Producer
Duracell
World's largest alkaline battery brand, wholly owned by Berkshire Hathaway since February 2016. Assembles all AA, AAA, C, and D batteries sold in the US at two US plants: LaGrange, GA (AA/AAA) and Cleveland, TN (C/D). Also operates factories in Belgium and China.
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Inputs supplied
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Goods downstream
2
Facilities
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Stories
What they make
1 input Duracell supplies
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Where it shows up
Goods downstream
Essential goods that depend on something Duracell makes, pick one to see the full supply chain.
Where they make it
2 facilities
Duracell Cleveland Plant →
USTennessee · manufacturing
Sole Duracell US facility producing C and D cell batteries. Over 200 million C and D cells assembled annually. Opened 1961. Received $25 million expansion investment in 2023.
Duracell LaGrange Plant →
USGeorgia · manufacturing
Primary North American battery assembly plant for AA and AAA cells. Assembles over 2 billion AA and AAA cells per year. Opened 1980 as 9V plant, expanded to AAA in 1998, consolidated AA production ~2019.
What else they do
Business segments
The company's full revenue map, where this supply-chain role fits within their broader business.
Consumer Alkaline Batteries (AA/AAA/C/D — World #1)
65%Specialty Batteries (Hearing Aid, Lithium, Coin)
25%Rechargeable (Duracell Recharge)
10%
Intelligence
What's known
Sourced claims about this company's role in supply chains, chokepoints, concentration, incidents, dual-use connections.
Concentration2024
Duracell assembles every single AA and AAA battery sold in the US at one plant in LaGrange, Georgia (over 2 billion cells/year), and every C and D battery at one plant in Cleveland, Tennessee (over 200 million cells/year) — yet its inputs, including EMD and zinc powder, are sourced globally including from China.
Duracell ↗Did you know2023
Duracell's brand is synonymous with consumer alkaline AA batteries — toys, remotes, and flashlights. Less visible is Duracell's dominant position in two separate specialty battery markets with different risk profiles: (1) Hearing aid zinc-air batteries — Duracell is the world's largest hearing aid battery brand; zinc-air cells (color-coded by hearing aid size: brown/orange/yellow/blue) power the ~50 million people globally who wear hearing aids; hearing aid battery access is a disability accommodation issue in addition to a consumer market; (2) Specialty lithium batteries for military equipment — Duracell Ultra-Lithium AA (Li-FeS2) cells are used in military radios (SINCGARS), night-vision devices, and portable military electronics where extended shelf life and cold-temperature performance are critical. US military logistics specifications often list Duracell cells by part number. The world's largest consumer battery brand is simultaneously the primary supplier for disability accommodation devices (hearing aids) and a defense logistics dependency for field military communications.
The Duracell Company, LLC ↗Origin2023
Duracell's roots trace to 1944 when chemist Samuel Ruben and businessman Philip Mallory collaborated to develop a mercury battery for military use — specifically to power the walkie-talkies and radar equipment that US military forces needed in WWII. Ruben held the chemistry patents; Mallory had manufacturing capability. Their Mallory Battery Company produced the first alkaline manganese dioxide cells in the 1950s; P.R. Mallory & Co. branded the cells 'Duracell' in 1964. Procter & Gamble acquired Duracell in 1989 for ~$1.8 billion. In 2016, P&G transferred Duracell to Berkshire Hathaway in exchange for Berkshire's 52 million P&G shares (worth ~$4.7 billion) — a tax-free 'cash-rich split-off' structure that allowed Berkshire to exit its P&G position without triggering capital gains taxes on appreciation since the original 1989 Gillette/Duracell acquisition trail. Warren Buffett received the world's largest alkaline battery company in a deal structured to avoid taxes on unrealized P&G stock gains — a corporate finance mechanism that transformed a consumer staples holding into an industrial manufacturing asset.
The Duracell Company, LLC ↗