Third, the company has been involved with a federal lab, Argonne, in researching less expensive materials for one of its product's major parts, the recuperator. Replacing the current alloys with a less expensive alloy gives still more room for margin improvement, and an improved alloy may allow higher temperature operation, which will increase the system's efficiencies.
Don't attack the messenger. The balance of that article is good too. CPST seems ta lack profit margin as well as something that sets them apart from the competition. It's a tough game. Expensive. At some point many company BODs see the roadblocks and become share machines. I have no idea is CPST is now in that mode. The article makes it sound very possible.
The ouoted section above also underscores their interest in HEAT. That's the function of the expensive recuperator.