BlueScope Steel is Increasing Its Market Share in Australia and Asia

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston). Australian based, BlueScope Steel Limited is undertaking initiatives to grow its market share, and solidify its position in the steel industry. The name BlueScope Steel may be new to steel industry market watchers, but the company has been around for eighty-years, dating back to 1915. Bluescope Steel Limited was formerly known as BHP Steel Limited (ASX: BSL). BHP Steel Limited was formerly a business unit of BHP Billiton until March 2001, when it was spun-off during the merger between BHP Limited and Billiton Plc. In July 2002, it changed its name to BlueScope Steel Limited, listed on ASX under the new name, but retained the old ASX code.

BlueScope growth plans include increasing production capacity through greenfield projects in Vietnam, China, and Australia, and by expanding existing operations, and capacity upgrades of facilities in Port Kembla, Western Port, New Zealand, Indonesia, and Thailand.

In Thailand, for example BlueScope Steel already has a cold rolling mill and pickle line (capacity 300,000 tons), metallic coating plant (currently 175,000 tons), and a paint line (90,000 tons). Recently, the Company announced a planned expansion of Thailand's metallic coating capacity to 375,000 tons, at a cost of $62 million.

In Malaysia, BlueScope has metallic coating capacity of 160,000 tons and painting capacity of 70,000 tons. In Indonesia, it has metallic coating production capacity of 90,000 tons and expanded painting capacity by 55,000 tons just recently. BlueScope is planning to spend over $200 million in Suzhou, China to build a state of the art facility, with an initial metallic coating production capacity of 250,000 tons, and paint line capacity of 150,000 tons per year. The new facility is expected to come online by the second half of 2006 and will provide employment for approximately 300 people.

Presently, in Vietnam the BlueScope has a new coating and painting facility under construction near Ho Chi Minh City, which will have metallic coating capacity of 125,000 tons, and painting capacity of 50,000 tons per annum. This new facility will complement BlueScope Steel's existing network of steel coating and painting facilities in Asia.

BlueScope serves, primarily, the building and construction, packaging, pipe and tube, automotive, and general manufacturing industries and has found a significant niche in the Asian steel industry. BlueScope has 60 percent of Australia's overall steel production market, and supplies around 80 percent of all flat steel products sold in both Australia and New Zealand. With BlueScope's presence worldwide, its growth initiatives are a welcome change to the revitalization of the global steel industry.

BlueScope Steel Limited has evolved from the coming together of three pioneer companies in the Australian steel industry: The Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited, John Lysaght (Australia) Pty Ltd, and Australian Iron & Steel Limited, together with the more recent acquisition of New Zealand Steel.

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