It’s reported that Finnish stainless steel producer Outokumpu said that its shipments of stainless steel products would be at 680,000~750,000 tons in the first quarter of this year, jumping from 337,000 tons in a quarter ago.

It’s known that Outokumpu has hiked the stainless steel prices successfully in January, driven by stable stainless steel prices in the fourth quarter.

Meanwhile, the company’s stainless steel prices averaged at €1,172/ton in 2012, lower than €1,181/ton in 2011.

In 2012, Outokumpu realized a net loss of €535 million, in comparison of a net loss of €180 million in 2011.