STOCKS | Musk’s In-House Turbine Parts Plan Pressures Blade Makers

Blade and vane makers fell after Elon Musk said SpaceX would begin making the parts used in natural gas turbines. According to Sina Finance, he said in a post on X that in-house casting at SpaceX could speed turbine deployment by as much as 18 months. Howmet Aerospace fell more than 7% on Monday before partially rebounding on Tuesday, while smaller player DPC was also hit. The article said Howmet and Berkshire Hathaway-owned Precision Castparts are the two biggest players in the market, which also supplies blades and vanes for aerospace and defense. The report said SpaceX still faces major barriers to entry, including technical challenges, secrecy in the casting process, and long lead times for equipment and staffing. It also said SpaceX is not expected to become a major external supplier of blades and vanes.