Operating Rate of Secondary Lead Smelters Up 2.34% on Week

SHANGHAI, Oct 29 (SMM) – The average operating rate across licensed smelters of secondary lead in Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan and Guizhou was 51.96% in the week ended October 29, up 2.34 percentage points from the previous week, showed an SMM survey.

The restored profits and the eased production restrictions in Henan and Jiangsu encouraged Jiangsu New Chunxing, Henan Jinli, and other secondary lead companies to expand production. Although the circuitry reconstruction in Anhui caused the brief power failure in some local smelters, the overall operating rate Anhui remained upward. Camel in Anhui, Xinyu in Guangdong, and Chentai in Hebei also expanded production amid the increased orders.

The regional power rationing will still disturb the production of the secondary lead smelters, while the restored profits will further boost the production. The power rationing and failure are expected to drag down the average operating rate.