Business & Tech
Commack Manufacturer May Expand
Bren-Tronics moved to Commack last month and plans to expand to a second facility within a year.
A new Commack battery manufacturer may open another site in town.
Bren-Tronics, which creates rechargeable batteries for military use, recently opened a 32,000-square-foot factory at 8 Brayton Court, which is on the same street as the company’s headquarters.
The $5-million development will add 47 jobs. The company currently has 217 employees.
According to a press release, the new factory allows Bren-Tronics to produce lithium-ion batteries in Suffolk County instead of importing them from Asia, and to develop large-scale energy storage systems for homes and businesses that lose power temporarily.
About 90 percent of the company's sales come from military contracts. Its batteries and chargers are found in radios, sensors, robots and jammers used to combat roadside bombs in Afghanistan and other war zones."We're not stopping, we're going to continue to expand, to add jobs and add technology on Long Island," said Kyle Roelofs, business development director.
The company announced it would move production from Pennsylvania to Commack last month. Bren-Tronics also stated that another facility might be built at 6 Brayton Court in about a year.
The board of directors of Empire State Development Corp. approved unanimously a $500,000 grant to Bren-Tronics for the just-completed plant. Since 2010, the company has received state tax credits as part of the former Empire Zones program, but that aid will end in six years.
In addition to Long Island, Bren-Tronics also has a small operation in upstate Downsville.
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