Whereas the steel industry and wider ferrous metals sector is big business and of rapid growth, the non-ferrous metals industry is typically business of a smaller and, perhaps, more select scale.
All metals are generally providing a growth driver for gases demand across the world as higher prices and demand have spawned from high construction activity and other developments in emerging nations, as well as traditional markets.
Contrasts
The difference between ferrous and non-ferrous is the absence of iron, with the word ferrous derived from the Latin term ‘Ferrum’ which means ‘containing iron’. This isn’t where the difference draw to a close however, with individual plants in the non-ferrous metals industry considerably smaller than those of the ferrous sector.
Customers in this area typically require oxygen supplies of 5-100 tpd, with prospects in the industry looking increasingly positive. Dr Joachim von Scheele, Marketing Manager for the Metals and Glass Industries division at Linde, explained, “There are growing demands. The high prices are changing the situation. What wasn’t classified as ore 2 years ago is suddenly ore, because the prices are high.”
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