MetalMiner welcomes guest contributor Chelsea Craven of Zepol Corporation, a Minneapolis-based trade intelligence company.
If you’re in the tantalum supply business, I’d like to be your friend.
The rare, shiny transition metal (one of the so-called Conflict Minerals) is – yes, you guessed it – exploding with demand in the United States.
Just as tablets and smartphones are the latest and greatest fad in the consumer world, tantalum is the most recent craze in the metal world. For those of you in the business, that may not come as a surprise at all. The corrosion-resistant metal is actually a component in many electronic gadgets, including the computer, smartphone, or tablet you’re likely reading this article from.
Are you a manufacturer sourcing tantalum? You need to be here.
The U.S. tantalum trade had a seesaw-like swing in 2012. Imports of tantalum were flying high, while exports were on the other side of the spectrum. How big is the spread, exactly?