Celebrating 50 years of Innovation
This year, Bren-Tronics, Inc. celebrates 50 years of a rich history in innovation. From our founding in 1973 by Leo Brenna, all the way to the present day, we have grown into a leading supplier across the globe of reliable power solutions.
The early years
Bren-Tronics was founded in 1973 by Leo Brenna, a Vietnam-era veteran of the United States Army. Leo set out to produce batteries that would deliver reliable power to both military and industrial applications–places where failure wasn’t an option. He began by developing one-time use batteries, such as the BA-279 and BA-270, as well as the ‘lipstick’ battery used in survival beacons, which we still produce today.
As the company continued to grow, Leo saw a need for rechargeable batteries for military radios, and shifted the focus from one-time use products to rechargeable nickel cadmium batteries in the 1980s. In the 1990s, our technology evolved swiftly from nickel cadmium batteries, to nickel metal hydride, and eventually to lithium-ion. Bren-Tronics developed the first military “smart charger” for Li-ion military batteries to pair with this new emergence of “smart batteries.”
In the 1990s, Bren-Tronics was also awarded the Small Business Prime Contract of the Year by the U.S. Army Communications Electronics Command in Ft. Monmouth, NJ. This award was for our integral role in the production of military batteries that were used by the U.S. and Allied troops during the Persian Gulf War
Expansion and Innovation in the 21st century
As the new century dawned, Bren-Tronics continued to grow and expand. We acquired engineering and research facilities to support larger scale products and design. Many of the standard products that are used worldwide were developed in the early 2000s, such as universal desktop chargers, portable chargers, and one of our most popular products, the BB-2590/U battery.
As our research and development expanded, so did our capabilities. We developed a 60 kW hybrid energy power system that provided tremendous fuel saving as compared to standard generators. In the 2010s, we designed a 6T military vehicle battery to meet the needs of next generation military vehicles. And we also developed home power systems for Sub-Saharan Africa which provide people with clean solar power where there is no electrical grid.
The Present Day
Today, Bren-Tronics remains the world’s largest supplier of rechargeable batteries for the Military. With U.S. and international operations, we support worldwide major defense industries and governmental organizations. Across the globe, we have 100,000 square feet of manufacturing and engineering facilities maintained by a team of 250 employees.
Our team has developed and fielded many new batteries, chargers, accessories, and complete power and energy systems that serve a variety of applications and markets. We continue to innovate with advanced chemistries, developing customized batteries for our customers and cutting-edge power solutions for critical applications in Directed Energy, small aircraft, robotics, and much more.
Half a century has passed, and we continue to uphold our founder’s vision for Bren-Tronics to provide reliable, innovative power solutions where failure is not an option.
