Global consumption recovered faster and more strongly than expected, with the result that after months of factory closures in many parts of the world and ongoing supply chain turbulence, there are simply not enough materials to meet every requirement.
Aluminum, as an example, shows how important it is to keep an eye on the production of auxiliary materials when it comes to raw materials: in mid-October, an urgent announcement from the German Metals Association caused a scare among many companies with the warning that aluminum stocks in Europe could soon run out, as China had largely stopped producing magnesium, an essential component in aluminum alloys. Since China is currently a quasi-monopoly with a share of 87 percent of global magnesium production, other sources cannot compensate for the shortfall.