In Q1 2010, Byelorussian Iron and Steel Works (BMZ) registered a 12.6 percent decrease year on year in its crude steel output to 558,117 mt, the Russian information agency Prime-Tass reports.
Accordingly, in Q1 2010, BMZ's rolled steel product output went down by 2.2 percent year on year to 518,700 mt, while its pipe production increased by 1.9 times year on year to 21,100 mt. The plant also produced 24,671 mt of metal cord - up 10.3 percent, and 42,700 mt of steel wire - up 23 percent, both compared to Q1 2009.
Meanwhile, in the first quarter of this year BMZ's sales of rolled steel products went down by 5.2 percent to 371,700 mt, while sales of pipes increased by 2.8 times to 27,300 mt, both compared to the same period last year. The plant also sold 22,350 mt of metal cord - up 1.8 times, and 42,900 mt of wire - up 1.6 times, all compared to Q1 2009. BMZ's total proceeds from sales in Q1 2010 increased by 31.4 percent year on year to about $332 million.
During the first three months of the current year, BMZ increased its export sales by 16.9 percent year on year to $257.9 million. Of BMZ's overall sales, the share of exports amounted to about 85 percent, with more than 70 percent of export supplies being to non-CIS countries.