Vladimir Markin, the president of Russia’s United Metallurgical Company (OMK) announced that his company was expected to manufacture 1.5 million tons of steel pipes in 2013. The company anticipates growth in large-diameter pipe demand from 650,000 tons in 2012 to 800,000 tons in 2013.

OMK is also a leading manufacturer of wheels for railcars, the demand for which is expected to fall in 2013 from 850,000 to 650,000. Large batches of new railroad cars were produced in 2012, and they do not require repair or replacements in 2013.

Vladimir Markin expects to see a rapid increase in the company’s performance in the near future. The company’s president attributed his optimistic expectation to the launch of new pipeline projects, including the Southern Corridor, South Stream, and the Power of Siberia.

OMK is also a leading manufacturer of pipes, as well as other metal products for various industries, including the energy sector and transportation. The OMK holding consists of six entities, which include Vyksa Steel Works in the Nizhny Novgorod region, Almetyevsk Tube Works in Tatarstan, a pipe component maker Trubodetal in the Chelyabinsk region, a casting and rolling complex in the Nizhny Novgorod region, the Blagoveschensk Valve Plant in Bash kortostan, and OMK Tube in the American state of Texas.