TPT November 2008

T he Russian metals market has never been easy for international companies to master and perhaps remains the last market to be fully understood and deciphered. In such a vast geographical expanse as Russia – which covers over 17 million km 2 and boasts an abundance of natural resources such as oil, gas and minerals – the metals market is always going to be a highly lucrative business. The products and manufacture of tube and pipe, wire and cable, sheet metal, strip and coil, bar and slabs, are all bound up in an enormous melting pot of the Russian industry. Tube and pipe producers in Russia are integrated in a very tight network, with the Development Fund of the Tube Industry of Russia (FRTP) overseeing a large number of the main companies including TMK, United Metallurgical Company (OMK), ChTPZ Group, and the ESTAR Group. It is for this reason that successful companies have learnt the key to doing business in Russia lies in commitment, tenacity and stamina. One of the best ways to maintain a presence on the Russian market is by attending exhibitions. Now a regular feature on the industry calendar, Metal-Expo 2008, Russia’s 14 th international industrial exhibition, will be held on 11-14 November. Taking place in halls 5, 6, 7, 8 and 11 of pavilion 2, the visitor attendance is expected to be in excess of 35,000. The event will provide a great opportunity for companies wanting to either put in an appearance or enter the Russian market for the first time. This year’s event will be the first held in the ultra-modern Crocus Expo Centre, setting the show up for the most successful in its 14-year history. Organisers Metal-Expo JSC has already confirmed the attendance of over 800 metals related companies – including a considerable number of Russian and CIS tube and pipe companies. Mr Alex Yakovenko, Metal Expo’s international department director, recently told Tube & Pipe Technology that the event has received the highest ever level of international interest. Metal Expo 2008 is sure to be a primary networking arena for international and Russian steel makers and consumers, who want to take advantage of the expected 15 per cent average annual growth in the Russian metals market over the coming years.

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This year ’s event will be

the first held in the ultra-modern Crocus Expo Centre

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N ovember 2008

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