PJSC Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works ("MMK" or “the Company”) will commission a new continuous hot-dip galvanizing line in July 2017 to help satisfy growing demand for galvanised steel, Igor Sapozhnikov, Leading Marketing Specialist at MMK, told the 13th Annual Steel Markets Europe conference in Barcelona.

During his speech about trends on the Russian metal market, Sapozhnikov discussed the potential for a sustainable recovery in metal consumption in Russia starting from 2017 following three years of decreasing market volumes. He added that growth of metal consumption will be driven by the construction and carmaking industries, and will in part be satisfied by the new continuous hot-dip galvanizing line expected to be commissioned in July 2017. This launch is in line with MMK’s strategy to increase the share of high value-added products in its sales structure.

The 13th Annual Steel Markets Europe conference, held on 19-20 June in Barcelona, was organised by information and analytics provider Platts. Participants included major metal companies and associations such as ArcelorMittal, Tata Steel Europe, the European Steel Association (Eurofer) and the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). Topics included the growth potential of global and European metal sectors amid market demand for metal, increasing trade restrictions, continued surplus of metal facilities and steel overproduction in China.

About MMK

MMK is one of the world's largest steel producers and a leading Russian metals company. The company's operations in Russia include a large steel-producing complex encompassing the entire production chain, from the preparation of iron ore to downstream processing of rolled steel. MMK turns out a broad range of steel products with a predominant share of high-value-added products. In 2016, the company produced 12.5 million tonnes of crude steel and 11.6 million tonnes of commercial steel products. MMK Group had sales in 2016 of USD 5,630 million and EBITDA of USD 1,956 million.

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