Nickel production tapers off, demand steady

Nickel usage among top three consumers — U.S, Britain and Canada — has tapered off following a post-war high in 1948. The aerospace, automobile and construction sectors remain the largest consumers of stainless steel, a chief component of which is nickel. International Nickel embarks on a program of cost-cutting in order to develop large, low-grade deposits. Dem and for the metal is expected to remain steady for years as new uses are found for it in appliances, agricultural equipment, railway cars and a recent invention called the vending machine.