NLMK Group, an international steel producer with operations in Russia, Europe and the USA, and KAMAZ, Russia’s leading heavy-duty truck manufacturer, have held their first Coordinating Council. At a meeting held in Naberezhnye Chelny, the two companies discussed steel deliveries, as well as the possibility of manufacturing new machinery for NLMK, including with the use of premium Quard steel.

NLMK and KAMAZ intensified their cooperation in May this year. Currently, NLMK Group supplies the car manufacturer with cold-rolled steel which is used to manufacture truck cabins.

The Coordinating Council brought together the senior managers from NLMK Group and KAMAZ responsible for sales, technical support, procurement and operations. The sides agreed to widen the mix of flat products supplied to KAMAZ, and discussed measures to improve the efficiency of logistics and the use of financial instruments.

The parties agreed to explore the possibility of manufacturing special-purpose machinery for NLMK, including with the use of Quard 450, NLMK’s abrasion resistant premium steel for semi-trailers used in the transportation of coils and tipper trucks with a reinforced frame.

Ilya Guschin, NLMK VP for Sales, said:

“NLMK holds regular meetings with its partners and also visits their production sites in order to have a better understanding of one another’s capabilities and needs. We are glad that our cooperation with the leading Russian truck producer is expanding and evolving. We are ready to increase our deliveries to KAMAZ and help our partners gain a competitive edge through uninterrupted and timely deliveries of high quality steel. Meanwhile, KAMAZ is offering us its new truck range. We have already agreed on a test drive.”

Denis Kochnev, Director of Materials and Metals Procurement, KAMAZ Procurement Center, said:

“NLMK and KAMAZ have a long-standing and rewarding relationship. We have to set the bar high for our suppliers in order to maintain our market leadership, and NLMK meets our requirements regarding the quality of steel supplied and the timeliness of deliveries in full. NLMK’s cold-rolled steel is cut-to-length and stamped to make critical external and internal components for KAMAZ cabins, truck bed elements, fuel tanks, etc. We plan to expand the range of hot-rolled steel deliveries in 2016 to grow our purchase volumes.”

NLMK Group supplies its products to key players in the Russian and international automotive markets. The company has an integrated approach to the supply of steel to automotive manufacturers, offering more than 10 different hot-rolled, cold-rolled and galvanized steel grades. NLMK experts provide full-cycle technical support to customers, from the moment steel is produced all the way though to when it is stamped into car components.