ribatejo in Portugal, La Cartuja in Spain, Lille in France, and Poznan in Poland. Three battery recycling facilities operate at Azambuja in Portugal and Bonmati and San Esteban de Gormaz in Spain, feeding recovered lead back into production. The company also runs a distribution network across Europe and Asia-Pacific, with centers in markets from Portugal and the United Kingdom to Australia, Singapore, and China.

The manufacturing base has been contracting with the wider European lead-battery market. In August 2025 Exide confirmed the closure of its industrial traction battery plant in Lille, France, affecting roughly 200 employees, citing what the company called market attrition and overcapacity in the industrial traction battery industry. Laurent Wieczorek, the division head, said the economic challenges had become increasingly difficult to overcome. The company said it was seeking industrial buyers for the site and running a jobs protection plan.

Certifications and quality

Exide's automotive manufacturing plants operate to IATF 16949, the automotive quality management standard, which is the sector norm for battery suppliers serving vehicle OEMs. The company describes advanced quality planning and supplier quality processes across its plants and has historically certified individual sites to ISO/TS 16949, the predecessor standard. Certification currency is reported as a company claim rather than from a central certificate registry.

Known customers

Exide supplies both original-equipment and aftermarket channels. Documented OEM relationships:

Most OEM programs are not individually disclosed, which is normal for a battery supplier. Exide states it serves major automotive OEMs, industrial equipment manufacturers, and infrastructure sectors across more than 60 countries.

Frequently asked questions

What does Exide Technologies make?

Exide Technologies makes automotive batteries (lead-acid, EFB, and AGM start-stop batteries under the Exide and Sonnenschein brands), industrial traction batteries for material handling, and stationary energy storage systems. It also operates battery recycling plants that recover lead and plastics. The company sells to vehicle OEMs and the aftermarket across more than 60 countries.

Who owns Exide Technologies?

Exide Technologies, operating as Exide Group, has been a standalone company owned by a group of long-term shareholders under Energy Technologies Holdings LLC since October 2020, when the EMEA and Asia-Pacific business separated from the former U.S. parent. The North American operations were sold separately in 2020 and now operate as Stryten Manufacturing, which is a different company.

Where is Exide Technologies headquartered?

Exide Group is headquartered at 5 Allee des Pierres Mayettes in Gennevilliers, near Paris, France. The company runs manufacturing and recycling plants across Spain, Germany, Poland, Italy, Portugal, and France, plus distribution centers across Europe and Asia-Pacific.

How many employees does Exide Technologies have?

Exide Group employs roughly 8,000 people globally, within a reported band of 5,001 to 10,000. The workforce spans manufacturing plants, recycling facilities, research centers, and distribution operations across the EMEA and Asia-Pacific regions.

Who are Exide Technologies' customers?

Exide serves automotive OEMs and the vehicle aftermarket, industrial equipment manufacturers, and infrastructure and energy-storage sectors. Its Manzanares plant in Spain received a supplier quality award from Jaguar Land Rover in 2022, and its plants have historically served customers including Ford and Peugeot. Most individual OEM programs are not publicly disclosed.

Is Exide Technologies financially stable?

Exide is a large, established battery maker with roughly 8,000 employees and plants across Europe, but the European lead-battery market is contracting. In August 2025 the company confirmed the closure of its Lille, France industrial battery plant, affecting about 200 workers, citing market attrition and overcapacity. The company does not publish standalone audited financials, so its financial position is not independently verifiable here.

Last verified September 27, 2026. Is this your company? Request a correction.