SMM February 14 News:
From February 8 to February 14, 2025, the weekly operating rate of secondary lead in four provinces monitored by SMM was 34.87%, an increase of 4.88 percentage points WoW. In Anhui, large secondary lead smelters ramped up production after resuming operations last week, with some smelters slightly increasing production due to replenished raw material inventories, leading to an 11.88 percentage point increase in the regional operating rate. Additionally, a major local secondary lead smelter may delay its resumption progress to April due to equipment failure. In Henan, raw material inventories at smelters were generally tight. Last week, some enterprises experienced significant production cuts due to critical raw material shortages, but this week, production increased slightly as inventories were replenished, resulting in a 1.71 percentage point rise in the regional operating rate. In Jiangsu, smelters saw a decline in production due to tight raw material inventories, with the regional operating rate decreasing by 4.29 percentage points. In Inner Mongolia, the operating rate remained relatively stable, with some smelters potentially resuming operations next week.
