ATI enjoys strong titanium demand

Oct 27, 2011 | 02:47 PM | Frank Haflich

Tags  Allegheny Technologies, titanium, Rowley, Uniti, richard harshman, frank haflich

LOS ANGELES — Allegheny Technologies Inc. (ATI) has seen improved titanium shipments and prices in both aerospace and non-aerospace markets, the company said in its third-quarter earnings statement.

The Pittsburgh-based specialty metals producer said that titanium mill product shipments totaled 36 million pounds in the first nine months of this year, a 22-percent increase from the same period last year and just short of the nearly 38 million pounds shipped in all of 2010. ATI previously said it was targeting shipments of 50 million pounds of titanium in 2011.

ATI’s titanium shipments include those from its high-performance metals (HPM) group, as well as from its flat-rolled products segment, which were up 57 percent through the first nine months to 15 million pounds. This is presumably due in large part to a contract won last year by Uniti Titanium LLC—a Moon Township, Pa.-based joint venture between ATI and VSMPO-Avisma Corp. of Russia—to supply 5.5 million to 6 million pounds of commercially pure titanium strip for a seawater desalination project in Saudi Arabia. Deliveries of the strip are due to be spread evenly over 2011. ....