The participants of the annual meeting of Sverdlovsk Region Union of Metallurgical Enterprises looked at their industry’s success in 2006. The share of this branch in the region’s foreign trade turnover came to 25% last year, with the share of export reaching 27% and the share of import amounting to 17%, the spokesperson for the Governor of Sverdlovsk Region reports. The export of (primarily) ferrous metals went down against a year earlier, whereas the average contractual prices increased, which led to a general rise in export revenues. The growth of prices as well as of the actual volume of goods allowed the regional enterprises to raise their total profit by 70%, or to 96 billion RUR. Most of the companies kept dealing in reconstruction, equipment upgrading, and quality improvement programs last year, with the total sum of investments reaching 37 billion RUR, which is 76% better than in 2005.