MMK brings blast-furnace back online

MMK brings blast-furnace back online

Russia's Magnitogorsk Metal Integrated Works (MMK) last week commissioned its blast-furnace No.4 after major repairs and reconstruction. Part of the modernization included construction of an undersize agglomerate screening unit, which will make operation of the blast-furnace smoother and at the same increase productivity. However, MMK managers disclosed that the may fail to fulfill the company's 2005 plan to make 10.5 million tons of output if coking coal and iron ore prices continue spiraling upwards. MMK is one of the very few Russian steelmakers that lack raw material supplies of their own.