Frolovo steel mill
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA Russian electric steelmaking plant in Frolovo, Volgograd Oblast, producing continuously cast carbon steel billets and operating today as Don Electrometallurgical Plant (DEMZ).
Last updated September 26, 2026
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Overview
The Frolovo steel mill, formally known as the Frolovsky Electric Steelmaking Plant (Фроловский электросталеплавильный завод), is a Russian ferrous metallurgy enterprise and the principal industrial employer of the town of Frolovo in Volgograd Oblast. It was established by a decision of the Lower Volga Council of the National Economy on 30 December 1961, built on the basis of the existing Frolovo tractor spare parts plant, with construction beginning in 1964 and completed in 1970. The first heat of steel was tapped on 13 April 1970, and the plant initially produced parts and components for the DT-75 crawler tractor, along with agricultural hand tools and nails, as part of the Volgograd Tractor Plant. After the economic decline of the 1990s the enterprise halted and went bankrupt. In 2001 Moscow entrepreneurs acquired part of the bankrupt plant, and in 2003 a reconstruction was completed and steel billet production from ferrous scrap was launched. By 2004 output reached about 107,000 tonnes with 650 employees, and capacity stood at 150,000 tonnes per year, placing the mill in the small-producer category. In the summer of 2007 the Estar metallurgical holding acquired the plant, then operating as ZAO Volga-FEST, but by 2009 Estar's beneficiary Vadim Varshavsky began selling assets and bankruptcy proceedings followed. In the second half of 2009 the mill passed under the management of Mechel, was idled in August 2011 amid falling demand, and returned to Estar's control in 2013. Bankruptcy proceedings resumed in November 2015 and production stopped; in May 2019 the organisation was declared bankrupt, although production was preserved and continued. Today the plant operates as OOO Don Electrometallurgical Plant (DEMZ), located in Frolovo about 120 km from Volgograd and close to sea and river ports, which simplifies logistics. Its main activity is the production of continuously cast steel billets on modern equipment meeting European environmental and quality standards. The product range includes square-section continuously cast carbon steel billets, slag crushed stone, and production wastes such as metallurgical dust and non-ferrous scrap. Historically more than 95% of output was exported, with average annual exports of around USD 50 million, to markets including the Netherlands, Syria, Iran, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Ukraine, the United States and Uzbekistan. The mill remains a city-forming and systemically important enterprise for Frolovo.
History
The Frolovo steel mill was established by a decision of the Lower Volga Council of the National Economy on 30 December 1961, to be built on the basis of the existing Frolovo tractor spare parts plant. Construction began in 1964 and was completed in 1970. On 13 April 1970 the first heat of steel, grade G13L, was tapped from electric furnace EDS-5 MT No. 5 in the melting department of the steelmaking shop, and the electric furnace equipment was tested according to the technological regime. In the same year the plant began producing its first products — links for the DT-75 crawler tractor, with the first products leaving on 5 July for the DT-75 tractor. In 1971 a second phase of the plant was commissioned. At this time the plant mainly produced parts for assembling the DT-75 tractor and spare parts for tractors, as well as rakes, hoes, rippers, nails and similar items. The enterprise belonged to the Volgograd Tractor Plant. In the 1990s production declined, leading at the end of the decade to the plant's shutdown and bankruptcy. On 17 July 2000 ZAO Volga-FEST was registered. In 2001 Moscow entrepreneurs acquired part of the bankrupt enterprise, and in 2003 a reconstruction was carried out and metallurgical production of steel billet from ferrous scrap was launched. In 2004 output was about 107,000 tonnes, with 650 employees. Capacity was 150,000 tonnes per year, placing the plant in the small category. In the summer of 2007 the Estar metallurgical holding acquired the Frolovsky Electric Steelmaking Plant ZAO Volga-FEST. But already in 2009 Estar group beneficiary Vadim Varshavsky began selling his assets. Later bankruptcy proceedings were initiated against Estar and ZAO Volga-FEST. In the second half of 2009 the plant passed under the management of Mechel. In August 2011 the plant was stopped due to falling demand in the metallurgical industry. In 2013 the plant returned to the control of the Estar holding. In November 2015 bankruptcy proceedings were resumed and product output stopped. In May 2019 the organisation was declared bankrupt. At the same time production was preserved and the plant continued to produce. In early 2016, as a result of the bankruptcy, a new enterprise was formed — OOO FEST. From 14 February 2019 OOO Frolovskaya ElektroStal was also in bankruptcy proceedings (supervised management). From the beginning of 2020 the plant has operated under the new name OOO DEMZ (Don Electrometallurgical Plant). After the reconstruction of the early 2000s, the plant's equipment consisted of a 50-tonne electric arc steelmaking furnace (DSP-50), a Tagliaferri transformer of 30 MVA from 1989, a ladle furnace from 1999 with a 14 MVA transformer, and a three-strand continuous casting machine of the Danieli brand from 1975 (reconstructed in 1990). In the 2000s the enterprise specialised in producing billets of carbon steel grades 5SP and 3SP for subsequent rolling into various profiles: wire, bar, hexagon, rebar. More than 95% of products were exported to the Netherlands, Syria, Iran, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Ukraine, the United States and Uzbekistan. Average annual exports were USD 50 million. In 2005 Rostekhnadzor found violations in waste handling: the plant dumped slags of hazard classes III and IV without treatment into an open pit within the sanitary protection zone.
- 2020
Plant operates under the new name OOO DEMZ (Don Electrometallurgical Plant) from the beginning of the year.
- 2019
Organisation declared bankrupt in May, but production preserved and continued; OOO Frolovskaya ElektroStal in bankruptcy proceedings from 14 February.
- 2016
New enterprise OOO FEST formed as a result of the bankruptcy.
- 2015
Bankruptcy proceedings resumed in November; product output stopped.
- 2013
Plant returns to the control of the Estar holding.
- 2011
Plant stopped in August due to falling demand in the metallurgical industry.
- 2009
Estar beneficiary Vadim Varshavsky begins selling assets; bankruptcy proceedings initiated; plant passes under Mechel management in second half of year.
- 2007
Estar metallurgical holding acquires the plant (summer).
- 2004
Output reaches about 107,000 tonnes; 650 employees; capacity 150,000 tonnes per year.
- 2003
Reconstruction completed and steel billet production from ferrous scrap launched.
Products and positioning
A regional electric steelmaking mill and city-forming enterprise producing continuously cast carbon steel billets for domestic and export markets, positioned on modern equipment meeting European quality and environmental standards.
Continuously cast square carbon steel billets
The main product: square-section continuously cast billets of carbon steel grades, used for subsequent rolling into wire, bar, hexagon and rebar.
Slag crushed stone
A by-product of steelmaking sold as crushed slag.
Metallurgical dust and non-ferrous metal scrap
Production wastes generated by the plant.
Sources4 sources
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