SHANGHAI, Apr. 16 (SMM) –
Operating Rate at Lead-Acid Battery Producers Falls to 42.18% in February
According to the latest SMM survey, the average operating rate during February at domestic lead-acid battery producers was down 16.67 percentage points MoM to 42.18%. If the holiday factor is excluded, weak downstream demand was the major factor behind lower rates at battery producers.
Average Operating Rate at Primary Lead Smelters Falls to 54.83%
SMM survey of operating rates at 49 domestic primary lead smelters with a total capacity of 4.075 million mt/yr reveals that refined lead output at the surveyed smelters was up in March by 1.1% MoM to 217,100 mt. The average operating rate at these smelters calculated on an annualized basis fell to 54.83% in March, down 0.25 percentage point from February.
Motive Battery Price War Reignites with Low-Demand Season
SMM sources report that Tianneng Power and Chaowei Power – two giants in the motive battery segment – both cut the price of electric bike batteries RMB 2 each, or RMB 8/set, in early April.
Lead-Acid Battery Realized RMB 2.1 Bln in Profit in 2012, Stocks Exceeded RMB 6.5 Bln
SMM data show that the net profit of nine listed lead-acid battery companies hit RMB 2.107 billion in 2012, with the value of battery inventories totaling RMB 6.574 billion, 3.1 folds of net profit.
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