Boston-Power set to grow; Company wants 455,000-square-foot Auburn battery plant.Byline: Martin LuttrellAUBURN Auburn (ô`bərn). 1 City (1990 pop. 33,830), Lee co., E Ala.; inc. 1839. The city's economy centers around Auburn Univ.; there is some manufacturing. 2 City (1990 pop. 24,309), seat of Androscoggin co. - While talking about the opening of a new research lab near Boston-Power Inc.'s Westboro headquarters in March, Chief Executive Officer Christina Lampe-Onnerud envisioned her company manufacturing rechargeable re·charge tr.v. re·charged, re·charg·ing, re·charg·es To charge again, especially to reenergize a storage battery. re lithium-ion batteries Lithium-ion batteries (sometimes abbreviated Li-ion batteries) are a type of rechargeable battery commonly used in consumer electronics. They are currently one of the most popular types of battery for portable electronics, with one of the best energy-to-weight ratios, no for the growing number of hybrid and battery-electric vehicles in Central Massachusetts. The four-year-old battery company had just scored a major breakthrough with laptop Same as laptop computer. laptop - portable computer giant Hewlett-Packard Co. adopting Boston-Power's Sonata sonata (sənä`tə), in music, type of instrumental composition that arose in Italy in the 17th cent. At first the term merely distinguished an instrumental piece from a piece with voice, which was called a cantata. battery for use in many of its laptop models. Today Boston-Power will announce its plans to establish a 455,000-square-foot battery manufacturing facility in the former Filene's Basement Filene's Basement, also called The Basement, is a Massachusetts-based chain of department stores owned by Retail Ventures, Inc. The oldest off-price retailer in the United States, The Basement warehouse and distribution facility at 26 Millbury St. The manufacturing plant, contingent on Adj. 1. contingent on - determined by conditions or circumstances that follow; "arms sales contingent on the approval of congress" contingent upon, dependant on, dependant upon, dependent on, dependent upon, depending on, contingent $100 million in federal stimulus funds, would create 600 new jobs, Ms. Lampe-Onnerud said. Gov. Deval L. Patrick, Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray and several state and local officials will participate in a noon press conference at the Auburn site. "We've said for a long time that we want to bring manufacturing back to the U.S.," Ms. Lampe-Onnerud said. "This is an opportunity to do this with the help of the federal government and the state." In addition to manufacturing the Sonata-based battery used in laptops, Boston-Power will manufacture its Swing battery for plug-in hybrid and battery-electric vehicles, Ms. Lampe-Onnerud said. With support from Massachusetts officials, Boston-Power is seeking approximately $100 million under the U.S. Department of Energy's advanced battery and cell manufacturing grant program established as a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Reinvestment Using dividends, interest and capital gains earned in an investment or mutual fund to purchase additional shares or units, rather than receiving the distributions in cash. 1. In terms of stocks, it is the reinvestment of dividends to purchase additional shares. Act. The company also is pursuing money through a proposed program allocation in the fiscal 2010 federal budget under the Defense Production Act, which encourages the building of manufacturing facilities in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. that are important for national security reasons. Nearly all lithium-ion batteries in the world now are manufactured in Asia. The state will offer up to $9 million in matching financing to support the company's planned manufacturing operation. With the federal government slated to make its stimulus grant awards in July, the company could start work immediately, if successful in its grant applications, Ms. Lampe-Onnerud said. "We're cash strong, and we will start immediately. Within three years we would be up and running." U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-Worcester, said he has met with Boston-Power officials several times and is enthusiastic about its potential to create jobs and clean power for vehicles. "I'm high on this company and its potential for jobs," he said. "This is green technology and green jobs. Their ion battery has different applications. The auto industry will expand those opportunities. They are committed to staying in Massachusetts, and they are putting together a competitive (stimulus funding) application that I and the state administration support. "It is an industry with a future. If we're going to encourage manufacturing in Massachusetts, we have to get behind it. We will aggressively go after it. Six-hundred jobs with good pay and benefits is a big deal." The privately held Boston-Power, which has manufacturing operations Manufacturing operations concern the operation of a facility, as opposed to maintenance, supply and distribution, health, and safety, emergency response, human resources, security, information technology and other infrastructural support organizations. in China and Taiwan, has raised $125 million in venture funding. Ms. Lampe-Onnerud said she selected the Auburn site, in part, because of its proximity to the company headquarters. It will provide synergies between the company's research-and-development and manufacturing teams while minimizing shipping and related employee productivity and efficiency costs, she said. ART: MAP; CHART CUTLINE: (MAP) Boston-Power Inc. (CHART) Boston-Power Inc., Westboro PHOTOG pho·tog n. Informal A person who takes photographs, especially as a profession; a photographer. : (MAP) T&G Staff |
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