NLMK Group, Russia’s leading manufacturer of HVA products, has begun delivering plates made from abrasion-resistant Quard 450 steel for the production of the world’s heaviest-lift dump truck - the BELAZ-75710.

The first BELAZ-75710 dump truck with a lifting capacity of 450 tonnes was commissioned in August 2014. The second machine is currently being assembled. NLMK steel is used to make the skip of this unique dump truck.

BELAZ has selected Quard 450 plates because they are characterized by exceptionally high resistance to wear and load impact, ensuring longer life time compared to alternatives. The use of Quard steel may result in a 40% reduction of the weight of the structural component while increasing its volume by 5%, reducing fuel consumption, and reducing production costs by 45%.

Quard plates are produced from slabs supplied by the Company’s Lipetsk production site, using a unique technique involving quenching and tempering at NLMK’s Belgian Clabecq plant.

Ilya Gushchin, NLMK Group Vice President for Sales, said:

“BELAZ is one the leading consumers of NLMK Quard plates in the CIS. Our participation in the creation of the world’s heaviest-lift dump truck is the result of our successful collaboration with the Belorussian company. We are currently in negotiations with a number of large Russian machine-building companies on the use of Quard and high-strength Quend plates in the production of technical equipment, in order to create the conditions for increased competitiveness of Russian machine-building.”

For over three years, NLMK Group has successfully sold abrasion-resistant Quard and high-strength Quend plates in Europe, North America, and the Far East, as well as in the CIS. Buyers of Quard and Quend plates include leading machine building companies.

NLMK Group is planning to expand its range of premium Quard and Quend steel products in 2015 by adding Quard 550, Quend 1100 and Quend 1300. NLMK Plans to increase the total production volume of abrasion-resistant Quard plates and high-strength Quend plates to 150,000 tonnes per year.

To provide clients from Russia and other CIS countries with a high level of service there is a special warehouse facility in the Moscow region focusing exclusively of selling Quard and Quend plates delivered to Russia from the Group’s Belgian companies.

About BELAZ

In 2013, BELAZ experts were able for the first time to create the heaviest-lift dump truck in the world with a lifting capacity of 450 tonnes using a set of original innovative technical solutions. In January 2014, BELAZ-75710 took on board a total load of 503.5 metric tons and drove across the test site, setting the CIS and European weight-lifting record.

About Quard & Quend

In 2014, NLMK Group brought new premium steel products to the Russian market – thick plate low-alloy abrasion-resistant Quard steel and structural high-strength Quend steel, both designed for use in the manufacture of construction and mining equipment and machinery.

NLMK’s broad range of Quard and Quend plates is produced out of slabs supplied by the Company’s Lipetsk production site, using a unique technique involving quenching and tempering at NLMK’s Belgian Clabecq plant. NLMK Clabecq employs a modern quenching and tempering method enabling the production of highest quality low-alloy plates. The processing line for the production of Quard and Quend plates was launched in 2011. Total investments in the project exceeded 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.), where the use of abrasion-resistant Quard steel may result in a 40% reduction of the weight of the structural component while increasing its volume by 5%, reducing fuel consumption, and reducing production costs by 45%.

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 the essence. 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.

For more information and technical data on Quard and Quend products, please visit our specialized websites www.quend.meand www.quard.me.

About NLMK Group

NLMK Group is a vertically integrated steel company and Russia’s leading steel maker and manufacturer of rolled products with high added value. 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. The Company generated US$ 10.9 billion in revenue, and EBITDA of US$ 1.5 billion in 2013.

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).

For more information about NLMK Group, please visit www.nlmk.com

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