OREANDA-NEWS. Hardware shipments by Zhlobin-based Belarusian Metallurgical Plant (BMZ) stood at 148,459 tonnes in January-April 2014, up 13.7% on the year, an official with the plant told.

In April alone hardware shipments grew 0.1% to 38,199 tonnes.

Metal cord shipments stood at 32,893 tonnes in Jan-Apr 2014, up 23.5%, bead wire - 13,947 tonnes, up 14.3%, brass-coated steel wire for high-pressure hoses - 14,251 tonnes, up 29.5%, steel wire - 87,368 tonnes, up 8.2%.

Rolled steel shipments in Jan-Apr 2014 stood at 481,304 tonnes, down 2.3%; steel pipes - 45,021 tonnes, up 1.8%.

The company's steel output stood at 765,741 tonnes in Jan-Apr 2014, down 13.9%, including rolled steel output 731,790 tonnes, down 4%; steel pipes 45,118 tonnes, up 1.4%.

Hardware output totalled 145,690 tonnes, on a par with Jan-Apr 2013, including metal cord output - 29,859 tonnes, down 1.5%, bead wire - 14,237 tonnes, up 28.7%, brass-coated steel wire for high-pressure hoses - 12,940 tonnes, up 30.8%, steel wire - 88,654 tonnes, up 83.6%.

BMZ steel output amounted to 2.242 million tonnes in January-December 2013, down 16.7% on the year; rolled stock - 2.202 million tonnes (down 0.9%), steel pipes - 129,078 tonnes (up 3.6%).

State-owned company Belarusian Metallurgical Plant was launched in 1984. BMZ exports about 85% of its output. In Jan-Sep 2013 BMZ products were exported to the EU, Russia, the Middle East, Ukraine, the United States, Africa, South Africa. The EU, the Middle East and Russia account for 86.6% of the BMZ's total exports.