Madison-based Spectrum Brands confirmed Thursday that it would invest millions of dollars in its Rayovac hearing aid battery plants, with some going to its Portage battery plant.
To help meet a growing global demand for hearing aids, the consumer products maker will use the money to replace older equipment with new technology and add capacity at the Portage plant, which employs 200, and a facility in the United Kingdom. The company did not specify the amount to be invested.
Spectrum Brands, which makes well-known brand products like Rayovac batteries and Remington shavers, will receive $4 million from the state of Wisconsin in exchange for maintaining its Madison-area workforce at 470 full-time employees. The company also has committed to spending $40 million over a 5-year period to modernize its Wisconsin facilities, and the bulk of it will be spent at its Fennimore and Portage battery plants.
