Titanium markets to fly strong in 2012, beyond

Feb 29, 2012 | 07:00 PM | AMM staff

Tags  titanium market, boeing 787, RTI International Metals, IHS Global Insight, John Mothersole, Allegheny Technologies, Dawne S. Hickton,

Demand for titanium is expected to be strong this year and even stronger in the following years, based on a variety of industries that will rely increasingly on production of the metal.

The ramp-up of the Boeing 787 and, by some estimates, overall build rates on commercial transports will by 2013 and 2014 have significantly surpassed the rates seen in 2010, industry players said. Outside of aerospace, newly emerged economies such as China, India and Brazil could remain strong markets for non-aerospace industrial titanium despite economic sluggishness in the United States and Europe.

“Regardless of what’s happening on Wall Street with the stock market, and the political turmoil that we’re seeing in the headlines, we are still seeing strong demand with our existing orders,” said Dawne S. Hickton, vice chairwoman, president and chief executive officer of Pittsburgh-based titanium producer RTI International Metals Inc.

As uncertainty over the global economic picture clouds the outlook for steel and other commodities, the future for aerospace titanium—buoyed by expanding airliner production schedules—looks bright. “In the metals industry, titanium stands out,” said John Mothersole, principal of IHS Global Insight Inc.’s pricing and purchasing service in Washington.....