Lead-acid battery makers operating rate fell on pre-holiday cautious buying

SHANGHAI, Jan 10 (SMM) – Operating rates across lead-acid battery producers in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei and Hebei provinces averaged 54.18% in the week ended January 10, down 1.02 percentage point from the previous week, showed SMM data.

This marked a third consecutive week of decline in battery maker operations, on the back of sluggish end-user consumption of electric bicycle batteries and auto batteries. Distributors restocked cautiously on pessimistic prospects for post-holiday consumption. Sufficient inventories kept some distributors from buying this week. 

Lead-acid battery producers started to arrange the break schedule for the Chinese New Year holiday. They mostly stockpiled feedstock lead and scaled back operation this week. 

SMM expects the operating rates across lead-acid battery makers to continue to decline next week as some producers will halt the front-end production of battery polar plates from January 15.