The Russian steelmaker Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (
MMK) has announced that in 2010 it increased the share of its shipments to the domestic market to 69 percent of its total steel product sales - the highest percentage in the past fifteen years. Accordingly, the share of
MMK's international export shipments in its total steel product sales in 2010 declined to 31 percent, from 44.1 percent in 2009.
In 1999,
MMK sold 36 percent of its total steel products output domestically, with as much as 64 percent distributed globally. In 2005, local sales outscored
MMK's exports for the first time. The year 2008 witnessed 7.2 million mt in
MMK's domestic sales, i.e., 65 percent of total shipments. In 2009, the global economic downturn resulted in a slight increase of
MMK's export share compared to local sales. In 2010,
MMK's distribution in
Russia and the
CIS increased to exceed seven million mt - up 44 percent from 2009.
Traditionally,
MMK's key domestic customers include the pipemaking sector, which accounted for 34 percent of
MMK's local sales in 2010, the machine-building industry, with a share of 13 percent, the construction and engineering sector, with a share of 11 percent, and metalware manufacturing, which accounted for nine percent of
MMK's local sales in 2010.