Tropical Battery Company Limited has been energised by its recent move into a new company headquarters at Ferry Commercial Park.

The solar-powered, state-of-the-art facility, which has been operational since March 2020, features a retail store, warehouse, service centre and corporate offices.

The company said the headquarters is an indication of its intent for further expansion as it continues to commemorate its 70th year of doing business in Jamaica with infrastructural and innovative growth.

As such, Tropical Battery said plans are afoot to renovate its chain of service centres islandwide, including expansion of the Grove Road branch, to allow for more space, comfort and customer parking.

“This is our first new location in 10 years, and it took creative ideas to produce what we did, which is now a modern facility that can comfortably house our corporate offices, customers and service operations,” a company release quotes Daniel Melville, director of sales and marketing.

“What you see now was actually two warehouse spaces that we consolidated in order to have a more cost-friendly, efficient, cohesive operation. The next phase for us is to improve the facilities at all our service centres across the island so that each branch operates at the same standard. Essentially we want all the branches to have the same look, feel and efficiency to meet customer expectations,” Melville explained.

“Innovation has always been a key component of our business, and with the fast-changing socio-economic landscape that affected Jamaicans and Jamaican businesses we had to innovate yet again to achieve the goals we set,” he added.

While celebrating the opening of the new headquarters, the company also had to adapt during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a greater focus placed on mobile services. This resulted in the formation of Tropical Battery’s Mobile Response Unit, available to customers within the Kingston and St Andrew Metropolitan Area, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, and Mandeville.

The company said it has also expanded its line of products by adding oil-based and diesel coolant to its suite of lubricants for a much more diverse product offering. It also stocks a range of alkaline and lithium ion solar batteries, tyres and DOT 3 as well as DOT 4 brake fluids.

Though eager to expand, Tropical Battery said it has remained committed to continue playing its part “as leaders in environmental protection and safety”. It disclosed that last year it spent upwards of $80 million ensuring that all spent batteries are disposed of in an environmentally friendly way.

“Tropical collects spent batteries and exports them to Costa Rica where 90 per cent of the materials that make up the battery are recycled,” the release said, adding that the company has also invested heavily in alternative, cleaner energy.

Tropical Battery is a Jamaican-owned company, founded in 1950 and has since expanded its operations islandwide. The newly unveiled headquarters brings the total service locations for Tropical Battery to six, three of which are in the Corporate Area.

The company also operates service centres in Ocho Rios, Mandeville, and Montego Bay, and its products are available at more than 1,200 retailers islandwide, making it one of the largest distributors of automotive products in the Caribbean.

“Our main aim has always been to make our products as accessible to our customers as possible,” said Melville. “If you need a battery you should be able to get one easily, and though battery sales and service continue to be our core function, our branches are also sales outlets for the other products we distribute, as well as automotive hubs where you can get our expert advice, along with your battery installation and testing, charging or repairs.”