Batteries for the future? Look no further than Northstar ACE.

Batteries are not a new technology. The voltaic pile—the first true battery—came to be in 1800 thanks to Alessandro Volta.

Since then, the invention of several different types of batteries has taken place. Important to this narrative is the invention of the lead-acid battery by Gaston Planté in 1859. This was the first battery that could be recharged by passing a reverse current through it.

The battery itself is heavy and not applicable in all instances. However, it’s still used in today’s automobiles and other applications where weight does not matter as much.

You’re also probably familiar with lithium batteries, which are a newer creation. Lithium batteries hit the market in the 1970s and continue to be the biggest competition to lead-acid batteries.

So how does one successfully innovate in a market that is centuries-old, and where the technology doesn’t really change that often or by much? For NorthStar, developing the most reliable batteries and now taking it to the Internet of Things has kept the company in the game.

“Today our market is getting tremendous pressure to drive innovation, mainly from lithium,” said Carlos Estrada, COO of NorthStar. “Because of this, there have been a lot of exciting developments in the last several years. NorthStar is right in the middle of it.”

Estrada has been with the company since 2008, when he joined as Director of Quality for the one manufacturing facility NorthStar operated. Soon after, another facility was constructed as part of a planned expansion strategy, and Estrada gained more responsibility including global leadership within operations.

“We’re driven more than ever because of the competition from alternative technologies. Manufacturers are pushing the limits of what AGM (absorbed glass mat batteries—the type of batteries NorthStar produces) can do and provide the consumer.”

The company is not even two full decades old yet, but has become a global leader in designing, manufacturing, and deploying an innovative range of advanced lead-acid batteries and other reserve power solutions. The group of experts who founded the organization had an incredible and successful experience in the industry and have set a foundation for NorthStar to continue innovating and producing high-quality products.

One of the reasons NorthStar has found success in such a short amount of time has been the ability to innovate, which Estrada called a big driver for the smaller company.

“We partnered with the top telecom OEMs from the beginning to support global reserve power needs. From there we’ve grown to serve other markets like transportation and uninterruptible power systems,” Estrada shared.

NorthStar is also focused on the growing energy storage systems (ESS) segment and is currently working on a project to install a 1 MWh battery system as part of a partnership with the City Utilities of Springfield, Missouri.

From factories constructed to the highest standards and quality products the company produces to the impressive safety culture and care for the environment, NorthStar is innovating its way to the top of the industry.

read the full article on thebossmagazine.com