Russian steelmaker Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK) has announced its production and sales data for the first quarter of the current year. According to the company’s statement, NLMK’s crude steel output in the first quarter totaled 4.4 million mt, up 12 percent compared to the previous quarter and rising four percent year on year, due to the increase following the completion of the overhaul of equipment productivity and the completion of planned maintenance at the Russia Long Products segment.
In the first quarter, NLMK Group’s total steel product sales decreased by seven percent compared to the previous quarter and by 13 percent year on year to 3.9 million mt, driven by lower commercial pig iron sales amid repairs at one of the NLMK Lipetsk blast furnaces and due to the recovering intragroup slab deliveries to NLMK USA to meet local demand for finished rolled products.
In the first quarter this year, domestic sales totaled 2.7 million mt, up by four percent quarter on quarter and decreasing by 10 percent year on year.
The company’s export sales in the given quarter totaled 1.2 million mt, down by 12 percent year on year and by 21 percent quarter on quarter, amid lower pig iron sales and higher intragroup slab deliveries.