The Russian steelmaker Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK) has issued the first quarter 2007 production results for itself and its subsidiaries.
Accordingly, in Q1 of 2007, NLMK produced 2.34 million metric tons of pig iron - up 6.2 percent, 2.34 million metric tons of crude steel - up 2.2 percent, one million metric tons of slabs - up 8.6 percent, 414,000 metric tons of hot rolled products (including HRC supplied to VIZ-Stal) - down 7.7 percent, 453,000 metric tons of cold rolled products - up 7.9 percent, 91,000 metric tons of HDG - down 1.7 percent, 86,000 metric tons of pre-painted steel - up 7.1 percent, 95,000 metric tons of non-grain-oriented steel - up 8.6 percent and 35,000 metric tons of grain-oriented steel - down 0.1 percent, all compared to the corresponding period of 2006.
During the period in question, NLMK's Danish subsidiary DanSteel A/S increased its heavy plate production by 31.5 percent year on year to 149,000 metric tons.
VIZ-Stal registered a 22.6 decrease in its non-oriented steel output but showed a 3.2 percent increase in its grain-oriented steel output year on year, dropping to 4,000 metric tons and rising to 45,000 metric tons respectively in Q1 of 2007.
NLMK's iron ore subsidiary Stoilensky GOK showed a 6.3 percent increase in its iron ore concentrate production and a 50.4 percent increase in its sinter ore output year on year in the first three months of 2007. The respective figures in metric tons were 2.9 million and 394,000.
Finally, during the period in question Altai-koks produced 879,000 metric tons of coke, showing a 48.3 percent year on year increase.
As for its products prices, NLMK expressed the belief that export prices for the company's steel products will stabilize at around the March-April 2007 level. This anticipated increase in export prices as well as seasonal factors in Russia will spur domestic price growth in Q2 2007, the company predicted. Furthermore, NLMK forecasted a possible price softening toward the end of the current year.