Competition and competitors on the regional markets of ferrous metals

It is argued that economic development of Ukraine's ferrous metallurgy sector decisively depends on the conjuncture, that is, on the condition and development dynamics of the world metal market, prospects of international cooperation and processes of international integration. That is explained by the fact that Ukraine belongs to the top ten world steel producers and, in 2012, occupied the ten's place among them, while, as not long ago as in 2011, it occupied the seventh place. Such a loss of leading positions is explained by the considerable use of outdated technologies, low share of the most important progressive metal items in the sector's produce, high prime cost, dependence on imported energy carriers,(first of all, natural gas),world conjuncture and limited possibilities of the sale of metal produce. At the same time, the new industrial countries, such as China, India, South Korea etc., who are practically the main competitors Ukraine's metal producers on the world regional metal markets, with mainly technologically new productive capacities, and progressive production structure, have been gradually expanding their output creating a powerful competition to Ukrainian producers. It is possible to resume their leading positions and expand the existing out lets for metal produce by creating favorable conditions for: modernization of the main productive capacities in order to raise energy efficiency and competitiveness of the ferrous metallurgy sector; development of the domestic metal market; production diversification and optimization of its structure as a result of increased number of new metal items, in particular, steel produced by electrical melting, special steels and alloys, increased output of finished steel and tubes with corrosion-resistant coating, calibrated finished steel, curved profiles etc.