| 1. | Finished capacities growth average 13% p.a. in 2002 – 2004 (from 35 m MT to 44 m MT) | |
| 2. | However, there is imbalance between longs and flats capacities (80/20) vs. the global split (60/40). | |
| 3. | And the level of integration is low (49%) .. but increasing. | |
| 4. | Capacity utilization came under pressure from rising costs and scarce raw materials, dropping from 56% in 2002 to 52% in 2004. | |
| 5. | The industry is highly fragmented (62 producers): | |
| - | Only 3 producers have 2+ million tpy capacity each. | |
| - | Only 8 producers have 1+ million tpy capacity each. | |
| - | 51 Producers have less than 1 m mt capacity each | |
| 6. | Exports from the region increased 20% p.a. to 4.3 m tpy (2002 – 2004). | |
| 7. | Imports into the region increased 6% p.a. to 9 m tpy (2002 – 2004). | |
| 8. | At 64kg, per capita consumption of crude steel in the region also remains very low, compared to : | |
| - | CIS (123 kg) | |
| - | Asia (138 kg) | |
| - | EU (399 kg) | |
| - | Global average (162 kg) | |