Lead-acid battery producers operate at lower rate on week

SHANGHAI, Dec 28 (SMM) – Operating rates at lead-acid battery producers across Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei and Hebei averaged 64.34% in the week through December 28, down 1.18 percentage point from the previous week, SMM data showed.

For the same week, rates across plants in Jiangsu slipped 1.14 percentage point to 51.48%, rates in Hubei slid 7.32 percentage points to 70.58%, while rates in Zhejiang rebounded 0.49 percentage point to 68.64%. 

Large battery plants in Jiangsu and Hubei operated at lower rates amid sluggish downstream consumption. Distributors mostly depleted in-plant stocks and made fewer purchases during the last week of 2018. 

Similar situations were also seen in Zhejiang, but accelerated production of new capacity at a local major producer buoyed the average operating rate in the province.