SHANGHAI, Mar 1 (SMM) – Operating rates at lead-acid battery producers across Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei, and Hebei provinces increased by 0.72 percentage point week on week and averaged 56.5% in the week through Friday Mach 1, showed SMM data. 

Battery plants mostly recovered from holidays as of March 1. For mills that returned after February 19, the number of working days increased from a week earlier, and this accounted for the overall higher operating rate this week. 

However, operating rates in Zhejiang edged down on the week as local producers of electric bicycle batteries slowed production given higher inventories of finished products. 

A traditional slack season in March-April, together with the upcoming new national standards for electric bikes lowered restocking across distributors,and this grew in-plant inventories.

For March, a seasonal lull in the auto battery market is also likely to weigh on operating rates across lead-acid battery plants.