High demand season boosts operation at lead-acid battery makers on week

SHANGHAI, Sep 27 (SMM) – Operating rates across China’s lead-acid battery producers increased further this week in the high demand season for electric bicycle and automobile batteries. 

An SMM survey showed that operating rates across lead-acid battery producers in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei, and Hebei provinces averaged 57.37% in the week ending September 27, up 1.51 percentage points from the prior week, after the rate rose 3.77 percentage points in the previous week. 

SMM learned that distributes continued to restock, especially for automobile batteries. Higher lead prices in early September buoyed prices of batteries and spurred buying enthusiasm of distributors. This tightened up finished product inventories at some battery producers, who continued to fulfil previous orders this week. Some producers hiked operating rates by 5-10 percentage points this week for the timely delivery before the upcoming National Day break.

Major battery producers planned to take a break up to three days during the National Day Golden Week holiday. Few mills will close by 7 days for the holiday.