Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works : MMK wins two golds at Metal Expo industrial exhibition

Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK) won two gold medals at the 2023 Metal Expo International Industrial Exhibition.

The winning companies and institutions received gold and silver medals as well as certificates at an award ceremony in Moscow on 9 November. MMK received high praise from the competition commission for two of its high-tech developments that were presented at the forum.

MMK together with Nosov Magnitogorsk State Technical University were awarded a Metal Expo gold medal for developing technologies for, and integrating the production of, multifunctional import-substituting materials for use in extreme operating conditions. The project was made possible thanks to MMK's selection in 2021 in an open competition run by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, which awarded subsidies for integrated projects aimed at creating high-tech production facilities in conjunction with Russian institutions of higher education. Through R&D, experimental design and technical work, the partners identified chemical compositions and parameters for multipurpose technologies for the production of flat products from five fundamentally new types of multifunctional materials. These products offer excellent potential for import substitution: the main features of rolled steel made from these materials are as good as the best global analogues, offering a unique combination of high strength and ductility as well as atmospheric and cold resistance at temperatures as low as minus 70°C.

MMK and the I. P. Bardin Central Research Institute of Ferrous Metallurgy also received a gold medal for their project to develop technologies for, and integrate the production of, qualitatively new cold-rolled steels for the production of sheet metal. The sheet metal features improved corrosion resistance, surface quality and stampability, and is intended for use by the automotive and other industries. Project implementation began in 2021 after MMK was selected in an open competition run by the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade to award federal subsidies to finance research and development projects for state-of-the-art technologies. Technologies were developed for a total of six groups of steels covering the entire range of the most popular steels among automotive enterprises: first and foremost, 08ps and 08Yu low-carbon steels and their international analogues, IF ultra-low-carbon steels, as well as HSLA high-strength steels.

In order to encourage and promote the Russian research, development and manufacturing teams that have developed and integrated state-of-the-art equipment and technologies and mastered the production of new types of high-quality metal products, the Metal Expo organising committee introduced gold and silver medals that are awarded to the top companies and organisations among exhibition participants. This year's awards, including gold and silver medals, were given to 44 projects focusing on metal production, metalworking, equipment and technologies, the environment and resource conservation.

As part of the exhibition's business programme, the Russian Union of Metal and Steel Suppliers hosted its traditional round table for marketing representatives from metallurgical and metal trading companies. MMK's website was recognised as one of the best online projects in 2023 among steel and metal trading companies in Russia and the CIS for its topicality and design.

Every year, members of the exhibition's organising committee evaluate the design, originality and practicality of the exhibition stands, as well as the performance of exhibition participants at their stands. MMK's stand was recognised as one of the best at Metal Expo 2023.