The recent announcement of investments and acquisitions within the Nitinol material market has caused some concerns about availability and overall stability of the Nitinol supply chain. Many are concerned about Nitinol availability. Well, Confluent is here to put those concerns to rest. Below is a Q&A of the most common questions consumers have surrounding the Nitinol supply chain and material availability.

1. Why did Confluent decide to invest in Nitinol melt capacity?
   1. As the largest Nitinol component supplier, Confluent evaluated the entire supply chain to ensure that we could provide components to our customers. As we evaluated the supply chain, we noticed that supply was concentrated on a couple of small, but key suppliers, and that some of the suppliers were not investing in growth capacity. It was pretty obvious that both melt and gun-drilling supply would need capacity investments to meet the growing market demand. The pending shortage was pretty clear to anyone who seriously looked at the Nitinol market. Subsequently, during the recent MD&M West show in Anaheim, Resonetics made a public announcement about adding melt capacity due to demand, and in the weeks prior Confluent also announced a large investment to expand Nitinol supply.
2. How will this investment affect the Nitinol market as a whole?
   1. Specifically, for Confluent, we can now guarantee Nitinol supply. We are able to supply directly to any customer Nitinol tube, wire, and other Nitinol products within weeks. Until we formed this key partnership with one of the largest melters, then this guarantee was not possible. For the Nitinol market as a whole, many of the OEMs and contract-suppliers are evaluating their own supply chains to determine stability. Some of the contract-suppliers are buying key Nitinol material from their direct competitors, and subsequently having to evaluate if this is a stable situation.
3. When will the industry start seeing the effects of this investment?
   1. Now! Confluent is now offering the fasted lead times in the industry for Nitinol Material. Consumers can now obtain directly Nitinol Tubing in 14 weeks and Nitinol Wire in 20 weeks.
4. Will Confluent remain an open-source supplier?
   1. Yes! Confluent can directly supply Nitinol tube, wire, and components to any customer that wishes to have Confluent as their stable source of supply.

We know changes within the industry may result in uncertainty, but Confluent is the only supplier with direct control over a vertically integrated Nitinol supply chain and we can guarantee supply to our customers by offering them security, flexibility, and industry-leading lead times.

If you have further questions or want to learn more about our Nitinol offerings, email [email protected].