OREANDA-NEWS. Chusovoy Metallurgical Works (Open Joint Stock Company, based in the Perm Region, part of United Metallurgical Company, OMK CJSC) stopped producing steel though its open-hearth furnaces on March 31th. The halt of the open-hearth furnace is the next stage of the company's large-scale reconstruction which includes rejecting old and unprofitable technologies and turning to market dictated production, namely the production of casing pipes and high durability oil well tubing with premium threads.

The last operation of hearth furnace #5 was marked by a special ceremony attended by staff, trade union activists, and managers of Chusovoy Metallurgical Works. The best workers of the duplex shop got certificates of merit and letters of gratitude. The workshop's flag will now rest in the company museum. The witnesses of the last melting got a piece of the steel as a token.

“We realize that only modern technologies and effective production can secure the factory's success,” said Anatoly Karpov, Chairman of the Board at Chusovoy Metallurgical Works. “That is why we pay special attention to the construction of the pipe and steel melting complex in Chusovoy. A wide-scale reconstruction will radically transform the enterprise and gear it towards market needs. I thank the steel makers for their flawless work. In the 70 years of its existence, the open-hearth furnace gave 29 mln tons of steel. It definitely deserves our utmost respect.”

After the open-hearth furnaces are shut down, the factory will start dismantling the duplex shop. The sintering plant and converters have nearly been torn down. The blast furnace #1 and gas purifying facilities of the duplex workshop are also being dismantled.

The construction of the pipe and steel-melting complex in Chusovoy is the biggest project in Russia's ferrous metallurgy industry today. The complex will produce up to 1 mln tons of steel per year to make 500 K tons of seamless pipes for oil and gas and up to 300K tons of rolled sections and springs. The project will require over 50 bln rubles of investments.