History of Foundation

In April 1997 a group of heads of major Russian metal and steel trading companies from different regions of Russia visited German Union of Steel Traders (BDS) and its member companies – the leading German steel traders.

On discussing German experience at the round table in the course of the visit, as well as problems of Russian metal and steel trading, the Russian delegation agreed on the need to found a similar public non-commercial organization in Russia. A declaration on foundation of Russian Association of Metal and Steel Traders was submitted for consideration to a wide circle of Russian metal and steel market players.

On June 11, 1997 27 organizations from different regions of Russia participated in a Constituent Congress in Moscow. At the Congress the delegates defined the major sections of the commodity market such as rolled steel products, tubes, metal products, raw materials and rolled metal products, wastes and metal and steel scrap as spheres of interest of the Association.
Shortly after that, the Council of the Association worked out and adopted the basic rules, regulating the activity of the Association - "Code of Honor of Metal and Steel Trader" that needs to be taken by all the members on admission, as well as "Order of Admission and Membership in the Association". These documents aim at maintaining of purity among the members since the very beginning of foundation of the Association.

In the period from 1997 to 2005 the number of the members of the Association increased considerably exceeding 125. Their field of activity changed as well: more than a half of RAMST members produce and process rolled products, tubes and pipes as well as hardware products. The members of the Association also established active cooperation among each other founding alliances and unions.

On June 15, 2005 at the Annual Meeting of the Association by the majority of votes the Russian Association of Metal and Steel Traders was renamed into Russian Union of Metal and Steel Suppliers (RUMSS).