A decrease in demand for metallurgical products has a negative impact on the production of refractory materials. Over the past three years, the volume of products has almost halved. Refractory exports in 2012 also decreased by 16%. However, during the period of falling production output of the Mining and Metallurgical Complex, the refractory industry had to change its priorities.
Last year, refractory materials were successfully supplied to the countries of the CIS and the European Union. But still, the positions of this growth in the international market remain weak, and the domestic demand for high-quality and technologically advanced refractory materials is satisfied by imports. The production of such products as natural Spanish tiles or high-performance materials imported from Slovakia, Poland, Germany, Austria is still in the future.
At the same time, during 2012 the refractory industry underwent major changes. Holding "Magnezit" acquired from ISD 90% of Panteleimonovskiy refractory plant. The new owner, who bought the enterprise for $ 18 million, plans to modernize production and expand the range of products. For these purposes, it is planned to invest about $ 5 million. New products will be launched in 2016.
The GIR Foundation has created a national holding for the refractory industry. After acquiring more than 90% of their shares, the holding included Krasnogorovsky, Krasnoarmeisky, Kondratyevsky and Velikoanadolsky refractory plants. The raw materials for the holding will be provided by KGK CJSC (Kirovograd region), which is engaged in the extraction of kaolin and clay.
Analysts believe that the refractory materials industry will see some recovery in 2013 amid a recovery in the steel market. The demand for the main group of refractories from national metallurgists will be stable, as for advanced materials, they will traditionally be imported.
