{"id":6932,"date":"2025-09-29T16:38:39","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T13:38:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uti.ua\/2025\/09\/29\/vitaliy-chekmez-how-is-the-large-diameter-pipe-segment-developing-in-ukraine-in-an-interview-with-gmk-center\/"},"modified":"2025-10-04T16:34:31","modified_gmt":"2025-10-04T13:34:31","slug":"vitaliy-chekmez-how-is-the-large-diameter-pipe-segment-developing-in-ukraine-in-an-interview-with-gmk-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uti.ua\/en\/2025\/09\/29\/vitaliy-chekmez-how-is-the-large-diameter-pipe-segment-developing-in-ukraine-in-an-interview-with-gmk-center\/","title":{"rendered":"Vitaliy Chekmez: “How is the large diameter pipe segment developing in Ukraine” in an interview with GMK Center"},"content":{"rendered":"
In an interview with GMK Center, Vitaliy Chekmez, Head of Business at Ukrtruboizol, spoke about the work of the mini-metallurgical plant producing large-diameter pipes, the peculiarities and challenges of the large-diameter steel pipe market in Ukraine, and the company’s strategy during this difficult period.<\/h5><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>

Unlike large enterprises, the segment of mini-metallurgical plants producing large-diameter steel pipes remains unfairly overlooked. Although the volume of activity in this segment is relatively small, the products of the four existing manufacturers are in demand and are extremely important for certain consumer groups.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Vitaliy Chekmez, head of business at Ukrtruboizol, which is effectively the leader in this segment of the metallurgical market, spoke to GMK Center about the state and history of this segment, its volumes, and its characteristics.<\/em><\/h5><\/div>
<\/h5><\/div>
\n

Back in the Soviet era, the Ukrainian pipe industry was known for large enterprises employing thousands of workers. Today, the small Ukrainian large-diameter steel pipe (LDP) market is home to four producers. Why did this happen?<\/b><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>

\u2013 Khartsyzsk Pipe, an industrial giant, supplied large-diameter pipes to the post-Soviet countries and some other countries of the world. A very small percentage was accounted for by the Ukrainian market. Therefore, when the plant was under occupation, the need to build a production facility with a capacity of about 1 million tons was irrelevant for Ukraine.<\/p>\n

That is why, after 2014, large-diameter pipe manufacturing plants began to appear in Ukraine. By manufactories, I mean incomplete production facilities without certain mandatory operations (for example, without hydraulic testing), for which pipes were not the main activity, etc. As a rule, six-meter rollers and manual seam welding were used in production. All this developed spontaneously and did not meet any production standards. However, there were no alternatives to such factories, and customers were forced to make concessions. Over time, some of these factories went bankrupt, while others began to modernize their facilities.<\/p>\n

The first to do so was Priority, which could already be called a factory. Subsequently, due to a corporate conflict, this company split into two: the Steel Profile Plant and the Ukrainian Pipe Plant.<\/p>\n

Ukrtruboizol, on the other hand, started pipe production in cooperation with Ukrspetskonstruktsiya from Kryvyi Rih. They even established a joint legal entity, Kryvyi Rih Pipe Plant. Later, however, we parted ways, but this \u201cdivorce\u201d went smoothly.<\/p>\n

These four producers focused on certain priorities in the course of their operations:<\/p>\n<\/div>