Here at W.B. Mason, we pride ourselves on delivering the best selection of trusted brands’ products for your workplace. One of these trusted brands is Duracell, who provide superior quality batteries. Read on to learn more about how we work with Duracell to supply workplaces like yours with the essentials to help you power through the workday from our partner at Duracell in this interview.
1. What is your name, company, and position? Also, how long have you been working with W.B. Mason?
My name is Laura Getch and I am the National Account Manager at Duracell. I have been working with W.B. Mason for four years.
2. How would you describe Duracell?
Duracell is the world’s #1 trusted battery brand that continues to improve our batteries to meet your needs with superior quality and dependability.
3. What is something surprising to you about W.B. Mason?
I enjoyed learning about the history of the company back to W.B. Mason’s first shop in Brockton in 1898, and the stronghold W.B. Mason still has in Brockton all these years later.
4. With so many great places to sell your products, what makes W.B. Mason different?
W.B. Mason has such an iconic presence with your delivery trucks. I get excited when I see one making deliveries in my town here in northeast Ohio. My kids always call it out as well!
5. Tell us a little bit about the child safety innovation on your lithium coin battery products.
Duracell takes child safety very seriously and our latest innovation is a non-toxic bitter coating on the lithium coin battery that is designed to help reduce the risk of accidental ingestions. Those who put the battery in their mouth are compelled to immediately spit the battery out. The bitter coating is applied to the increasingly popular 2032, 2025, and 2016 lithium coin cells. These batteries have a diameter of 20mm, which is similar to the size of a child’s esophagus. Duracell also features child secure packaging which makes it nearly impossible to open without scissors. Duracell’s goal is to build awareness with parents about the danger of ingestion and build awareness of Duracell’s solution.
6. When did you first learn about the child safety innovation on your lithium coin battery products?
We were presented with this #powersafely innovation in early 2020 and launched the product in Q3-2020. We have since teamed up with the American Academy of Pediatrics to help educate parents, caregivers, and pediatric health professionals about the importance of lithium coin battery safety throughout the home.
7. What are you most excited about with the child safety innovation on your lithium coin battery products?
Batteries are a part of our everyday lives and as we spend more time at home, young children may have more access to lithium coin batteries. Duracell is deeply committed to doing its part to produce the safest lithium coin batteries possible and to educating parents and caregivers about the importance of lithium coin battery safety. Families may not realize that everyday items such as tea lights, musical greeting cards, remote controls, and medical devices use lithium coin batteries, and the device cavity is not aways secure or screwed in place. Young children can gain access easily if not supervised. This bitterant is a line of defense once the battery is out of the child-safe pack and inside the device.
8. What customer problem is your company attempting to address with the child safety innovation on your lithium coin battery products?
Lithium coin batteries can be a hazard for small children. If swallowed, a lithium coin battery can get lodged in a child’s esophagus and burn through the surrounding tissue in as little as two hours. Duracell is embarking on the Power Safely campaign to help reduce the risk of accidental ingestions and bring awareness to the hidden danger of lithium coin batteries.
9. What teams within your company have been a part of developing and launching the child safety innovation on your lithium coin battery products?
Many departments, starting with research and development, our manufacturing plants who are exclusively producing this innovation for Duracell, and certainly our marketing department to ensure that our targeted media is amplified to the parents, caregivers, and medical experts.
10. What would you say to a company considering buying batteries for their workplace?
Duracell batteries are an integral part of your workplace, whether that is in the office or a home office. They help you keep your wireless mice and keyboards, smoke detectors, and hands-free dispensers running. Duracell’s superior quality, dependability, and decades of innovation have made Duracell the brand it is today. By partnering with W.B. Mason, your business is sure to get quick delivery, a breadth of Duracell product offerings, and excellent consumer value.
11. Is there anything else you would like to share about the child safety innovation, Duracell, or W.B. Mason?
Along with the #powersafely campaign, Duracell is also offering a longer-lasting lithium coin product versus our previous models, and versus our competitors. Performance upgrades on our 2032 cell size is offering +66% extra life versus our prior cell. Check out the Duracell Optimum with 4x Power Boost ingredients!
