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 4.38 million mt, up one percent compared to the previous quarter, driven by high capacity utilization at the NLMK Russia Long Products Division. In the January-June period, the company’s crude steel production increased by four percent year on year to 8.7 million mt.
In the second quarter, NLMK Group's total steel product sales rose by six percent to 4.38 million mt compared to the first quarter of this year, due to the growth of flat steel sales in Russia and the US. Meanwhile, in the first half of the current year, total steel product sales totaled 8.53 million mt, rising by eight percent compared to the corresponding period of 2017.
In the second quarter of the year, domestic sales totaled 2.69 million mt, up two percent quarter on quarter, due to the seasonal recovery in buying activity in Russia and the growth of demand in the US, while the company’s external sales totaled 1.62 million mt, rising by four percent quarter on quarter.