AS leading Australian nickel miner Western Areas approaches a major juncture in its 20-year history, managing director of the past 13 years Dan Lougher says he’s seen the road to bifurcation in the nickel market. “You can see just by driving down a highway [in Shanghai] where this is all heading,” he says. It’s a view he wants to become an indelible part of the company's value case in future.