Note 9 – Warranty

In general, Zebra provides warranty coverage of one year on printers against defects in material and workmanship. Thermal printheads are warranted for six months and batteries are warranted for one year. Battery based products, such as location tags, are covered by a 90-day warranty. A provision for warranty expense is recorded at the time of sale and is adjusted quarterly based on historical warranty experience.

The following table is a summary of Zebra’s accrued warranty obligation (in thousands), which is included in accrued liabilities:


	Three Months Ended
	March 29, 2014			March 30, 2013
Balance at the beginning of the year	$	4,125		$	4,252
Warranty expense		1,510			1,837
Warranty payments		(1,673	)		(1,707	)

Balance at the end of the period	$	3,962		$	4,382