1918

The Swedish battery company Svenska Ackumulator AB Jungner started a subsidiary in the UK under the name Batteries Ltd using the brand name NIFE, and operating at Hunt End, Redditch on a site that had been previously occupied by the Royal Enfield Cycle Company.

1920

Batteries Ltd. commenced manufacturing, assembling batteries from components made in Sweden. Some 3 or 4 employees were involved at this stage. During the 1920's production facilities expanded.

1926

Lucas CAV took a financial interest in the company with an entitlement of two directors.

1927

The workforce had risen to about 100 employees.

1929

Varta founded Britannia Batteries Ltd at Union Street, Redditch. This was on the site of the old BSA factory and commenced making dry batteries and lead acid batteries. In the mid 1930's they also commenced production of alkaline batteries using materials from Alklum Storage Batteries Ltd of Halifax, Yorkshire.

1933

Chloride acquired a controlling interest in Batteries Ltd. and renamed it Nife Batteries Ltd. The purchase included the NIFE brand name for use in the British Commonwealth. The Swedish company retained the NIFE brand for use elsewhere and used the brand Jungner within the British Commonwealth

1936

Chloride acquired Britannia Batteries Ltd. This gave them the Union Street plant and also the Britannia and Alklum brand names.

1947

Nife batteries and Britannia were merged to form Alkaline Batteries Ltd., operating from the Union Street sit.

1964

A manufacturing plant was set up in Pont Henry, South Wales, to produce small sealed nickel-cadmium batteries based on technology and machines designed and developed in Redditch..

1966

Alkaline Batteries Ltd. began using the Alcad brand name and during the next decade allowed the Swedish Jungner company to buy back the NIFE brand name, although it was used in the UK until the 1980's by the Redditch company.

1973

Chloride bought out the Lucas CAV interest in Alkaline Batteries Ltd and the name was changed to Chloride Alcad Ltd.

1982

Chloride sold Chloride Alcad Ltd to the Marathon Manufacturing Inc. of Waco, Texas, USA and it's name was changed to Marathon Alcad Ltd.

1987

Marathon Alcad Ltd was sold to the French company, Saft, although for legal reasons the purchase was by the Saft UK subsidiary Saft (UK) Ltd, which was based in Hampton, Middlesex. The Redditch company then operated under the name Alcad Ltd.

1988

Redditch became the primary manufacturer of nickel-cadmium pocket plate cells for the Saft Group but various cost cutting measures reduced the workforce.

1991

Saft purchased the Swedish SAB-NIFE company, the descendant of the Svenska Ackumulator AB Jungner which had started the original Redditch company. Its brand name was changed to Saft-Nife. Alcad Ltd continued to manufacture in Redditch the Alcad brand products but its workforce continued to be reduced.

1993

The Alcad factory in Redditch was closed and the production of the Alcad products moved to the Swedish factory based in Oskarshamn, Sweden. The Alcad UK sales were moved to the Saft (UK) Ltd offices in Hampton, Middlesex and the international sales moved to Sweden. Although the site was now derelict, due to the contamination of  years of battery manufacture, it would be some time before the site could be declared safe for other use.

The Alcad brand name still continued as a major international brand. but no-longer manufactured in Redditch.

2002 to present

The old Reddich site was eventually declared environmentally safe and sold. Development was able to begin and the first major outlet to open was the B&Q do-it-yourself warehouse. This was followed by other developments including housing, so bringing to an end the history of international battery manufacture at Reddich.