ММК showcases “Steel Heart of Russia” in Paris

The exhibition includes over 30 photographs by recognised Magnitogorsk photographers, and has toured Brussels, Luxembourg and Malta.
Built in the early 1930s in the Southern Urals, the mill became one an icon of Soviet Russia’s industrialisation. Western countries dubbed the mill a “Russian miracle” – it was built almost by hand in record time. By the end of the 1930s it was the largest metallurgic enterprise not only in the country, but also in Europe. During WWII, thanks to its production capacity and distance from the front, MMK became one of the Red Army’s largest suppliers of ammunition and weapons.
Today, MMK is a state-of-the-art high-tech metallurgical complex, focused on meeting demand for ferrous metals on both domestic and foreign markets.
“The photographs on show in this exhibition really give you a sense of the rhythm of work at the mill. Production, reflected in these industrial landscapes, is neither heartless nor faceless, but rather it is highly spiritual and imbued with passion. The portraits highlight the beauty that is found in hard physical work, the strength born from cooperation between man and machine. MMK takes great pride in its people, who have, over several generations worked to build up its history, and who continue to do so. It is thanks to them that this steel heart of Russia continues its rhythmical beat and remains strong and powerful”, says Pavel Shilyaev, CEO at OJSC MMK, in his welcome address.
MMK is one of the world’s largest steel producers, and Russia’s leading ferrous metals enterprise. The company’s Russian assets include a large, fully integrated steel production complex that encompasses the entire production chain, from processing of iron ore to downstream production of rolled steel. MMK’s broad product assortment is dominated by HVA products. In 2014, MMK Group produced 13 million tons of crude steel and 12.2 million tons of finished products. MMK Group had USD 7.952 billion of revenue in 2014, with EBITDA of USD 1.607 billion.