SMM February 21 News:
From February 15 to February 21, 2025, the weekly operating rate of secondary lead in four provinces monitored by SMM was 47.15%, a WoW increase of 12.28 percentage points. After the Lantern Festival, some large secondary lead smelters in Anhui resumed production and ramped up output. Due to an increase in raw material arrivals this week, production at certain manufacturers further rose, leading to a regional operating rate increase of 12.21 percentage points. In Henan, some smelters experienced significant production cuts due to post-holiday raw material inventory shortages. However, raw material inventory continued to increase this week, and production returned to normal, resulting in a regional operating rate rise of 21.48 percentage points. The operating rate in Jiangsu remained relatively stable, while Inner Mongolia saw the resumption of production at a newly added secondary lead smelter, pushing the regional operating rate up by 8 percentage points.
