Dniprovsky Integrated Iron and Steel Works (DMK), one of the key producers and exporters of square billets in Ukraine, is restarting operations at its blast furnace (BF) No. 12, according to its official notification. “On December 27, the BF No. 12 was blown-in at DMK. The process of production normalization has been started. Ahead of the year 2020, the plant is operating all three BFs,” the company’s statement reads.
The facility was idled in September 2019 due to the sharp drop in prices and demand for steel products. During the downtime, the company conducted regular maintenance works. On December 26, raw materials were loaded at BF No. 12, while the first 65 mt of pig iron are expected to be produced by January 1, 2020.
Healthier market conditions in the global billet market, supported by the strong international scrap pricing, are among the key reasons for DMK to increase production, SteelOrbis understands. According to sources, in the January-November period this year DMK’s crude steel and pig iron production decreased by 6.4 percent and 17.4 percent year on year to 2.052 million mt and 1.848 million mt, respectively.