Zaporizhabrasive produced 5.93 thousand tons of products in the first quarter

Production of electrocorundum for January-March amounted to 1.54 thousand tons, and silicon carbide – 3.99 thousand tons

PJSC Zaporizhzhia Abrasive Plant (Zaporizhabrasive) produced 5.93 thousand tons of products in the first quarter of 2023. GMK Center was informed about this by the press service of the enterprise.

During January-March, the volume of production for the following types of products amounted to:

• normal electrocorundum – 1.54 thousand tons (-76.7% y/y);
• abrasive tools/bakelite – 112 t (-67.3% y/y);
• cutting wheels – 256 t (-18.5% y/y);
• grinding wheel – 1.1 t (-94.4% y/y).

The production of silicon carbide during this period amounted to 3.99 thousand tons, which is 20.8% more compared to January-March 2022. In addition, the enterprise produced 31 tons of ceramic abrasive tools, while in the first quarter of last year no such products were produced.

In 2022, Zaporizhabrasive reduced production by 34.5% y/y – to 38.87 thousand tons. The main volumes of production fall on electrocorundum and silicon carbide – 21.1 thousand tons (-76.7% y/y) and 15.79 thousand tons (-14.7% y/y), respectively.

At the same time, with the beginning of Russia’s large-scale military aggression against Ukraine, the enterprise completely suspended production activities from February 24, 2022. Already in April-May, the plant restored its production capacity.

«In 2022, in general, despite the fact that the production volume of output in quantitative terms fell in relation to 2021, in monetary terms, their growth was observed, and the enterprise was profitable. This happened mainly for two reasons: the increase in prices for finished products at the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022, as well as due to the devaluation of the hryvnia. The main profit for the enterprise was brought by the sale of silicon carbide and its products,» the enterprise commented.

5.9% less products were shipped for export in 2022 compared to 2021. At the same time, sales of products in the domestic market fell by 44% y/y.

«That is, the war reduced the Ukrainian market of abrasive products to a large extent, almost by half. And in 2022, the capacities of our enterprise were used 40% less than in 2021. Despite this, starting production at the beginning of the war, we set ourselves the task of responding to the requests and wishes of consumers as much as possible and finding the best logistical solutions for timely delivery of products to customers. And we coped with these tasks,» the message says.

As GMK Center reported earlier, since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Zaporizhabrasive allocated at the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and for servicemen and their families UAH 7.36 million. In general, the company allocated more than UAH 1 million to support the army. The amount of payments to mobilized workers and their families amounted to over UAH 6.3 million.

Zaporizhabrasive is the only producer of grinding materials in Ukraine and one of the largest producers of abrasives in Eastern Europe. The company produces a wide range of products based on modern technologies. The plant continues to work even in the conditions of a large-scale war, supporting the Ukrainian economy.