Good gravy sumisu... we DON'T think alike!!!
You wrote (in part):
"I would say who are the specific customers and what marketing plan can be used to make them aware that they need tantalum?"
Commerce already knows who the big refiners are as well as the smaller end users. They know this because they go to an importance confeence of suppliers, refiners and users held in Europe every year.
As for 'marketing plan'...tantalum is in a growing shortage. It's a sellers paradise...not a buyers market.
Sumisu, you also wrote in part:
"The next question is what is the market price for the tantalum metal versus competing metals, such as copper, silver, gold, platinum, et. al.
Irrelevant. Doesn't matter. Tantalum is SO SUPERIOR as a capacitor that its the ONLY CHOICE when it comes to any high end critical function device such as ANY picture video phone, color screen phone or Blackberry device (sending e-mails).
Please understand. There are 3 critical requirements of a cellphone capacitor.
1. It has to be very small. Obviously, cell phones are not large. Tantalum can be cut very thin.
2. It has to be VERY heat resistant. Copper, gold, silver and platinum are CONDUCTORS of heat...disastrous!
3. The capacitor has to hold a big electrical charge. Tantalum beats any other metal because its electrostatic field is MUCH better.
Its either tantalum, or you don't sell your high end popular cell phones...and Nokia, Motorola etc. know it!!!
So tantalum, (in its particular field of capacitors), isn't simply a metal...it is THE metal.
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