TMK has increased shipments of pipe products by 12% in Q1 2007

In Q1 TMK shipped 783.800 tn of pipes, which is almost a 12% increase on the amount shipped in the same period last year (700.300 tn).

Q1 2007 saw shipment volumes increase across all product groups compared to the same period last year. Overall the amount of seamless pipes shipped rose by 12.2%, within which OCTG grew by 7.2%. Overall welded pipe shipments increased by 11.3%, within which large diameter pipe shipments increased by 6.3%. The increase in the shipments of TMK pipe products in Q1 2007 was the result of new production capacity and operational efficiencies coupled with an increase in the demand for pipes in the Russian market.

The pipe market in Q1 2007 saw an increasing pricing trend for the main raw materials – scrap, pipe billets and hot-rolled coil. The Company therefore plans to increase prices across all of its products, a strategy which it expects to make up for higher costs of raw and other materials.