| Nickel based alloys such as Monel 400, Inconel 718, | | | | metal producer to quote lead times over 26 weeks |
| Inconel 600, Inconel 625 have widespread industrial | | | | and prices are not firm until date of shipment! This |
| uses. These alloys are most widely used in highly | | | | has caused a lot of concern to manufacturers and |
| corrosive environments or high temperature | | | | end users of nickel based alloys. There seems to be |
| environments. The price of nickel has skyrocketed | | | | no way to predict what your product costs are going |
| over the last several years and demand has | | | | to be 1 month, 6 months or 12 months from now. |
| increased creating short-term shortages of material. | | | | There is no end in sight for the current economic |
| reports on May 10, 2006 "Nickel futures rose to a | | | | situation for nickel base alloys. One of the reasons |
| seven-month high in London as demand from | | | | for the surge in demand subsequent price increase of |
| stainless steel producers, the largest users of the | | | | nickel is China. |
| metal, caused a shortage." For those of us in the | | | | also reports " there won't be much new production |
| supply base for nickel base alloys, this is nothing new. | | | | until 2007 and stainless steel production is increasing |
| We have seen prices of nickel base alloys such as | | | | very quickly in China". (Stainless steel contains |
| Monel 400,Inconel 600, Inconel 625 or Inconel 718 | | | | significant amounts of nickel). |
| double and triple since the 1990's. | | | | What does this mean for producers of OEM products |
| Lead-times for procurement of these materials have | | | | using nickel alloy products? Fasten your seatbelts it's |
| increased dramatically. It is not uncommon for a | | | | going to be a rough ride! |