Spenge. Rising prices, supply problems and a shortage of raw materials are currently causing a tense business climate in Germany. The current uncertainties, resulting from the consequences of the Corona waves and the flood disaster in the summer of 2021, are causing the consumer and industrial confidence that grew at the beginning of 2021 to fall again. Only the construction industry still seems optimistic about the market development of the construction industry in 2022.
Wilhelm Modersohn GmbH & Co. KG, manufacturer of industrial components and fastening systems for concrete and masonry, is focusing its attention these days on the price development of stainless, acid and heat-resistant steels and the corresponding supply of raw materials. The relevant Stainless steel prices for materials such as 1.4301 (austenitic steel grade, also known as V2A) and 1.4016 (ferritic steel grade) have doubled since January 2020. Raw materials such as chromium, nickel and molybdenum are important components of stainless steels and peaked in terms of prices for alloy surcharges in the fourth quarter of 2021.
For the first quarter of 2022, the Stainless steel experts do not foresee any major price reductions.
For Wilhelm Modersohn, managing partner and owner of Wilhelm Modersohn GmbH & Co. KG, this finding does not come as a surprise.
Taking precautions with well-calculated material purchases
"In the case of stainless steels, we have been experiencing fluctuating raw material prices on the procurement markets for quite some time. It is precisely these price volatilities that reflect the high level of supply uncertainty on the raw material markets, which is then also confirmed by the real supply bottlenecks", explains Wilhelm Modersohn, who is also a member of the board of the “Informationsstelle Edelstahl Rostfrei.” He continues: "This circumstance enormously restricts the planning reliability in the processing industry and in construction companies. In order to offer our customers supply security, we have taken good precautions with our material purchases both last year and this year. We should not experience a supply shortage due to material shortages in 2022."
A high stock level, fast production and delivery capabilities are part of the 2022 corporate strategy of the company based in Spenge, North Rhine-Westphalia.
Lean Duplex steel - real price and quality advantages!
For some time now, Modersohn has been focusing on Lean Duplex steels, which are less volatile in terms of price. These are also currently cheaper and, due to their basic strength, which is at least twice as high as standard austenites, significantly more economical than austenites, which are comparable in terms of corrosion technology. The explanation lies in the lower alloying proportions of the expensive components, such as nickel and molybdenum, and in the increased proportion of chromium and nitrogen. According to the Stainless steel expert, this makes the Lean Duplex steels a clear alternative to the standard A4 and A2 austenites in almost all common areas of application.
Further advantages over the standard austenites are:
- higher fatigue strength
- no chloride- and hydrogen-induced stress corrosion cracking up to 50°C
- less risk of cold welding when bolting under load
- good resistance at higher temperatures, i.e. not the typical chi or sigma phase embrittlement
- lower coefficient of thermal expansion with the same thermal transmittance of Lambda 15
For many years, Modersohn has had an extensive stock of Lean Duplex steels, especially for sheet. Since the beginning of this year, the standard for "Mechanische Verbindungselemente" (Mechanical fasteners) DIN EN ISO 3506 has been published in a revised version. With this internationally valid manufacturing and application basis for screws, nuts, washers, Threaded rods, etc., more and more standard parts are coming onto the market as stock items. This means that the strength class 100 is then often also available, with which our engineers can once again optimise the customer's product due to the better design possibilities.
MODERSOHN® Stainless Steel
In order to provide its customers with the best possible prospects for a successful product in a highly competitive market, Modersohn provides its business customers with experts who have the necessary knowledge and expertise in the field of very high-performance high-strength steels. On the company's homepage, you can even ask important construction and project-related questions directly when visiting the site via an expert chat.
After more than 50 years of experience and expertise in the processing of Stainless steel and Lean Duplex steels, Wilhelm Modersohn GmbH & Co. KG has made a name for itself with the manufacture and sale of series and special products for industry and with construction fastenings.
As a DEKRA-certified welding company with manufacturer's qualification according to DIN EN 1090 EXC3, the Stainless steel expert also covers special customer requirements in the field of custom-made products for heavy-duty constructions, for example in tunnel and bridge construction and the renovation of old buildings and monuments.
For years, the company has relied on duplex steels, especially the so-called Lean Duplex steels (1.4062, 1.4162, 1.4362), whose market launch in the German construction industry has been personally championed by managing director Wilhelm Modersohn since 2002.
