STRATERGY FOR

DURACELL
WEEK 1 : (STRATERGIC AUDIT OF THE
COMPANY)
COMPANY PROFILE:

Company Perspectives:

Through the Duracell Technology Center, comprised of

scientists and engineers from around the globe, the
company continues to invest in ways to enhance the
performance of its alkaline and specialty batteries.

From its long history of innovation and its focus on best

serving the needs of the consumer, Duracell continues to set
the standard for portable power.

(History , Background and Important

Milestone)

Duracell originated via the partnership of scientist

Samuel Ruben and businessman Philip Rogers
Mallory, who met during the 1920s. The P.R. Mallory
Company produced mercury batteries for military
equipment, trumping the carbon-zinc batteries used
then in virtually all applications. During the late
1970s, when the company's concerns for the now-
known effects of mercury began, mercury was
removed from all battery manufacturing processes.
1.) Incorporated in 1935 as P.R Mallory and company

2.) Head office in Berkshire corporate park,Bethel

,Connectict,U.S.A

3)1978: P.R. Mallory is acquired by Dart Industries. name

changed to DURACELL.

4.) 1980-Dart merges with Kraft inc.

5.)1986-Kraft retains Duracell portion of business after split

with Dart.

6.)1988: Kohlberg Kravis Roberts takes over Duracell during

leveraged buyout spree.

7.)1989: Duracell goes public.

8.)1996: The Gillette Company acquires Duracell.

9.)2005: Procter & Gamble is acquires Gillette.

Principle Competetiors ,Stratergic

Group:

1.)Energizer Holdings, Inc.-[ MAJOR COMPETETIOR]

2.) Varta Aktiengesellschaft(Germany)

3.) Beghelli S.p.A.;

4.) Exide Technologies.

5.) Toshiba Battery Co. ( Japan)

6.)Rayovac batteries

7.) Matsushita batteries

8.)Ultralite batteries
 Popular Items In The Market:

1.)Alkaline batteries(populalrly called "COPPER TOPS") in

many common sizes such as-AAA,AA,C,D and 9V.

2.) "BUTTON" CELLS using zinc-air, silver-oxide and lithium

chemistries used in calculator watches and calculator.

3.)Duracell also manufactures specialty batteries, including

NiMH rechargable batteries.

4.)Duracell introduced "Power " batteries with NiOx

technology, designed to supply longer life in digital
cameras and other high drain devices by up to twice the
number of photos typically achievable with alkaline
batteries.

5.) Owns Procell professional use brand.

6.) Flashlights .

Geographic coverage

In the five years between 1992 and 1997, Duracell

spread to almost 20 countries, including some of the
largest markets in the world: India, China, and
Russia. Two of its most notable purchases were the
South African facilities of its competitor, Eveready,
and the South Korean Sun-power Company, which
gave Duracell a 45-percent share in that country's
battery market.

Prior to its purchase by Gillette, Duracell conducted

80 percent of its business in North America and
Europe. Then, with the wide geographic spread of
Gillette, Duracell had an opportunity to experience
rapid global expansion. This was particularly true in
Third World markets, where the company expected
to "upgrade" consumers from lower-value zinc
carbon batteries to the Duracell alkaline brand. As
expected, Duracell performed exceptionally well in
international markets following its acquisition by
Gillette.

Duracell's regional brand names include: Superpila,

Italy; Daimon, Germany; and Sunpower, South Korea.
The Hellesens and Tudor lines are both sold in
Scandinavia. Duracell opened factories in China in
1994, and in India in 1995. The company has
subsidiaries in Canada, Denmark, Italy, France, and
Belgium. It also has operations in Poland, Russia,
Morocco, Turkey, and South Africa.

As a maker of consumer products, Duracell has

naturally pursued a strategy of widespread exposure
to the public through advertising, particularly on
television. In 1974 it became the first consumer
battery advertised on television. In the mid-1990s
Duracell launched a clever marketing campaign, with
television commercials featuring the Copper Top
family. The company sent out buses resembling
enormous batteries in the summer of 1996, to
promote its then-newly introduced PowerCheck line.
Equally unsurprising, given its product and its
consumer-driven market, is Duracell's emphasis on
product innovation. Such innovation is itself almost
another form of marketing. It involves a strategy of
"creating" a need in the consumer, then filling it.
Hence the introduction of what parent company
Gillette calls "consumer-perceptible advantages"
such as freshness dating, or the visible gauge on the
PowerCheck batteries. Duracell pioneered the
development of environmentally friendly alkaline
batteries in 1992. In 1996, the company announced
plans to extend its research into new alkaline
technologies that could revolutionize the battery by
extending its capabilities.
Turnover and Share in the market

Duracell is the leader in the battery market ,continuing to

dominate its chief competetior- Eveready Energiser.

It has 25% share in the global battery market.

INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS : GROUP NO. 7

1)RAHUL BALACHANDRAN AND QAMAR LUQMAN: COMPANY

PERSPECTIVE,HISTORY BACKGROUNG AND IMPORTANT
MILESTONES .

2) PRIYANKA MITTAL , RAJEEV GOYAL : GEOGRAPHIC

COVERAGE AND TURNOVER AND MARKET SHARE .
3)RAVINDRA :PRINCIPLE COMPETETIORS AND STRATERGIC
GROUP.

4)RAHUL YADAV, PREETI PARIHAR: -