[TheForge] Metal Prices

[Jerry Smith]

The American industrial effort for WW II actaully dates back to the 1935 period and as the U.S. was not in active warfare until 1942, you have to look at a much bigger picture for American industrial potential. The United States was giving away many things before the war and during the war. A good part of the Pacific fleet went to the British forces before the U.S. declared war on the Axis powers.

You are looking at stats, if the DOD came to you and said we are only dealing with you unless you can't do the job and wants you to increase your output ten fold. The minute you say it can't be done or that will take us 2 years to ramp up do that, the DOD purcahsing people will walk away and find some one else. The answer should be, yes we can do that, then you go figure out how after they leave.Most of the steel for WW II was ordered near the beginning of the war and increased as needed during the war. During the war there were metal drives to collect more materials to use in the war effort, these drives were faster than other methods of getting materials.

Many industrialist during that war and during other times in history, didn't use stats, they took the job. then figured out how to do it. There were a few that didn't make it, but we don't hear about them too often.

The Bantam car company invented what we call the "jeep" these days, except they couldn't produce the numbers required for the war, so other companies came in and took over, thats why you haven't heard about the 2010 Bantam Hydrogen Powered Roadster. In the 60s and 70s people kept asking me how the M151 General Purpose Quarter Ton Truck compared to the Jeep SJ5s and SJ7s. They couldn't be compared, the M151 "Jeep" was made by Ford. But can they do the same job, probabaly. Personally I would have taken the Jeep products.

Stats and figures can be made to say almost any point you want, it is how you take on the work and how well you produce. In the modern world, the amount of steel in projected needs for WW III could be more than what has been produced in the last 130 years total, unless the war lasts about 2 hours, then the order will be canceled. 

Why aren't you building a plant down in Mexico to service the automobile trade there? 

Todays military is more oriented to Titanium, Boron Carbide and many other materials than steel. The US. may be the biggest baddest, meanest military in the world, but a bunch of poorly educated rag tag people have keep that military at bay for 9 years. Have you ever seen what an RPG can do to a steel based miltary vehicle? How about an IED doing damage to a HummV or a Stryker. 
I saw a piece of Boron Carbide take the impact of a 7.62 NATO round and the soldier wearing that material survived with little damage, no wounds. if the soldier could pickup a 1 inch thick piece of steel with the rest of his/her gear, let alone wear it in a harsh environment, what would that same bullet impact do to the soldier? I really don't want to find out.

What happens when a new very high quality player on the block shows up being able to match or beat your quality steel and it costs less.

I used to be apart of that biggest baddest military in the world and I saw the U.S. get it's butt kicked in a crazy little war in Asia. Remember these days, we go to war with the military we have. So massive steel order may never come. Or like the Army found out when they switched to the Black Berets, the Chinese came in with the quality required and with a great price. So they aren't made here.

Jerry