15 Steps from Lead to Finished Battery

Auto battery manufacturing transforms raw lead into the starting power behind every vehicle. From lead oxide production and grid casting to pasting, curing, formation and final assembly, every stage on our automotive lines is engineered for precision and repeatability, so that every battery leaves the line with dependable cranking power, lighting and ignition performance.

Quality is built in at each step, not inspected in at the end. Our China and Malaysia factories combine automated production equipment with strict process controls, delivering car and truck batteries that meet the demands of OEM manufacturers and the aftermarket alike.

01

LEAD AS A RAW MATERIAL

Lead in 45 kg bars is the most important battery raw material. The delivered lead is processed into positive and negative plates.

02

PRODUCTION OF LEAD OXIDE

A ball mill comminutes the lead into a fine powder to create the largest possible surface for oxidation.

03

PRODUCTION OF LEAD OXIDE IN THE BARTON REACTOR

Very fine lead droplets and air are used to create lead oxide, which is then stored in oxide silos.

04

GRIDS FROM ROLLED LEAD

Expanded metal grids are produced from rolled positive and negative lead strip.

05

CAST GRIDS

Depending on the battery type, the belt casting process is used to produce lead grids alloyed with antimony and calcium.

06

GRID CASTING WITH ROTATING ROLLERS

During the production of negative grids by continuous casting, molten lead alloys solidify on a cooled, rotating grid roller.

07

AUTO PASTING, EXPANDED METAL AND CONTINUOUS CASTING

Punching and drawing create an expanded metal grid into which lead paste is worked.

08

PASTING OF BOOK CAST GRIDS

During book casting, positive or negative lead pastes are worked into the grids and must then mature.

09

MATURING OF PASTED GRID PLATES

The pasted plates are stored in a maturation chamber for 24 to 56 hours. This ensures optimum current acceptance and storage capacity. The plates are then ready for assembly.

10

PLATE SEPARATION

Before the book-cast plates are put into storage, they are separated so that each pasted grid produces two plates.

11

THE PLATE WAREHOUSE

The plate warehouse holds supplies for 6 to 11 days. On average, lead bars are turned back into finished plates in around 22 days.

12

BATTERY ASSEMBLY

Western Electrical manufactures batteries on multiple automated production lines in a three-shift operation. Up to 1.2 million plates are needed daily for around 15 different battery types.

13

CONTAINER FILLING

Conventional starter batteries are filled during container formation. Charging, cleaning, load testing, labeling, coding, storage or dispatch then follow.

14

THE BATTERY WAREHOUSE

The warehouse can hold between 50,000 and 100,000 batteries. Stocking up takes place in March and April, with warehouse clearance in August and September.

15

BATTERY DELIVERY

Up to 30 trucks leave the plant daily, delivering starter and industrial batteries to sales branches, OEM customers and retailers.

From raw lead to a fully charged, tested automotive battery, all 15 steps serve one goal - dependable starting power you can count on. Explore our automotive battery range to see the result: AGM start-stop and EFB start-stop series, SMF maintenance-free and classic dry-charged batteries, each engineered for modern vehicles.