Banner AT THE AUTOMECHANIKA 2022

A POWER-PACKED RANGE FOR SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY SOLUTIONS

Even at a time of profound transformation within the automotive industry in the direction of digitalisation and e-mobility, sustainable product solutions remain at the very top of the Banner Group’s agenda. Accordingly, the manufacturer of premium starter and electrical system batteries will be presenting innovative product developments for the passenger car, commercial vehicle and accessories fields on its exhibit (Stand D51 in Hall 4.1) at the Automechanika 2022 in Frankfurt, which takes place from 13 to 17 September 2022.

Leonding, 3 August 2022. At this year's Automechanika, Banner the leading premium starter battery producer will be presenting its latest product range, which once again has been significantly expanded, especially with regard to start-stop applications. Moreover, as Commercial CEO, Andreas Bawart, makes clear, “In particular, our company specialises in Enhanced Flooded Battery (EFB) and Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) technology and therefore, as a matter of course, has also long faced up to its responsibilities in relation to resource conservation, sustainability and climate neutrality. This response is achieved through our Automotive business unit, which traditionally provides very high levels of sales revenues.”

An innovative selection of car batteries

EFB technology is based on a wet battery with massively enhanced vibration and cyclical resistance. First and foremost, this technology is employed to meet the high energy requirements of micro-hybrid drives, which save fuel and CO2 by means of automatic start-stop systems. Three additional, new Banner Running Bull EFB PRO batteries are now available in the shape of the 565 11, 575 11 and 585 11 versions, which have been specially tailored to European vehicles.
Moreover, Banner, which is a pioneer in start-stop technologies, has supplemented its product range designed specifically for Asian vehicle manufacturers.

Six new Running Bull Asia EFB batteries are now available with the designations EFB 538 15, EFB 555 15, EFB 565 15, EFB 565 16, EFB 570 15 and EFB 595 15. The range of AGM batteries for modern start-stop vehicles with the highest energy requirements has also been expanded. The Running Bull AGM 550 01 represents the optimum solution for a wide range of small, start-stop cars with petrol engines. In addition, it should also not to be forgotten that Running Bull batteries are being used increasingly as power supply batteries for the electrical systems in e-cars.
Banner currently exports 95 per cent of its products and supplies Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Seat and Volvo with innovative AGM and EFB technology.

AGM technology provides optimum power for long-haul trucks

In order to meet to the ever-greater demands on commercial vehicle batteries, especially in the long-haul truck sector, Banner has developed the new Buffalo Bull AGM battery. This provides truckers with sufficient power for both engine starts and the supply of vehicle electrical systems. The difference to conventional Super Heavy Duty (SHD) batteries is that with AGM technology acid is bound into a glass fleece through absorption. This prevents capacity losses due to acid stratification and guarantees threefold, cyclical stability and improved corrosion resistance.

Battery accessories – the Power Booster and Memory Saver in one device

In addition, Banner now offers new accessories for starter and on-board batteries in the form of its jump-start devices with OBD-L Memory Saver adapter cable (On Board Diagnostic (OBD), the standardised interface for diagnostic devices; L = LED display). Use of the OBD-L adapter cable turns the Banner PB12 and PB12/24 Power Booster into memory savers, i.e. devices with twin functions, but only one battery for periodic recharging.
Practical accessories from Banner also include the professional Banner chargers such as the current Banner Accucharger Pro series. This consists of the Accucharger Pro 100A, the Banner Accucharger Pro 35A and the Banner Accucharger Pro 25A, all of which are devices for the workshop sector.

A company rich in tradition, but with a clear vision of the future

Founded in the Austrian province of Vorarlberg in 1937, Banner is now Austria’s sole producer of starter and electrical system batteries and is one of the five largest manufacturers in Europe.

The company’s owners and cousins, Commercial CEO, Andreas Bawart, and Technical CEO, Thomas Bawart, have now determined the course for the future, which in addition to the Automotive business unit, foresees that as of now, Banner's second business unit, Energy Solutions, will focus on establishing itself internationally as a leading supplier of energy storage solutions.

Against this background, Banner has recently invested 10 million euros in a new location in Thalheim near Wels, Upper Austria. This realignment has also been underpinned by expenditure during the past three years of more than 30 million euros on the development of company headquarters in Leonding. The main objectives of this funding were and are the optimisation of order-related production, future-proof planning and logistics capacities and, above all, digitalisation and permanent process improvement.

Another cornerstone that further secures the company’s future is the intensive advancement of the next generation of traditional starter and electrical system batteries. With its environment-friendly, start-stop batteries, Banner has long been making a significant contribution to decarbonisation through considerable fuel savings and at present several development projects are in progress, which aim to further enhance the efficiency of these battery types.

The fact that the Banner Group is on track with its strategic reorientation is also demonstrated by the positive balance sheet for the past 2021/2022 financial year. Despite being confronted by a challenging year, the battery producer was able to achieve sales revenues of EUR 286 million and thus an increase of around six per cent as compared to the previous year. 4.2 million units were sold worldwide and the Austrian Group’s most important market continues to be Germany, which accounts for almost half of all the starter and electrical system batteries sold, including original equipment.

The Duracell Automotive battery range “Made by Banner” has also been an integral part of the company’s expansion strategy for some years. This is due not least to the fact that the cooperation with the global brand and the popularity of the bunny as an advertising figurehead have again served to promote the image of the premium battery specialist.

Cutting edge battery know-how on the Banner website

The range of topics in the battery know-how section of the Banner website is tailored to current requirements of the market and hence the object of constant expansion. In view of the steady flow of new developments in the complex battery and mobility market, this section provides the necessary know-how regarding technologies and areas of application for electricity storage systems in a comprehensible, compact and competent manner. However, as Andreas Bawart says, “Anyone who not only wishes to refer to the accumulated knowledge on our Banner website, but would also like to discuss everything relating to batteries with us in person, is cordially invited to visit us at the Banner stand at this year's Automechanika. We look forward to seeing you!”

Photo captions:
Photo 1: Banner Buffalo Bull AGM – optimum power for long-haul trucks
Photo 2: Andreas Bawart, Commercial CEO

Additional photographic material is available from the downloadcenter under https://www.bannerbatterien.com/Downloadcenter

Banner Batterien at the Automechanika 2022

When: 13 to 17 September 2022
Where: Hall 4.1, Stand D51, Frankfurt

For more information click here!