Midtronics History

Midtronics has established its position as the world leader in battery management solutions by relentlessly creating, expanding and leveraging superior technologies. The company grows each year through continuous investment in engineering talent and advancement in technology for testing, monitoring and charging batteries.

Midtronics was founded by Steve McShane in 1984 when his former employer, Motorola, Inc. presented him with an opportunity to grow one of its seeds, the electronic battery tester. Steve was intrigued by the challenge and anxious to satisfy his appetite for engineering and entrepreneurship. Motorola referred him to Keith Champlin Ph.D., a noted professor at the University of Minnesota and inventor of the tester that analyzed automotive batteries through patented conductance technology. Steve and Keith were instantly committed to nurturing and growing the battery testing business together.

The first several years, Steve traveled around promoting and demonstrating the product, teaching prospective customers that there was a better way to test batteries. Steve and Keith provided answers to technical questions and were always willing to adjust the product based on customers’ special requirements.

Finding opportunities in a variety of markets, Steve focused first on automotive and by the late 1980’s had entered various industrial markets by finding customer needs and value propositions to satisfy those needs.

In 1987, Steve decided to enter the European market by presenting the Midtronics tester at a trade show in Amsterdam. To his surprise, Steve was approached by a man from the Netherlands named Wim Koster whose company possessed exclusive rights to the same Motorola tester in the Dutch market. Following an interesting confrontation, the two realized their shared enthusiasm for the product and decided to work together. Wim’s company became Midtronics’ first distributor in Europe and in 1990, Wim and Steve formed Midtronics bv, in Holland.

Today Midtronics bv provides a base in the European market with a dedicated sales, service and engineering team serving the European market. In 2001, Midtronics bv moved to its third facility, a modern headquarters for European operations in IJsselstein.

As the company grew, Midtronics moved four times into newer, larger facilities, and in 1999 built a modern world class facility in Willowbrook, Illinois. Most recently, Midtronics opened an office in China and moved to a new office complex in midtown Shenzhen in 2006. In all areas of the world, Midtronics has developed and maintained its focus on innovation and growth, satisfying customer needs with user-friendly products, and a motivated team that is dedicated to solving problems with unique technologies.

Back | Next


Transportation Industry History
One of Midtronics’ most important successes occurred when Steve went back to his roots in the Detroit automotive industry and approached Ford. Although the Midtronics tester was initially rejected from even being evaluated, this rejection was viewed as a challenge rather than a let down. Steve worked with Ford making improvements to the tester based on their needs. From this determination came the PowerSensor Plus, the last major innovation in Midtronics’ analog testers. Midtronics celebrated a huge success in 1993 when Ford’s engineering team evaluated the tester and decided to purchase one for every dealer in the United States. This breakthrough gave Midtronics the confidence and resources to invest further in technology to foster subsequent development of new product categories and value propositions. In 1994, Steve hired an engineering team to create digital products. Soon, Midtronics started advancing the technology, algorithms and new features of its products. Digital battery testers brought about enhanced capabilities that made the products smarter and easier to use, as well as systems to help car manufacturers control warranty. Midtronics products allowed battery manufacturers to properly assess batteries, and service organizations to better serve their customers. Midtronics’ first digital battery tester was specified by Sears Auto Centers and Toyota as their essential service tool, distinguishing Midtronics as a major player in the automotive service industry. Following these successes at Ford and Toyota, Midtronics went on to win essential tool contracts at nearly every car manufacturer in the world.

In 1999, Midtronics decided to use its unique battery testing technology to produce advanced diagnostic chargers, and in a series of acquisitions from Exide Corporation and collaboration with Johnson Controls, became a major player in battery charging for the professional service market. These moves led to a series of products that have revolutionized the way batteries are charged in automotive dealers, retail chains and service organizations around the world.

In 2001, Midtronics formed an alliance with Interstate Battery Systems of America, and jointly developed the ED18 technology which has transformed the way batteries are serviced and sold using unique marginality analysis for battery preventive maintenance.

The company produces the advanced battery chargers and test equipment used by many of the major auto parts chains and retailers, automobile, truck and motor sports vehicle manufacturers and dealers including more than 200,000 service locations worldwide.

Page 2

Back | Next

Midtronics History

Midtronics History

Transportation Industry History

Stationary Power History