NLMK Kaluga produced 1 mln tons of rolled steel

NLMK Kaluga mini-mill was launched in July 2013 in the Kaluga Region close to Moscow, Russia’s largest construction market. The mini-mill concept is based on locating EAF steelmaking and rolling operations near to sources of raw materials and consumers of finished steel products.

Alexander Burayev, NLMK Long Products General Director, said: «Today is another milestone for us: our millionth tonne of rolled steel. Thanks to the efficient organization of production processes and ongoing process improvements, we have been able to quickly reach the design capacity of the plant; and to continue mastering and offering new products that are in demand on the market. We plan to expand the plant’s product mix by the end of the year. This will allow us to be more flexible when responding to market demand.»

Technological solutions implemented at the rolling mill enable the simple switching of manufacturing any given product to another at a moment’s notice, depending upon market conditions and customer demand.

NLMK Kaluga significantly expanded its product portfolio in 2014 by introducing 25x4 and 75x6 angles; and #10 rebar to its market offering available to customers in Russia’s Central and Volga Regions. At the beginning of 2015, NLMK Kaluga added 63x6 angles to its product portfolio due to demand from the construction sector. By the end of the year, the plant plans to introduce 50х5, 100х9 and 90х8 angles. Alongside sections, the plant’s product mix includes #12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 and 25 rebar.

NLMK Kaluga is a next-generation EAF mill, part of NLMK Group’s Long Products Division. NLMK Kaluga was launched in July 2013. Investment in the construction of the plant totaled more than RUB 38 billion, of which around RUB 7.5 billion was spent on environmental protection measures.

The plant is located in the Vorsino industrial park in Kaluga region, which has 33 companies among its residents. The plant is 73 km from Moscow by road, and a little over 90 km by rail.

The plant is located in the heart of the Central Federal District; the region with the largest market for long steel products in Russia. The central region accounts for approximately 30% of long steel consumption in Russia, with only 9% of its production. The region benefits from a surplus of scrap, NLMK Kaluga’s key feedstock material, of around 2.7 million tonnes per year. Scrap is supplied by NLMK Group’s in-house scrap collecting network, Vtorchermet NLMK.

NLMK Kaluga’s steelmaking and long product capacities are 1.5 million tonnes and 0.9 million tonnes per annum, respectively. The facility is uniquely equipped in Russia to produce the widest range of premium-grade long products for use in construction.