Vyksa Steel Works (VSW) — a subsidiary of United Metallurgical Co (OMK) based in the Novgorod Region of Russia — increased its train wheel production by 11% in 2019 (compared to 2018), to 951,000.

This is the highest number yet in the facility’s train-wheel-rolling history and is regarded as “evidence that the United Metallurgical Co is doing the right things to meet the high demand from domestic customers, including AO RZD”.

That said, exports were at an all-time low in 2019.

In particular, sales outside the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan) were a third of their 2018 levels.

VSW’s managing director, Alexander Barykov (www.omksteel.com/vmz), said: “OMK is maintaining leadership in the domestic train wheel market.

“In a high-demand environment, the facility is capable of supplying our customers with as much product as they need, while maintaining high quality.

“This has been made possible by — among other things — the large-scale programme to develop the production capabilities at Vyksa Steel Works.”