MILWAUKEE -- Johnson Controls plans to institute a 4 percent price increase across the board to its lead-acid battery customers, effective March 1.

According to Alex Molinaroli, president of Power Solutions for Johnson Controls, the company has seen unusual increases in the price of raw materials and other costs associated with production and recycling over the past year. For example, Molinaroli said, costs of key raw materials such as sulfuric acid and polypropylene have increased as much as 200 percent in the last six months.

While instability in the lead market has also been a challenge over the past year, the company reports that this price increase is not associated with lead.

"We have worked closely with our customers to develop programs that fairly address volatility in the lead market. This increase reflects other extraordinary cost increases that we simply can no longer absorb," Molinaroli said.

For more information about Johnson Controls, visit: http://www.johnsoncontrols.com.