Russian steelmaker Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK) has announced its production and sales data for the second quarter and for the first half of the current year. According to the company’s statement, NLMK's crude steel output in the second quarter increased to 4.14 million mt, down two percent compared to the previous quarter due to planned maintenance at NLMK Lipetsk. In the January-June period, the company’s crude steel production remained stable year on year at 8.23 million mt.
In the second quarter, NLMK Group's total steel product sales increased by 13 percent to 4.15 million mt compared to the first quarter of this year, driven by the seasonal uptick in sales of finished products in the Russian market. Meanwhile, in the first half of the current year, total steel product sales fell by three percent year on year to 7.83 million mt.
In the second quarter of the year, domestic sales totaled 2.63 million mt, up 17 percent quarter on quarter, due to the recovery in demand from machine builders and white goods manufacturers in Russia, with domestic sales accounting for 64 percent of total sales, while the company’s external sales totaled 1.49 million mt, rising by nine percent quarter on quarter and accounting for 36 percent of total sales.