Ukraine’s ArcelorMittal Kryviy Rih (AMKR) has posted an increase of seven percent year on year in its overall production volumes for the period of January-June this year. Moreover, the company expects to keep up the same pace of production in the second half of 2021 amid relatively favorable market conditions.
In the January-June period this year, AMKR produced 2.8 million mt of pig iron, 2.5 million mt of steel, and 2.3 million mt of finished steel, up by 10.4 percent, 1.4 percent, and 2.2 percent, respectively. Still, the first half of the year was rather challenging for the company, taking into account the global increase in transportation costs. Moreover, due to the introduced protective measures, AMKR was forced to redirect sales from its traditional markets such as Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia to Latin America and China.
“This year, we finished the capital repair of the BF No. 8 which was stopped at the end of 2020 and also modernized one of the facilities at the sinter plant, which helped us to increase the production of pig iron and steel. In addition, we increased coke output by 11.5 percent. For the first time in six years, we achieved monthly production of 61,000 mt at the rolling mill. In the second half of the year, we will finish the maintenance at the sinter machine No. 6, which will bring its production rates to the maximum,” AMKR official Serhiy Lavrynenko said in the official statement.