OREANDA-NEWS. September 15, 2015.  Metinvest Group's Ilyich Iron and Steel Works of Mariupol produced a record high production volume of galvanized steel (30,000 tonnes) in August. Approximately half of the volume was made according to European standards.

Since May, Metinvest has been increasing shipments this product by 18% per month on average. Production has been increasing not only due to stronger seasonal demand for products for construction, but also due to the increasing attractiveness of domestic materials.

New types of galvanized steel produced according to EN 10346 from DX51D, S320GD and S350GD steel grades are in demand from domestic customers, such as steel structure fabricators and producers of roofs, ventilation systems, window profiles and other products. Metinvest's material has a thicker zing coating (140 g/sq. m), ensuring the durability of goods, while low quality Chinese steel has no more than a 60 g/sq. m. coating.

In addition, S320GD and S350GD steel grades are characterized by increased strength, which allows for reducing the steel intensity of structures while preserving original load-bearing properties.

Galvanized rolled products made by Ilyich Iron & Steel Works of Mariupol according to EU standards is in demand in export markets also – Metinvest exported over 60,000 tons of these products in January-August 2015.

The development of the production of galvanized steel products and improving the quality of these goods is one of the Company's strategic projects that has been implemented in phases since 2013. As part of this program, Ilyich Iron & Steel Works of Mariupol switched to concast slabs as a feedstock for the production process, optimized the operation of cold rolling and hot galvanizing equipment, and introduced EU standard compliant packaging for coils.