Operating Rates of Galvanising Producers Continued to Increase [SMM Galvanising Weekly Review]

SMM News, March 13: This week, the operating rates of galvanising producers stood at 53%, up 13.94 percentage points WoW. Raw material side, zinc prices fluctuated this week, while previously priced zinc ingots gradually arrived at galvanising enterprises, leading to a slight increase in zinc ingot inventory. The increase in operating rates was mainly because large plants had basically reached full production, while small plants had largely resumed operations, with galvanising enterprises generally returning to normal pre-holiday levels. However, from the consumption side, terminal resumption progressed slowly, the pace of post-holiday order pickups was sluggish, and continued environmental protection measures in northern regions affected shipments, resulting in an increase in finished product inventories. Orders are expected to gradually return to normal starting next week, environmental protection alerts are expected to be lifted, and large galvanizing plants are expected to continue raising output to full operating status, with operating rates next week continuing to rise to around 59.19%.