Thanks OBG. It was an interesting read, and something caught my eye and imagination. Specifically these two items
1. Most customers, mainly steel mills, which use it as a key component in stainless steel production (chromium is alloyed with steel to make it corrosion resistant or harder) have contracts with chrome suppliers.
and
2. "You have to establish a name brand. You have to be Nike," says Hanson. "Fully understanding that market is very high on our list of things to do."
Both taken from the article you supplied.
Now for the wild eyed imaginative stuff ...
What if a stainless steel producer reformulates the constituents and reconfigures his cost of corrosion resistant (stainless) steel such that they can produce a higher quality rebar than the current commodity powder coated stuff.
Consider:
- Infrastructure built with uncoated rebar is collapsing after 50 – 60 years. (We know this)
- Coated stuff is susceptible to corrosion at welds and anywhere the coating is scuffed. (We know this)
If a producer were to approach the market for rebar with an infinitely corrosion resistant and branded alternative, would the concept meet approval with AmeriCanadian acceptance? With a branded product reliant on super cheap and abundant chromium touting a hyper extended life span, who could compete?
Most importantly, this would not be a stretch for any marketing minded genius. (I honestly cannot run any faster in my Nikes now than I could as a kid in my Keds) This would be a technological step change in the way infrastructure would be built and the market would be 100% owned by the producer with the lowest cost chromite.
No-one else could compete.
So, who makes Stainless Steel that we know of.
