- Home
- Media
- Press releases
- NLMK Group expands use of unmanned aerial vehicles
NLMK Group expands use of unmanned aerial vehicles
NLMK Group, a global steel company, has established a centre to process and analyze data collected using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at its mining facilities. Drones will be used in the open-cast mine for prospecting and monitoring the condition of the roads, heat networks, power lines, and other infrastructure elements. The gain from expanding the use of UAV technology is estimated at RUB 100 million per year.
Using aerial photography will expand the Company’s capabilities across a range of production processes:
- A more accurate and fast data collection tool will become available for prospecting and other surveying activities.
- Photogrammetry will enable a more precise evaluation of the iron (Fe) content and distribution in the overburden following an explosion. Ore shipments from the mine will be managed more efficiently, ensuring the Fe content required to support the stable operation of the beneficiation factory.
- Drones will be used to control the condition of the roads in the open-cast mine. This will prompt timely road repairs, and positively impact fuel consumption, tire life, and the frequency of mine dump truck repairs.
- Drones with thermal imaging cameras will be employed to reduce heat losses from buildings and heating grids. Additionally, drones can provide footage of facilities that are hazardous or difficult to access, such as smokestacks, ventilation ducts, and tailing dumps.
UAV centre drones will make around 600 flights per year to provide aerial photography of 150 facilities spanning over 5,000 hectares.
Sergey Chebotarev, NLMK Group Vice President for Energy and the Environment, said: “The use of unmanned aerial vehicles along with advanced data processing tools is a new high-tech business process. It will enable us to promptly obtain information for a wide range of purposes: from production and logistics to environmental protection. Our company plans to scale up the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to all sites.”
About NLMK Group
NLMK Group is the largest steelmaker in Russia and one of the most efficient in the world.
NLMK Group’s steel products are used in various industries, from construction and machine building to the manufacturing of power-generation equipment and offshore wind turbines.
NLMK operates production facilities in Russia, Europe and the United States. The Company’s steel production capacity exceeds 17 million tonnes per year.
NLMK has a highly competitive competitive cash cost among global manufacturers and one of the highest profitability levels in the industry. In 12M 2019, the Company generated $10.6 bn in revenue and $2.6 bn in EBITDA. Net debt/EBITDA stood at 0.7х. The Company has investment grade credit ratings from S&P, Moody’s, Fitch, and RAEX (Expert RA).
NLMK’s ordinary shares with a 18.6% free-float are traded on the Moscow Stock Exchange (ticker "NLMK") and its global depositary shares are traded on the London Stock Exchange (ticker "NLMK:LI"). The share capital of the Company is divided into 5,993,227,240 shares with a par value of RUB1. For more details on NLMK shareholder capital, please follow the link.
For more information about NLMK Group, please visit our website.
For NLMK Group’s photos and corporate videos, please visit our media library.
Subscribe for updates
You must accept the terms of this Privacy Policy.