Russian steel producer NLMK, a vertically integrated steelmaking company, and Russia’s leading manufacturer of steel and HVA rolled products, has passed certification audits confirming that its production of special-size slabs from high-strength and corrosion-resistant steel grades is compliant with the requirements set forth by certifying agencies Det Norske Veritas (Norway), Lloyd’s Register (Great Britain), and the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (Russia).

Following the audits, which were conducted in accordance with the rules of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), NLMK obtained new certificates extending the scope of application for slabs from F and FH high strength steels and in new sizes – 355 mm thick and 2,200 mm wide.

High-strength slabs in unique sizes are supplied by NLMK’s main production site in Lipetsk to Russian manufacturers of large-diameter pipes and are also used by NLMK Europe’s Plate Products Division for the manufacture of a wide range of thick plates used for offshore windmills and drilling platforms, shipbuilding, and other industrial applications where steel structures have to be particularly strong and corrosion-resistant.

Production of these products was made possible by a multi-billion rouble investment in upgrading and improving process equipment at the Russian steel company’s main production site in Lipetsk.

According to NLMK’s group vice president for sales, Ilya Guschin, “An analysis of the market, which takes Northern Europe into account, indicates that there is stable demand for premium steel products, such as high-strength and unique-dimension thick plates. We believe that these international certificates will help further enhance the trust held for NLMK Group products, and ultimately to consolidate our position in this niche high-margin segment.”

NLMK’s Lipetsk site supplies wide slabs from high-strength steels to NLMK DanSteel A/S – a Group company based in Denmark that manufactures a wide range of thick plates for the production of windmills, drilling platforms, shipbuilding, yellow goods, and infrastructure.

In Russia, NLMK claims to supplies slabs ‘with superior chemical composition and steel structure standards’ to Vyksa Steel Works (VMZ, part of OMK Group) for the manufacture of wide plates and large-diameter pipes. The dimensions of these slabs are unique for the Russian market, says NLMK.

NLMK Group’s products are used in a variety of industries, from construction and machine-building to the manufacture of power generation equipment and offshore windmills.

The company has production facilities in Russia, Europe and the USA.

NLMK has a crude steel capacity of over 17Mt per annum, of which approximately 16Mt are located in Russia. The company generated $12.2 billion in revenue and $1.9 billion in EBITDA in 2012.