Work has been completed on metric conversions and design manuals. AISI hopes to capture 10 percent of the replacement market for the poles. That would represent 900,000 to 1.3 million tons per year, compared to the current 25,000 tons. Cold-rolled and galvanized steel competes with wood, fiberglass, and concrete in the market for poles. You know what the end result will be.
Steel has an environmental advantage over wood, since steel is a recycled material.
Wooden poles are treated with benzene, which acts as a preservative. Presently the codes that determine how strong a material must be for safety guidelines are more stringent for steel than for other materials. AISI will seek to obtain equal safety standards. The market for oil and natural-gas pipelines should continue to be strong. The world's oil reserves are not nearly as depleted as some predicted.