OREANDA-NEWS. Hardware shipments by Zhlobin-based Belarusian Metallurgical Plant (BMZ) stood at 71,798 tonnes in January-February 2014, up 26.3% on the year, an official with the plant told.

In February alone hardware shipments grew 11.8% to 36,241 tonnes.

Metal cord shipments stood at 16,425 tonnes in Jan-Feb 2014, up 35%, bead wire - 6,854 tonnes, up 14.5%, brass-coated steel wire for high-pressure hoses - 6,767 tonnes, up 24.4%, steel wire - 41,753 tonnes, up 25.5%.

Rolled steel shipments in Jan-Feb 2014 stood at 239,825 tonnes, up 2.9%; steel pipes - 21,224 tonnes, up 10.5%.

The company's steel output stood at 327,750 tonnes in Jan-Feb 2014, down 23.6%, including rolled steel output 359,907 tonnes, down 2.9%; steel pipes 21,153 tonnes, up 1.5%.

Hardware output totalled 73,757 tonnes, up 3.2%, including metal cord output - 14,456 tonnes, down 0.8%, bead wire - 8,032 tonnes, up 44.3%, brass-coated steel wire for high-pressure hoses - 6,123 tonnes, down 2.7%, steel wire - 45,147 tonnes, up 0.3%.

BMZ steel output amounted to 2.242 million tonnes in January-December 2013, down 16.7% on the year; rolled stock - 2.202 million tonnes (down 0.9%), steel pipes - 129,078 tonnes (up 3.6%).

State-owned company Belarusian Metallurgical Plant was launched in 1984. BMZ exports about 85% of its output. In Jan-Sep 2013 BMZ products were exported to the EU, Russia, the Middle East, Ukraine, the United States, Africa, South Africa. The EU, the Middle East and Russia account for 86.6% of the BMZ's total exports.