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May 18-19, 2023, Kaliningrad: El 6 Group held the 2nd International Conference: The Role of Graphite and Carbon-Based Products in Metallurgy.

The conference gathered more than 100 participants from 42 companies in Russia, China, Kazakhstan, and Georgia. During the event, a range of topics were discussed, such as the situation in the graphite and carbon-based products market, factors affecting the consumption of graphite electrodes at electric smelting of steel, future development of the aluminum industry, better quality of carbon-based materials and related products, and import substitution in metallurgy. Experts of industrial enterprises, academic/scientific institutions, and El 6 delivered 11 reports.

The panel discussions dealt with processes of improving the quality and technologies used in the production of graphite electrodes, cathode stacks and structural products from graphite, carbon-containing materials, and anode paste.

 “The idea to create a forum for our partners to talk to each other and learn more about our company was born a year ago, after the collapse caused by the pandemic,” said Leonid Marmur, Deputy General Director – Sales Director, El 6. “The first conference was a success, and we decided to hold it annually. This year we note that the number of countries and participating companies wishing to attend the conference has grown significantly. Its core priorities have changed in fact as we have much more discussions, delve into scientific issues and share opinions. We have stepped back from El 6 so that our partners can discuss not only our common goals but also challenges faced by the metallurgy and graphite and carbon-based products industry as a whole.”

Dmitry Elansky, Chair of the Department of Electrometallurgy at the Vyksa Branch of MISIS, is convinced that it is not only carbon-graphite experts and buyers who can benefit from the conference; it is also crucial that it was attended by academia as a third party.

“During the period when enterprises tried to survive on their own and many metallurgy companies organized their corporate universities and R&D centers, science in our country was moved backstage. What was needed at that time, now narrows down possibilities and limits business horizons. Synergies of industrial enterprises, scientific centers, and universities at such conferences contribute to sharing data and knowledge, thus mutually enriching all the participants.”

The International Production and Technical Conference: The Role of Graphite and Carbon-Based Products in Metallurgy (www.el6carbonconference.com) is an annual event for engineers and technology experts in major metallurgy companies. In 2022, the 1st conference gathered more than 70 professionals from Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Georgia.

El 6 (previously EPM Group) is Russia’s foremost manufacturer of graphite and carbon-based products. Its core business is the production of high-tech electrode, cathode, and other graphite and carbon-based products for enterprises in the steel smelting, aluminum, ferroalloy, silicon, chemical, and machine-building industries. It includes three production sites: El 6 Novosibirsk, El 6 Novocherkassk and El 6 Chelyabinsk.