August 2026 Volume 8

MATERIALS stronger engineering support to complete these tool sets. Weber Metals has expanded its internal capabilities to help mitigate that exposure. For forgers, the path forward is practical but not easy. Material planning needs to begin at the quote stage, not after the purchase order is received. Customers and suppliers need contracts that reflect commercial reality, including indexed surcharges, minimum-volume commitments, cancellation protection and shared inventory strategies. Forgers should treat scrap and revert as strategic assets, especially for titanium, nickel and specialty alloys. Engineering teams should work with customers on manufacturability, part consolidation, tooling feasibility, alternative alloys and qualification pathways when a material or process has single-source or long-lead exposure. Companies serving defense, aerospace and energy should also watch public-private funding opportunities, because material security and production capacity are now central components of national industrial policy. The material advantage belongs to the forgers that can answer a broader set of questions before their competitors can: Where is the metal coming from? Is it qualified and traceable? Can the tooling be sourced, shipped, assembled and maintained? What happens if a critical press or die set goes down? What happens if the price or tariff structure changes? And can the company deliver capacity when the market turns? In today’s forging supply chain, the strongest companies are not just shaping metal. They are shaping supply certainty.

Sources 1. Reuters, “Supply chain chaos becomes aviation’s ‘new norm’ as demand hits records,” Feb. 6, 2026. 2. Reuters, “Safran aims to double output of engine parts at northern France facility,” April 13, 2026. 3. The White House, “Further adjusting the tariff regimes for imports of aluminum, steel and copper into the United States,” June 1, 2026. 4. Federal Aviation Administration, “Airworthiness directives; The Boeing Co. airplanes,” Federal Register, Feb. 17, 2026. 5. U.S. Geological Survey, “Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Titanium,” Feb. 6, 2026. 6. Reuters, “Chinese titanium firms seek aerospace foothold beyond home market,” July 23, 2026. 7. ATI Inc., “ATI and Boeing extend and expand titanium supply long-term agreement,” July 31, 2025. 8. ATI Inc., “ATI signs multi-year agreement with Airbus for titanium plate, sheet and billet,” May 28, 2025. 9. IperionX, “IperionX receives final $4.6 million in DoW funding and 290 metric tons of titanium scrap from U.S. government,” Jan. 16, 2026. 10. Metallus Inc., “Metallus announces first-quarter 2026 results,” May 4, 2026. Thank you to Weber Metals for their contributions to this article.

38 FIA MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2026