Ukrainian metallurgy on the threshold of recession

The drop in demand in foreign markets was most sensitive to Ukrainian flat rental manufacturers. Its main domestic consumer, mechanical engineering, for the first time in the post -crisis period was on the verge of a recession.

The domestic Ukrainian flat rental market is a mirror reflection of the external. The increase in imports in 2011 is 11.6%, to 919.57 thousand tons signaling the gradual restoration of demand in mechanical engineering. But already in January-February 2012, import supplies decreased by 4.2%, to 106.01 thousand tons. The average price of contracts declared at customs decreased by 7.53%, to $ 1093/tons. (including coating rental). Both the roller and the m/c sheet went mainly from the Russian Federation: 98.7% and 73.6%, respectively, from the total volume of February supplies. The average cost of the imported Russian g/to the roll was reduced by 6.74%, to $ 664/tons, and the sheet increased by 7.43%, to $ 911/tons. And this is the only position in which the prices occurred.

Separately, it is worth noting that, despite the overall decrease in the volume of imports of flat rental, the February deliveries of the rolons from the Russian Federation were characterized by spasmodic growth of a month to a month, 3.76 times. At the same time, Ukrainian distributors managed to observe relative parity with Russian competitors. So, in 2011, the cost of the release of a g/to sheet in the Russian Federation rose an average of $ 95/tons, in Ukraine - by $ 100/tons, according to the estimates of the Consulting Agency "Metal Expert".

The share of Chinese supplies to Ukraine in February remained stable: 10.7% of the total import of imports against 9% a year earlier.

Ukrainian metal traders in the 1st square. They focused on sheet sales, whose buyers were mainly engineering enterprises. So, the UMMC, the official dealer of the Alchevsky and Dniprovsky named after the Dzerzhinsky MetcoBlics (ISD Corporation) announced an increase in sheet sales in January-March by 2.19 times to the same period 2011, to 44.13 thousand tons. Among the metal traders, the largest buyers of the sheet in Ukraine are Metinvest-SMC LLC, which accounts for about 27% of the total trade, MD Group LLC-16.4%, the UMMC-15.5% (according to 2011, assessment of companies).

But already in II sq. Sellers intend to focus on the style and reinforcing box office in connection with the start of the construction season. Therefore, representatives of the pipe industry, which showed in the 1st square meter. an increase in volumes by 7%, up to 586 thousand tons. And machine builders lost their former leadership in the pace of increase in production. In January-March, a symbolic increase was obtained by 1.6%, and in March, a decrease was recorded by 5.6% to the same period 2011.

Recall, a year ago, this most metal -intensive industry showed a rise by 28.1% to I sq. 2010. Hence the disappointing conclusion that mechanical engineering