When AmazonBasics launched back in 2009, batteries were among the initial line-up of products—and they’re still one of the best, most classic impulse buys of this white-label brand.
Mainly sold in packs ranging from 8 to 300 batteries at extremely affordable prices, they’ve become the go-to value battery brand for day-to-day needs. For example, this pack of 24 AAs and 24 AAAs is less than $17 right now, amounting to just $0.35 per battery.
But where do AmazonBasics batteries come from?
According to BGR, they’re manufactured in several countries—including China, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia—depending on battery type. But one of the companies behind the production is a Japanese entity called FDK Corporation (Fuji Denki Kagaku), now a subsidiary of Fujitsu. The partnership between Amazon and FDK works as follows:
Amazon provides the branding and retail access, but part of the actual batteries are made by FDK and Fujitsu in factories in different locations. The next time you buy a bargain pack of Amazon Basics batteries, you’re not buying just an Amazon product. In fact, it’s an item supported by a complex global supply chain and Japanese know-how.
This allows Amazon to sell products under its own private-label brand (in this case, AmazonBasics) without having to build its own factories, hire staff, or deal with all the technical and legal details. Furthermore, Amazon benefits from FDK’s many years of experience as a battery manufacturer.
With this strategy, Amazon can expand its AmazonBasics range and offer various types of batteries and electronics without investing in the infrastructure required to manufacture them.
Further reading: This neat trick instantly reveals if a battery is dead
This article originally appeared on our sister publication PC-WELT and was translated and localized from German.