Shipments of Batteries for Patching Increases Sharply

The shipments of batteries for patching increase sharply thanks to cold wave from last December. According to some reliable source, some retailers who had reduced the stock from forecast of warm winter in the beginning are waiting for arrivals of the batteries because they moved them off the shelf. So battery manufacturers suddenly increased the production. Especially, GS Yuasa Corporation, the biggest battery manufacturer in Japan, increased the production by 20% from the same month last year. It is likely that lead ingot supply and demand will be tight further. Lead battery demand reaches its peak in winter when chemical reaction becomes inactive due to low temperature. That in summer when self-discharge ratio becomes high follows that in winter. The difference between the demand in winter and summer had been reduced for the recent years. According to GS Yuasa, shipments of batteries for patching were fairly good last December though those were dull in October-November due to forecast of warm winter. The firm’s production of this month is increasing 5-7% from the same month last year. On the other hand, as for lead ingot supply, there is hardship of production increase of the ingot. Since the hemorrhage of waste battery as raw material of the product can’t be stopped, secondary smelters are forced to perform low operation of the production. Special procurement demand of this winter is likely to increase tightness of the supply-demand further.