Chelyabinsk Tube Rolling Plant and Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant (ChTPZ Group’s largest tube and pipe manufacturers) supplied their consumers with 721,400 tons of tubular goods in the first five months of 2008, which falls short of the figures for a year earlier (that is, 809,100 tons) by 11%.

ChTPZ Group sold 385,800 tons of tubes and pipes in the five months of the year, which falls short of the figures for a year earlier (that is, 453,400 tons) by 15%. These figures include a 23% drop in the amount of large-diameter pipes: this came to 198,300 tons compared with 256,200 tons of LDPs in January-May 2007.

Chelyabinsk Tube Rolling Plant delivered 84,000 tons of tubular goods to consumers in May 2008 (which falls short of last May’s figures (100,700 tons) by 17%), including 45,200 tons of LDPs, which falls short of figures for May 2007 (55,100 tons) by 18%.

Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant delivered 71,200 tons of tubular goods to consumers in May 2008 (which is 5% less than the 74,900 tons delivered a year earlier) and 335,600 tons since the beginning of the year, which is 6% less than the 355,700 tons delivered in January-May 2007.

The Group reports the shipments went down due to decreasing demand for LDPs (which, in its turn, has to do with the postponement of some major pipeline development projects) and a dramatic rise in metal prices, as metal makes up some 85% of the tubular goods’ prime cost.