Those are East Penn. Had too many JC/Clarios ones leaking all over the place, so now it’s just EP made Deka, Super Start, Duracell, even an 8 year old Meijer Platinum (in my Express) for me!
Had to buy a battery today.
- Thread starter Chris142
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Need to support East Penn-they seem to be the only decent USA manufacturer left! Exide not the greatest, IMHO.
No Sam's club around here
You're right as Walmart will send representatives to confirm that the Korean supplier actually exists and has a manufacturing facility that really does make the products they're buying.
Korean-sourced batteries are becoming more and more common as alternatives to the 2 or 3 US-based manufacturers. I bought a "Parts Plus" 51R from a local auto parts store 'chain' that was made in Korea. Maybe it was a "supply chain" issue at the time but now they are all clearly indicated to be "Parts Plus/East Penn" batteries.
East Penn
Clarios was sourcing batteries from a Saudi joint venture a few years ago. As well as the units from their European subsidiaries.
Doesn't seem to make much sense to ship lead/acid-filled polypropylene containers halfway across the world, but it has been a feasible solution for them.
And I wouldn't be surprised to find that Walmart is using Clarios as a turnkey provider, like Costco does, and it's actually Clarios doing the sourcing, and all the heavy lifting, so to speak.
Lead acid batteries are a dirty, and potentially costly business for those making them, selling commodities. To most consumers, they're fungible goods.
Easier for retailers to just to rely on one of the big manufacturer/distributors, and save the potential headaches by slapping brand labels on what you get from one of those companies, regardless of where they come from.
Certainly possible but wouldn't walmart then have a JC serial number on it? There supplier in that case would be JCI / Clarios.
I know people have gotten "clarios" varta AGM's from walmart in the past - that were coded as serial JC. They also had Mexican batteries which were from their joint venture there at one point.
Also, it's not like you can stack 'em from the floor to the ceiling of the container either. Ocean containers have a max allowable weight and dense objects like lead batteries aren't ideal.
The Walmart battery I just bought has a serial starting with EP but the website for support links to Clarios.
Would be ideal- would be Batteries Plus/ NAPA around here
Not sure how much longer EP will stick with Walmart…..
Walmart is the largest aftermarket seller of car batteries. Manufacturing is all about keeping your factory full.
Its very regional. They likely can be competitive so long as the transportation cost isn't too high.
I don't know whether to laugh or cry at this. My Edge's battery died a few months ago and the replacement was $240.
How long would it take to ship batteries from Korea to the USA? Would it make more sense to ship them dry and fill them closer to the destination?
In the olden days that is how they used to ship batteries everywhere even domestically - to save on freight. The retailer would fill them.
Not sure anymore. A container from S. Korea to the West Coast cost like $4-5K, and can carry 30 tons. So if a battery is on average 30lbs - 60,000 / 30 = 2000 - so like $2 to $2.50 per battery. Of course that doesn't count moving the container on both ends.
I know a pair of shoes costs less than a dollar to ship from Asia, which is why no shoes are made here anymore.
I was wondering if they filled them in Korea how old they would be before put on the shelf where they may sit for another 3-6 months.
Hard to say for certain, but nothing would surprise me. I think it's very much a situation where the lowest bidder who can deliver wins, regardless of who, or where they come from. Whether those deals are being made by in-house buyers, or left to a distributor to handle (like Costo is doing) is harder to pin down.
The Korean suppliers have certainly made inroads in the past couple years, especially in the Western part of the country.
Most prominently in Walmart, but they're also appearing in Costco, and the Delco-branded example pictured here.
Lately, DN seems to be more more prevalent. Last year, Hankook/AtlasBX, with Delkor and others in the mix.
Hankook built a factory in Tennessee a few years ago, though it seems more geared to OEM supply, rather than aftermarket. It has already been cited a few times for failing to follow regulations. Whether it will follow Exide's path and leave toxic cleanup sites, and associated lawsuits, in its wake is to be seen.
Which could be another factor in how desired domestic manufacturing is. Easier, and cheaper to have the dirty work done elsewhere, even if the final product has to be shipped across the world to reach market.
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Curiously, what is the other worse option, MIL staying the night? Some would pay double or even triple that price just to make sure she goes home, safely of course.
She lives with us. If she can't drive her car she can't ever leave.Curiously, what is the other worse option, MIL staying the night? Some would pay double or even triple that price just to make sure she goes home, safely of course.
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