NLMK Group (LSE: NLMK), Russia’s leading manufacturer of steel and one of the most efficient steel companies in the world, has begun the supply of plates rolled from low-alloyed abrasion-resistant Quard© steel to leading Russian mining companies including the Urals Mining and Metallurgical Company.

Quard© plates are supplied to companies that mine ore including iron, polymetallic and copper; and coal that produce varying degrees of wear-and-tear on equipment. Quard© plates are used as they ensure ultra-high resistance under load.

The NLMK steel products are used for the manufacturing and repair of mining machinery and equipment such as dump truck bodies and excavator buckets.

Abrasion-resistant Quard© plates and high-strength structural Quend© plates are manufactured using a unique quenching and tempering technology at NLMK Clabecq (Belgium) from specialty slabs supplied by NLMK’s Lipetsk site. The use of abrasion-resistant Quard© steel can more than triple the lifetime of a product when compared to standard grades of construction steel.

Ilya Gushchin, NLMK Vice President for Sales, said: “We began supplying premium Quard and Quend plates to the Russian market last year; and we are pleased to report that customer numbers are growing. In 2015, NLMK Group is planning to expand its Quard and Quend supply network in Russia by setting up additional logistic sites in the Urals and Siberian Federal Districts in order to satisfy the increasing demand for world-class products, which are not available on the Russian market and therefore are imported.”
NLMK Group’s Quard© and Quend© production capacity is 250,000 tonnes per year. 70% of these products are supplied to the European customers; whilst 30% goes to North America, South East Asia, and the CIS.
About Quard© & Quend©
In 2014, NLMK Group brought new premium steel products to the Russian market: thick plates made from low-alloyed abrasion-resistant Quard© steel and high-strength structural Quend© steel, for use in the manufacture of construction and mining equipment and machinery.
A wide range of Quard and Quend plates is produced from slabs supplied by the Company’s Lipetsk production site, using a unique quenching and tempering technique at NLMK’s Belgian Clabecq plant. The processing line for the production of Quard and Quend plates was launched in 2011, with total investment in the project exceeding EUR 100 million.
Abrasion-resistant Quard plates (hardness 400HB, 450HB and 500HB – Quard 400, Quard 450 and Quard 500 respectively, with thicknesses ranging from 4 mm to 40 mm and widths from 1,500 to 3,100 mm) are designed for use in the manufacture of construction and mining equipment, as well as for other types of special equipment and machinery (crushing and pulverizing machinery, excavators, dump trucks, bulldozers, hoppers, mixers, etc.), for which the use of abrasion-resistant Quard steel may result in product lifetime being more than tripled when compared to products made from standard grades of construction steel; whilst the weight of structural components can be reduced by 40%.
High-strength Quend plates (tensile strength 700 MPa, 900 MPa and 960 MPa – Quend 700, Quend 900 and Quend 960 respectively, with thicknesses ranging from 4 to 50 mm and widths from 1,500 to 3,100 mm) are designed for use in the construction of bulk vehicle frames, bulk lifting and handling machinery, vehicle trailers, and other machinery where high structural strength is of critical importance. The use of high-strength Quend plates reduces the weight of structural components by more than 20%, thus reducing the cost of production and increasing the performance of the machines.
In 2015, NLMK Group plans to expand its product mix by adding Quard 550, Quend 1100 and Quend 1300. For more information and technical data on Quard and Quend products, please visit our specialized websites www.quend.me and www.quard.me .
About NLMK Group NLMK Group is the largest steelmaker in Russia and one of the most efficient in the world. NLMK’s high-quality metal products are used in various industries, from construction and engineering to the manufacture of power-generating equipment and offshore wind turbines. NLMK's production assets are located in Russia, Europe, and the United States.
The Company’s liquid steel production capacity is over 17 million tonnes per year, of which about 16 million tonnes are produced in Russia.
NLMK has the most competitive cash cost among global manufacturers; and one of the highest profitability levels in the sector. The company generated $10.4 billion in revenue; $2.4 billion in EBITDA; and a net profit of $845 million in 2014.
NLMK’s ordinary shares are traded on the Moscow Stock Exchange (MICEX-RTS, ticker symbol: NLMK), and its global depositary shares are traded on the London Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: NLMK:LI).

Media contact info:
Sergey Babichenko
+7 (916) 824 6743
babichenko_sy@nlmk.com
Investor contact info:
Sergey Takhiev
+7 (495) 915 1575
tahiev_sa@nlmk.com