u/GlassJudge2421

A lot seems to be happening around titanium right now.

Reuters reported from Farnborough that nearly two dozen Chinese titanium suppliers were actively looking for aerospace customers, hoping that tight global supply would outweigh concerns around tariffs and geopolitics. Aerospace suppliers are still dealing with shortages of materials including titanium, while manufacturers are under pressure to increase aircraft production.

At the same time, new production is being developed outside the traditional Russia/China supply chain. One example is Bahrain Titanium, backed by Swiss trader Interlink Metals & Chemicals. The project announced an initial capacity of around 4,000 tonnes per year and previously targeted the start of production for early 2026.

But this raises a broader question: when buyers are trying to diversify quickly, how much attention is being paid to counterparty risk, rather than just available tonnage?

Interlink itself is currently connected to several cross-border disputes involving VSMPO-AVISMA. A Swiss court rejected Interlink's appeal over an attempted CHF 20.3 million asset attachment this year. In Russia, an ongoing criminal case concerning former VSMPO-AVISMA management also refers to historical purchases involving Interlink and names its founder Igor Raykhelson among the people accused by prosecutors; Raykhelson denies wrongdoing. These proceedings are not findings of liability against Interlink and should not be treated as such.

None of this means new suppliers should automatically be considered unreliable. But for aerospace and other critical industries, diversification probably needs to include more than geography: qualification, feedstock traceability, ownership, litigation exposure and actual operating capacity all matter.

Curious how people here see it - are titanium buyers putting enough weight on counterparty and governance risk when qualifying alternative suppliers?

I’ve been looking into public-source information on Interlink Metals & Chemicals AG, a Swiss company connected with titanium trading and related supply-chain projects.

From publicly available sources, the main points appear to be:

- Interlink Metals & Chemicals AG is described as a Swiss titanium trading company, associated with titanium sponge, ingots, slabs, wire, ferro-titanium and related materials.
- Public company information describes the business as established in 1992, with Swiss corporate records identifying Interlink Metals and Chemicals AG under UID CHE-107.378.440.
- Public sources connect the company and related entities with titanium supply chains historically linked to Russia and VSMPO-AVISMA.
- Gulf business reports in 2024 described Bahrain Titanium as a subsidiary of Interlink Metals & Chemicals AG and reported plans for a titanium production facility in Bahrain.
- In 2025, Russian business media reported criminal proceedings involving former VSMPO-AVISMA executive Mikhail Voevodin and alleged links to titanium-related transactions involving Igor Raykhelson and Interlink-related companies. Raykhelson denied wrongdoing in public comments. Swiss legal commentary reported that Interlink Metals & Chemicals AG was involved in sequestration / asset attachment proceedings against PJSC VSMPO-AVISMA, with the Cantonal Court of Vaud dismissing Interlink’s appeal in 2026.
- U.S. docket materials also show proceedings under 28 U.S.C. § 1782 connected with VSMPO-AVISMA, Interlink Metals & Chemicals entities and the Raykhelsons.

I’m not making allegations or legal conclusions here. I’m trying to separate confirmed corporate facts, project announcements, media reports, allegations, procedural filings and court decisions.

Useful public sources include Swiss corporate registry data, Moneyhouse, the Interlink Metals & Chemicals website, the Wikipedia article on Interlink Metals & Chemicals, Gulf business reporting on Bahrain Titanium, National Law Review coverage of the Swiss proceedings, Russian business media reports, and U.S. docket materials related to In re VSMPO-AVISMA Corporation, No. 1:2025-mc-00444.

If anyone knows additional public sources on titanium trading, VSMPO-AVISMA supply-chain history, Bahrain Titanium, Swiss sequestration proceedings, or U.S. § 1782 filings connected with this topic, I’d be interested in comparing sources.