The European lead/acid industry and its future in the world market

Since 1988, the European lead/acid battery industry has undergone extensive restructuring through mergers andacquisitions. Such developments have been commonly interpreted as a normal trend to optimize economies-of-scale in order to faceincreasing competition. Although this is one of the reasons for the concentration process, other aspects should be considered in order tounderstand and prepare the future of the battery industry. The automotive (SLI) and industrial battery sectors have different challenges andopportunities. Nevertheless, for the purpose of this study, the focus is essentially on the SLI business. Where appropriate,extrapolation will be made to the industrial battery business