September 27, 2018: Mesa Technical Associates, the US provider of power products for telecoms, utilities and industrial markets, has bought the North American lead-acid battery arm of Alcad, the firm announced on September 13.

Alcad predominantly produces nickel cadmium batteries.

Carey O’Donnell, vice president for business development and a partner in Mesa, said the two firms had worked together for many years and the deal was a “really good fit”.

“Last March we were approached as a potential buyer for the business. Alcad has always been an anomaly as the bit of the company that was selling lead-acid,” he told BESB.

“There was so much synergy and we bought all of the intellectual rights, the customer base, a very professional sales channel and the designs, which are to the original American standard.

“We do a lot with lithium and the projections for energy storage are staggering. But lead’s not going to disappear. Pound for pound, the value that lead offers is still really good.”

O’Donnell said Mesa would target utility power, power generation, substations, DC back-up stations, telecommunications and mobile hubs as well as a wide variety of industrial hubs.

He said that the company’s lead selenium batteries all contained an external recombinant catalyst, which captured the bulk of escaping hydrogen gas then combined it with free oxygen to form water, which was then returned to the battery.

“More and more companies are making this product,” he said. “We were the first company to make it as standard, and it has resulted in a cycle life for lead selenium batteries of up to 1,500 cycles.”

Alcad says it will now focus on its flagship nickel-cadmium products, which have seen an increase in demand from outdoor utility switchgear applications, generator set engine starting and other applications in the oil and gas business.