March 26, 2026: Leoch International has issued a profit warning, saying the group faces an expected loss of around Rmb300 million ($44 million) for 2025 — driven in part by increased export costs to the US.

The global lead battery major said on March 24, in a preliminary assessment of figures still to be released for last year, that profit is expected to turn from positive to negative when results for the year ended last December are released, compared to 2024.

Attributable profit — paid as dividends to shareholders or kept as reserves — fell by around 60% year-on-year in the first half of 2025, chairman Dong Li said. 

“Such performance constitutes part of the reasons for the decline in the group’s full-year results for 2025.”

In addition to the US government ramping up import tariffs globally since the second quarter of 2025, Dong Li said Leoch had seen a significant increase in export costs to the US. 

The group had also incurred costs resulting from various upgrades and expansion of production capacity, leading to increased raw material consumption.

Full results are expected to be released on or before March 31.

Batteries International reported last September that Leoch was mulling a possible eLxpansion of production at its Mexico plant even before it opened — plus a potential new factory in the US.

Meanwhile, last month, Leoch said more time was needed to formally establish its proposed US spin-off company, Leoch Energy,  to complete procedures of approvals from the relevant US authorities.