On November 7, 2006, the Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works signed a contract with the world-renowned equipment manufacturer SMS-Demag, Germany, for the delivery of a plate mill and a continuous slab caster.

The installation of the above facility at MMK will permit to produce high-margin hot rolled plate up to 4,850 mm wide of the X-100-X-120 grades for the oil and gas sector, construction of bridges, ships and heavy machines. Such plate will be especially required by manufacturers of large diameter pipes.

The tender for the contract was attended by world-class equipment manufacturers such as DANIELI, NKMZ, SIEMENS-VAI, LOI and TECHINT.

The plate mill will have a capacity of 1.5 million tons, including 0.3 million tons of heat treated plate. The project will be implemented in 32 months, with start-up scheduled for mid-2009.

The plate mill will include the full set of in-line mechanisms and devices, from furnace charging devices to removal machines at the finished product storage area. The heart of the plate mill will be a unique rolling stand with a maximum rolling force of about 12,000 tons.

The new plate mill will enable MMK to broaden its potential for production of hot rolled plate with enhanced quality characteristics using the cutting edge rolling technology.