By Sergey Velichansky
Co-ordinated efforts at the steel enterprise have enabled it to work at full capacity in its bar-rolling, tube-rolling and hardware workshops. It supplies the Rechitsa Hardware Plant with raw materials and also exports a large share: Syria, Tunisia, Italy and Egypt imported 37,000 tonnes, worth $21m. Romania, Poland and Germany are also regular customers.
The enterprise initially produced around 700,000 tonnes annually, but last year’s modernisation has almost quadrupled this figure. The company has plans to manufacture 3m tonnes of steel annually (as part of its programme of economic development for 2011-2015) by implementing various investment projects. In March, it launched construction of a new calcareous facility — to meet increasing demand for freshly burnt lime. This year, one of its steel-making furnaces is to be modernised, raising production volumes to 1m tonnes annually. Modernisation is to continue in coming years.
The Belarusian Steel Works was set up in 1984, specialising in production of casting, profile iron, rolled steel, metal cord, reinforcing bars and other forms of wire. As one of Belarus’ top export-oriented companies, it sells over 85 percent of its produce abroad — to 71 countries. Importantly, it employs over 12,000 staff.
