PORT WASHINGTON, NY, Dec. 15, 2005 (PRNewswire) -- Tadiran Batteries Ltd. has been awarded a four year US$30 million letter of intent for the supply of lithium batteries from a US based company, Neptune Technology Group Inc., one of the world's leading manufacturers of Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) devices for water utilities. The AMR market is growing at 15%-20% annually.
Tadiran Batteries' PulsesPlusTM battery is a proven system consisting of Tadiran's leading state-of-the-art lithium thionyl chloride batteries combined with a breakthrough technology Hybrid Layer Capacitor (HLC). This newly developed technology is capable of supplying high energy density and high operating voltage under high pulse discharge currents.
The PulsesPlusTM batteries have a very wide operating temperature range of -40 degrees C to +85 degrees C and a very low self discharge rate (less than 0.5% per year). The battery can provide 10 to 20 years of operating life under extreme conditions with maximum safety.
These unique characteristics make PulsesPlusTM batteries suitable for demanding applications such as water and gas meters, AMR, toll tags, medical equipment, emergency locating and tracking systems as well as military applications.
Igal Carmi, CEO of Tadiran Batteries, said that the order received is in addition to Neptune's previous PulsesPlus order of $5 million which further establishes Tadiran Batteries as a world leader in supplying lithium batteries for the AMR industry. Carmi added that Tadiran's lithium batteries have great business potential in the global AMR market which is valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Neptune Technology Group Inc. (www.neptunetg.com), a pioneer in the development of Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) technology nearly 40 years ago, is a leading provider of data collection systems, reading over 38 million meters per month. Since 1892 Neptune has continually focused on the evolving needs of utilities - revenue optimization, customer service, and operational efficiencies. Neptune's ARB Water Revenue System, water meters, encoders, R900 radio meter interface unit, walk-by, mobile and fixed network data collection devices, Equinox-MR and FieldNet® (system software for water, gas and electric meter reading, route control, and service orders) are designed for compatibility and migratability so every utility can optimize the value of its initial investment.
Tadiran Batteries Ltd. (www.tadiranbat.com) develops, manufactures and markets primary lithium batteries and holds the biggest market share in this industry. The company is fully owned by Saft Groupe S.A.
Saft (www.saftbatteries.com) is a world specialist in the design and manufacture of high-tech batteries for industry. Saft batteries are used in high performance applications such as industrial infrastructure and processes, transportation, space and defense. Saft is the world's leading manufacturer of nickel-cadmium batteries for industrial applications and of primary lithium batteries for a wide range of end markets. The group is also the European leader for specialized advanced technologies for the defense and space industries. With approximately 4,000 employees worldwide, Saft is present in 17 countries. Its 16 manufacturing sites and extensive sales network enable the group to serve its customers worldwide.
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