Russian steel producer Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK) has announced that it increased shipments of steel products to automotive producers in 2014 by 18 percent year on year to 415,000 mt, up from 353,000 mt in 2013.
Key factors in the growth in production and shipments included the launch of high-quality automotive steel grades at the new cold rolled products Mill 2000 and the hot rolled products Mill 5000, as well as continuing trends of import substitution in the domestic automotive market.
Since the launch of Mill 2000 in 2011, MMK has mastered and launched production of more than 30 new steel grades for the automotive industry. The company states that it is currently well positioned to compete not only with Russian suppliers to automotive companies, but also with major international players. MMK's steel products are in demand by such local auto companies as AvtoVAZ, GAZ, UAS, KAMAZ, as well as international corporations with their own production facilities in Russia, such as Ford, Volkswagen, Renault and Nissan. The company's launch of new automotive sheet grades in 2014 was acknowledged by the Russian government with an award in the field of science and technologies.