NLMK Lipetsk, the flagship site of NLMK Group, has delivered a pilot batch of galvanized bake hardening (BH) steel to the Uzbekistan-Korean joint venture UzSungwoo.

The pilot batch of steel was custom-made to meet the customer’s individual requirements. It was used to make General Motors internal car body parts, which contribute to vehicle safety. Tests have confirmed compliance of the metal’s ductility and yield strength with the GM standard.

Cold stamping makes BH steel, which has an inherently high degree of ductility, into a high strength body component. By offering ductility and high strength at the same time, BH steel can be used to make reduced weight body components of any complexity. A stronger and lighter material contributes to better safety and weight properties, improves fuel economy and the car’s environmental performance.

Ilya Guschin, NLMK Group Vice President, Sales, said: “Together with UzSungwoo, we continue adding new, more complex products to our mix. Our clients have confirmed the high quality of our steel and delivery performance. We are prepared to offer new steel grades to our customers and are planning to increase our presence in the automotive steel segment.” 

NLMK Group supplies UzSungwoo with galvanized and cold-rolled steel made in line with the GM standard, including “soft steels” with superior stamping performance, and new grades of high strength steel. NLMK is currently testing dual phase steel, commissioned by UzSungwoo. DP steel offers unique mechanical properties, which contribute to lower vehicle weight, better fuel economy, and higher safety performance.

About NLMK Group

NLMK Group is the largest steelmaker in Russia and one of the most efficient in the world.

NLMK Group’s steel products are used in various industries, from construction and machine building to the manufacturing of power-generation equipment and offshore wind turbines.

NLMK operates production facilities in Russia, Europe and the United States. The Company’s steel production capacity exceeds 17 million tonnes per year.

NLMK has the most competitive cash cost among global manufacturers and one of the highest profitability levels in the industry. In 12M 2018, the Company generated $12 billion in revenue and $3.6 billion in EBITDA. Net debt/EBITDA stood at 0.25õ. The Company has investment grade credit ratings from S&P, Moody’s, Fitch and RAEX (Expert RA).

NLMK’s ordinary shares with a 18.6% free-float are traded on the Moscow Stock Exchange (ticker "NLMK") and its global depositary shares are traded on the London Stock Exchange (ticker "NLMK:LI"). The share capital of the Company is divided into 5,993,227,240 shares with a par value of RUB1. For more details on NLMK shareholder capital please follow the link.