The Russian steel producer Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK) has announced that NSMMZ Rolling Facility in Berezovsky, a part of its NLMK-Long Products subsidiary, has launched a new rolling shop for rebar and wire rod production with an annual capacity of one million mt.
Accordingly, the new facility is equipped with advanced equipment from leading global manufacturers Danieli, SMS Meer and Sund Birsta, and will produce coiled rebar (Nos. 6 to 16), as well as 5.5-22 mm wire rod.
During start-up operations, NSMMZ mastered the production of a wide range of rebar and wire rod products. Specifically, NLMK-Long Products was the first in Russia to launch the production of class A500C heat-strengthened reinforcing bars in coils with diameter of 6.0 to 12.0 mm which are in high demand from the construction industry. In addition, it has also started the production of wire rod for cold heading, as well as of wire rod made from high-carbon and special welding steel grades for the Russian market.
Commissioning and further upgrades to the shop will allow NLMK-Long Products to achieve a total long steel product capacity of over two million mt per year, strengthening its position in the long products market and providing NLMK with a 20 percent share of the Russian rebar market and a 16 percent share of the Russian wire rod market. Subsequently, once construction of its Kaluga EAF Mini-Mill is completed, NLMK plans to increase its domestic rebar market share up to 25 percent.