Operating rates across licensed smelters of secondary lead in Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan and Guizhou continued to increase, rising 9.2 percentage points from the prior week to 49.6% in the week ended April 10, showed an SMM survey. The increase in production, however, remained capped due to battery scrap supply issue.

Operating rates across primary lead smelters in Henan, Hunan and Yunnan provinces averaged 53.8% in the week ended April 3, up 1.3 percentage points from the prior week, showed an SMM survey.

In early February, raw materials shortage due to suspended logistics and disrupted operations at mines weighed on production at silicon mills in Xinjiang, Sichuan, Guizhou and Heilongjiang. This outweighed ramped-up production in Fujian, Guangxi and Chongqing and accounted for the declines in overall operating rates in February.

Operating rates across primary lead smelters in Henan, Hunan and Yunnan provinces averaged 46.6% in the week ended February 28, up 2.8 percentage points from the prior week, showed an SMM survey.

Prolonged production time of Guizhou Jinlong and resumption of Guizhou Yongxin lifted the average rate in Guizhou province to 11% this week. Yongxin smelter currently produces around 200 mt of...

The average operating rate stood at 12.6% in the week ended February 14, flat from last week, showed an SMM survey

Shibin in Henan, Shuikoushan Jinxin in Hunan and Honghe Zhenxing in Yunnan have decided to delay their resumption

Operating rates across Jiangsu, Anhui and Henan provinces averaged 15.5% in the week ended February 7

This marked a fourth consecutive week of decline in battery maker operations

The rate recovered after three consecutive weeks of decline