TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Auto parts maker Johnson Controls Inc. says it will upgrade and expand a northwest Ohio battery plant, a move that will add 50 jobs.
The Milwaukee-based company plans to invest $138.5 million to convert the factory near Toledo so it will produce batteries for more fuel-efficient vehicles, including those using start-stop technology. Johnson Controls says it's a system that automatically shuts off a standard gas-powered engine when idling and restarts when the driver engages the clutch or releases the brake pedal.
The company says the technology cuts fuel use and emissions by as much as 12 percent.
Johnson Controls said in a news release Tuesday that the expansion will boost the plant's 400-person work force by 50.
Construction is scheduled to begin this summer.
