Energizer Acquires World’s Largest Hearing Aid Battery Supplier, Rayovac, in $2 Billion Deal
MIDDLETON, WISCONSIN — Within a week of media reports that Spectrum Brands Holding Inc was exploring the possible sale of its appliance and battery divisions, Energizer announced on Tuesday it would buy the company’s battery and portable lighting business in a $2 billion cash deal. By acquiring Rayovac from Spectrum as part of the deal,…
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World’s Top Supplier of Hearing Aid Batteries, Rayovac, May be Up for Sale
MIDDLETON, WISCONSIN — According to recent media reports, Spectrum Brands Holding Inc is exploring strategic options, including the possible sale of its appliance and battery divisions. The company, which owns Rayovac batteries, is already in talks several with prospective buyers. According to a report in USA Today, the company is looking to concentrate on its…
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Phonak to Offer Industry-First, Lithium-Ion Rechargeable Hearing Aids
Swiss-based hearing aid manufacturer, Phonak, has announced that it will soon be launching a new hearing aid platform Belong, which will include rechargeable lithium-ion technology. The new recharging technology will be included in Phonak’s upcoming Audeo B-R Receiver-in-Canal (RIC) product line. While rechargeable batteries themselves are certainly not new to hearing aids, the use of…
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Hearing Aid Batteries Recalled in UK Over “Low Risk of Explosion” During Use
UNITED KINGDOM — Batteries provided to hearing aid users in the UK through the National Health Service (NHS) have been recalled over “low risk of batteries exploding during use or if depleted”, according to a government medical safety alert last month. ZeniPower mecury-free hearing aid batteries, manufactured by Zhuhai Zhi Li Battery Co Ltd, with “best…
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A Report from the 2016 Consumer Electronic Show
Editor’s Note: As healthcare technology and consumer electronics devices continue to morph into new and exciting product categories, hearing care professionals are taking a more active role in their application. One of the most well-respected audiologists in the profession, Barry Freeman, attended last week’s CES in Las Vegas and submitted this eye-opening report for the…
Read MoreFootball and hearing issues came together for the Super Bowl
By David H. Kirkwood EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ—There were a lot of hearing angles to the 2014 Super Bowl, played last Sunday in New Jersey. For one thing, there was the Seattle Seahawks’ much heralded (and much criticized) “12th Man,” as the team’s incredibly noisy legion of fans came to be known. As noted by ASHA’s Joe…
Read MoreResearchers develop a $50 headset to bring hearing help to children in the Third World
TRONDHEIM, NORWAY—Only a tiny percentage of people with hearing loss in the Third World have any hope of getting help for their condition. That has been true for as long as hearing aids have been around. However, there are more and more non-profit organizations seeking to develop new technologies to change that situation. Among them…
Read MoreHumans’ biological battery may someday power implantable hearing devices
CAMBRIDGE, MA—As long as people have been using hearing aids, replacing the batteries has been part of the drill. However, someday—though no time soon—people may power their own hearing devices, at least implantable ones. How can that be? Well, people and other mammals have a natural battery located inside the cochlea. It’s a chamber filled…
Read MoreHearing aid battery maker ups investment in R&D, manufacturing
MADISON, WI—Rayovac, the world’s largest manufacturer of hearing aid batteries, will invest millions of additional dollars in research and development and to expand its manufacturing plants, its parent company, Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc., announced on August 23. According to Spectrum Brands, the additional investment will support product enhancements and new cell manufacturing and packaging lines,…
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