METAL ROLLING MARKET IN UKRAINE

Background. The production of rolled metal belongs to the field of metallurgy, the mainstay of the Ukrainian economy. Metal rolling is used both in metallurgy and in other industries like aircraft construction, mining, oil and refining. The aim is to characterize the volume of production, sales, imports and exports of rolled metal in Ukraine; comparison of average prices for the investigated product in Ukraine according to trading companies. Materials and methods. The work uses general and special methods of analysis and synthesis, a systematic approach, scientific generalization and comparison of data from scientific sources, as well as open sources of statistical information. Results. In the period from 2015 to 2019, there was a generally positive trend of increasing the volume of rolled metal production in Ukraine, with the exception of some types of rolled metal. During 2015–2019 it should be noted the increase in production of rods and bars almost 2 times; pipes – by 30.4 %; corners, shaped and special profiles – more than 4 times; profiled sheets – by 33.3 %; multilayer panels – by 36.8 %; wire – only 13 %. During 2015–2019 there is a decline in production of some types of rolled metal: profile – by 32.8 %; products for railway and tram tracks – almost 2 times; fittings for pipes – by 34.7 %. The largest amount of rolled metal in Ukraine in 2019 was produced by Arcelor­Mittal Kryvyi Rih – 4.7 million tons. In 2019 the largest share of rolled metal produced by Metinvest Holding LLC was produced by Zaporizhstal (3.5 million tons) and Ilyich Mariupol MK (2.6 million tons). A fairly wide range of rolled metal products is sold on the Ukrainian market. Sales of rolled metal products in Ukraine during 2015–2019 increased by 14 %. Volumes of rolled metal exports during 2015–2019 significantly exceeded imports. This trend is natural, because on the territory of Ukraine there are quite powerful producers of rolled metal, which are able to compete at a high level with foreign ones. Conclusion. During 2015–2019, there is a tendency to reduce production volu­mes and increase sales of rolled metal. Exports significantly exceed the volumes of rolled metal imports. In the context of the coronavirus pandemic, rolled metal producers need to opti­mize their activities by modernizing production and implementing investment projects in their activities to increase their competitiveness.