East Penn Manufacturing
East Penn runs the largest single-site lead battery plant in the world at Lyon Station, Pennsylvania, making Deka batteries for automotive, motive power, marine and standby duty. Its Deka Ready Power range, launched in 2025, offers lithium alongside gel for motive power.
Profile
East Penn Manufacturing is one of the world's largest producers of lead-acid batteries, and one of the largest privately held companies in the United States. It was founded in 1946 by DeLight Breidegam and Karl Gasche, beginning with ten employees producing batteries and cable assemblies. The company remains family-owned today.
Its batteries and related products are sold principally under the Deka brand, a name coined from the founders' first names. The range spans more than 500 battery types, from units of a few pounds to industrial cells weighing over 50,000 pounds, serving the automotive, commercial transportation, marine, motive power, reserve and stationary power, telecommunications, UPS and renewable-energy markets. The company also manufactures wire, cable and battery accessories.
East Penn's operations are centred on a 520-acre campus at Lyon Station, Pennsylvania, with additional facilities in the US and internationally. It reports a workforce of more than 10,000. Recycling is integral to its model: it operates an on-site smelter and processes tens of thousands of spent batteries daily, recovering lead, plastic and acid for reuse. Recent activity includes the expansion of its Deka Ready Power lithium portfolio for motive-power applications.
Written from the public record, including the company’s own published figures, which are attributed as such. Company details change often, so confirm anything material with the company. Suggest a correction