Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) is trying to improve the quality of tin plate it produces; this was the main issue at the recent conference of processing companies in Magnitogorsk.

Such meetings where the managers and experts from the company’s technical and sales divisios can meet the tin plate consumers have already developed into a tradition. About 35 participants from various parts of Russia and Byelorussia who represented some major companies that make packaging for the food industry and the paintwork materials attended the recent conference,’ MMK PR Department reports.

The Russian tin plate market is now under strong pressure because of the import these days, so the main idea behind the recent meeting of MMK experts and the consumers was to start a productive dialogue in order to look into the possibilities of mutually beneficial cooperation, produce quality improvements, better shipment terms, and so on.

MMK Sales Director Boris Semenov greeted the attendees on behalf of the company and told them about the current state of events at the enterprise and about its main investment projects.

Acting Chief Engineer Pavel Shilyaev spoke about the measures MMK takes in order to improve the quality of tin plate it offers and to make its customers fully satisfied. The particular changes are a reduction in thickness down to 0.16mm to 0.17mm, the launch of double-width tin plate, the installation of a tilting device for the rolls in the coating department, and other innovations. According to Mr. Shilyaev, a section stretcher machine supplied by Danieli is to be launched at the eelctro tinning department before the end of the year, which will improve the final flat surface accuracy of the tin plate considerably.

MMK Senior Manager from the Marketing Research Department Alexei Koptsev spoke about the sales and processing of tin plate on the domestic market. It was observed that now that MMK is improving its technologies and getting more opportunities as a result, the situation on the tin plate markets gets monitored on a regular basis, and the potential of reconstructing the tin plate facilities is to be considered. Mr. Koptsev pointed out that the launch of the section stretcher will make it possible substantially to reduce the negative impact of one of the greatest defects you have to deal with in tin plate production, that is, the lack of flat surface accuracy, which will become the first step on the way to a radical reconstruction of the way MMK deals in tin plate production.

After the reports by the company managers, there was a round table discussion where the sales and technical departments representatives and the metal-processing companies representatives could discuss a number of technical and commercial issues.