eric roberts

Car Battery Shortages-Raw materials to blame!

Car Battery Shortages

I am sitting in my office on a nice, sunny early August day, pulling my hair out. So, a member of my battery staff has just informed me of yet more Car Battery Shortages in the Exide battery range.

This is an all too familiar story in the ensuing chaos towards the end of the UK covid 19 lockdowns. I can only think about the millions of vehicles that were sitting around and not being used. Not just here in the UK but all around the world.

The number of standing cars must have been in the billions. I know from our own records that in the first period of the pandemic, there were a large percentage of Car Battery Shortages as customers tried to start their cars.

Fundamentally, sales in 2020 will have at least doubled! However, we had no idea what was to follow.

Boom turns into Bust!

So, as time went by and we drifted into 2021, things began to change. Certain popular battery part numbers began to dry up. I remember just thinking that it was a blip in our supplier’s buying process!

Popular battery sizes, such as 115 AGM stop-start batteries, were the first to become short. Followed by many other popular battery sizes. In the whole of 2021, we have been living from hand to mouth. Buying from wherever we could.

All the popular brands became in increasing short supply as the world woke up from the pandemic, only to find that their car battery was dead and they needed a new one.

No lead coming out of China

Stories about lead shortages were beginning to appear in the automotive press. So, after a bit of digging, I discovered that the main reason now is that there is a shortage of lead and polypropylene resin. Importantly, this means that China cannot make enough lead-acid batteries to meet demand.

This, coupled with the shortage of shipping, is causing most of the Car Battery Shortages problem. This has also sparked a spike in the price of scrap lead. Lead-acid batteries are about 95% recyclable. However, the scrap has to find its way back to China and South Korea. Where it is mixed with new lead in order to make the new batteries.

A sort of double-edged sword effect. Shipping shortages and the rising price of shipping have only added to the Car Battery Shortages.

So as online battery sellers, the best we can do in many cases is ask the consumer if they are prepared to try another brand. Most well-known battery brands are excellent quality and will mix and match with other brands.

Things will get worse!

I am thinking that supplies will get worse rather than better in the next couple of years. There are European battery suppliers, such as the excellent Varta Batteries. However, they are also experiencing massive demand. Of course with large contracts to keep up with. So, leaving the after market in short supplies once again.

Also prices are expected to rise because of the demand for shipping costs. Shipping companies are able to ask what price they want because of high demand for all goods shipped around the world.

Of course this will be passed on to the price of goods including car batteries.

Onto 2023

Hello everyone! Look, we’ve all experienced the agony of anticipating our shipments from China for ever and a day. And let’s face it: the epidemic threw a spanner in the works in every aspect of life. Hold on though! I have good news. Lean in because you’re in for a treat if you’re sitting there wondering how shipping from China has altered, especially for vehicle batteries.

Let’s start by everybody agreeing that speed is important. We want our goods and we want it now in our fast-paced environment. What’s this? Shipment times from China have accelerated significantly. It truly is miraculous, so get ready for less waiting and more action!

Let’s now discuss price.

The great dollar, ah! Paradoxically, the epidemic helped us recognise the shortcomings of our old paradigms. Companies looked at their books after the outbreak and said, “Well, let’s optimise this!” They did, too. More than ever, economies of scale are in effect, and everything fits together like the pieces of a puzzle. The cost-per-unit has fallen dramatically if you’re importing automobile batteries, such as those with the most recent AGM technology.

Well, not everything is roses. Yeah, the ports are still congested, and let’s not even bring up customs. Nonetheless, these tangles are beginning to unravel gradually. Hence, if you work in the automobile battery industry, give a little thanks to the shipping gods because it’s now much simpler to send that premium Exide or Exide across the ocean.

What about environmental issues,

I hear you ask? Do not worry, though, as shipping corporations are making significant investments in eco-friendly ships. It’s similar to killing two people with one stone. faster shipment times and environmentally friendly methods? Rely on us all!

Remember the rippling effect. Less stockouts, better availability, and a more seamless supply chain from the production to your door are all results of improved transportation conditions. Similar to online purchasing, but for heavier, more significant items like automobile batteries. So accept the new standard. Take a piece of the action and go forward.

In conclusion? The course of the earth is being restored. Shipping from China, previously a complicated web of protracted delays and high charges, is now downright alluring. Well, there are still a few glitches to work out, but we’re getting there. Fasten your seatbelts, people—the future is bright!

strengthening the global semiconductor supply, vehicles means for commercial transportation, zeroemission vehicles means for commercial.

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eric roberts

Managing Director at Pellon Tyre and Auto Centre trading as batteriesontheweb.co.uk

Eric has been the owner of his automotive business for over 40 years now. Running his fast fit and MOT centre in Halifax along with his wife Michelle. Later adding the online battery businesses. Batteriesontheweb,mobilitybatterystore and their Ebay store.

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