In the first quarter of the current year, the crude steel production of Russian steelmaker MMK Group totaled 3.2 million mt, up four percent, while its finished steel product output amounted to 2.91 million mt, up three percent, both compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
MMK Group's high value-added (HVA) steel product output in the first quarter this year decreased by five percent year on year to 1.3 million mt. The share of HVA production in MMK Group's total steel product output in the first quarter decreased to 44 percent, falling from 48 percent in the first quarter of 2013.
During the first quarter this year, MMK's cast iron production increased by seven percent to 2.6 million mt, its long steel product output decreased by one percent to 449,000 mt and its flat hot rolled product output amounted to 1.34 million mt, up nine percent - all on year-on-year basis.
According to MMK, the seasonal recovery of demand in the domestic market in the second quarter is likely to support production and sales volumes of finished steel goods at a higher level compared to the previous quarter.