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East Penn Manufacturing Co.
LVB Staff//April 21, 2025//
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East Penn Manufacturing Co. is a private, family-owned company that operates one of the largest, single-site lead battery manufacturing and co-located recycling facilities in the world. Chris Pruitt serves as president and CEO, overseeing 10,400 employees.
Throughout its 79 years in operation, East Penn’s mission has focused on providing energy solutions to our customers responsibly and sustainably. In 1946, DeLight Breidegam Jr. and his father realized there was high demand for rebuilt batteries due to returning World War II soldiers needing to restart mothballed cars and trucks. Because battery material was scarce, DeLight and his father collected old batteries and rebuilt them into new ones to conserve resources. Shortly after launching in 1946, East Penn broke ground on its current Lyons campus with a smelter. By 1976, it had produced one million batteries in a year.
“East Penn has always embraced change. Though it can bring challenges, we’ve always worked and grown through them. It’s made us stronger today and will propel us into tomorrow,” the company stated. “We’re not afraid of evolving to meet changing energy needs to sustainably support each other, customers, environment and surrounding communities.”
The company said it aims to continually innovate, reinvest in the business, and explore new technologies that will meet the world’s increasing demand for energy.
