May 30 and 31, 2019 the 17th International Metallurgical Summit “Russian Steel: Growth Strategy” was held in Lipetsk with the support of the Russian Steel Association and with the participation of the Metals of Eurasia magazine. p>
The summit was not held in Moscow for the first time. The organizers decided to demonstrate the technological breakthrough made by the industry over the past 10 years not in the capital's meeting rooms, but directly at the production site. The leaders of ferrous metallurgy, representatives of industrial and scientific circles and specialized officials were gathered in Lipetsk, at the largest enterprise of Russian metallurgy - Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant.
Opening the summit, President of the Russian Steel Association Vladimir Lisin noted the importance of the industry in the Russian economy : “In the structure of Russian GDP, ferrous metallurgy is 5%, with the total share of related sectors of the economy - 40%. Metallurgists are involved in the implementation of all 13 national projects, while the logic of the industry's development provides for a significant direct impact on the achievement of results in the projects "Education", "Labor productivity and employment support", "Ecology", "Digitalization", "International cooperation and export".
Last year, Russia produced over 74 million tons of steel, 25% more than in 2000. Tax payments by industry enterprises during this period increased more than 8 times and reached 415 billion rubles, and over the past 10 years more than 2 trillion rubles have been paid in taxes.
The development of the industry is going much faster than the growth of consumption: we have to export more than half of our products - the domestic market is unable to consume it. 46 million tons of export products are both foreign exchange earnings and an indicator of the competitiveness of Russian steel in the international market, an excellent reserve for the development of the country's economy and supporting the processing industries. In a situation of growing protectionism in foreign markets, state support for exports is an effective factor in the development of the industry.
To solve the problems facing the industry, enterprises need to define a strategy for a period of at least 5 years, and sometimes even longer. Metal-intensive, high-tech equipment requires lengthy design, installation and development. We cannot quickly, within a year, implement serious projects. For all of us, stable, predictable rules of the game are important in order to accurately simulate our development with you. ”
Over 10 years, the industry has carried out a large-scale modernization and invested more than 2.5 trillion rubles. in priority areas. The summit participants paid special attention to the issues of reducing the impact of production on the environment: government regulation, the transition of companies to integrated environmental permits, projects for the introduction of the best available technologies.
“In the context of growing protectionism and instability of world markets, a key driver of growth in metallurgical production is an increase in metal consumption in the domestic market, and there are serious reserves here. For example, a new direction has emerged in construction - the construction of structures using light steel thin-walled structures. A promising direction is the production and improvement of the quality of metal products from stainless steel grades, since special steels are a necessary material for the successful functioning of mechanical engineering. In this regard, ferrous metallurgy enterprises are given great attention and all-round state support is provided, "- stressed, speaking at the summit, State Secretary - Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation Viktor Yevtukhov.
The Summit will continue to be held at the sites of the largest enterprises in the industry. The issue of the venue for the next summit will be adopted by the Supervisory Board of Russian Steel in the near future.
Watch the video of the Summit on link