OCTOBER 2006 Innovation now driving Australian … than one million Australians – most full-time....

If the quality of this year’s finalists in theManufacturers’ Monthly Endeavour Awards is anyindication, innovation coupled with intelligentrisk-taking continues to drive Australianmanufacturing expertise across the board.

Newcastle’s Waratah Engineering won theoverall manufacturing award for its Waracarshuttlecar, a 16-tonne capacity underground electriccarrier vehicle designed for the coal mining industry.

The Waracar, built using XLERPLATE® steelfrom BlueScope Steel, also won the award forImport Replacement Of The Year.

The third annual awards, sponsored overall bythe Steel By BlueScope Steel Brand PartnershipProgram, also provided a major boost for brandpartnership program member Apollo Engineering.

The company secured two Highly Commendedawards – one in the Exporter Of The Year category(for boiler drums being exported to Indonesia) andthe other in the Import Replacement Of The Yearcategory (for large pressure vessels supplied toMt Isa Mines).

More than 120 attendees from throughoutAustralia heard NSW Director of the AustralianIndustry Group and keynote speaker, MarkGoodsell, praise local innovation in light ofincreased competition from other manufacturingnations, most notably China.

He said that despite increased competition,manufacturing currently accounted for about half ofAustralia’s private R&D investment, a third of thecountry’s export income and continued to employmore than one million Australians – most full-time.

BlueScope Steel’s Corporate Brand Manager,Leo Kerema, praised the consistently highstandard of all segment finalists and winners,including Waratah Engineering for its primary win.

He said BlueScope Steel was pleased to havethe Steel By BlueScope Steel Brand PartnershipProgram associated with the Endeavour Awards,especially in view of his company’s efforts tohighlight manufacturing innovation among thegrowing ranks of program partners.

“As one of the world’s most innovativesteel manufacturers – and Australia’s largestmanufacturing organisation – BlueScope Steelbelieves true innovation and creativity will helpkeep Australian manufacturers ahead of foreigncompetitors,” he said.

Mr Kerema said the Steel by BlueScopeSteel Brand Partnership Program was a keyway BlueScope Steel could support itscustomers and demonstrate pride in its steelproducts. It also allowed BlueScope Steel tobetter understand and help its end customers.

“Through our brand partnership program,we’re enabling customers to leverage the strengthof our brand, and enjoy the benefits of partneringwith BlueScope Steel,” he said.Other 2006 Endeavour Awards winners were:Exporter – The Old Colonial Cookie Co (for itsButterfingers and Lander’s cookies)Environmental Solution – H.J. Heinz CoAustralia Ltd (water, energy and wastereduction initiatives)

Technology Application – Broens Industries(for an automotive component machining line)Innovative Product (industrial) – BomacEngineering (for the Altrac fall arrest system)Innovative Product (consumer) – Linpac RotationalMouldings (for its Toroid Underground Tanks)Safety Scheme – Bostik Findley (for its healthand safety program)Young Manufacturer – Nick Kinny, of BroensIndustries (for his role as mechanical designengineer and project manager)

In the Safety Scheme Of The Yearcategory, major distributor Smorgon Steelreceived a Highly Commended award for thesafety control system that was implementedduring the fast-track relocation of its off-sitestraightening plant to the company’s existingsteel manufacturing facility.

BlueScope Steel itself was a finalist inthe Environmental Solution Of The Year categoryfor its Port Kembla Steelworks waste watercontrol system.

SPECIAL EDITIONSPECIAL EDITION

BRAND PARTNERPROGRAM

BRAND PARTNERPROGRAM

STEELEDGEA newsletter of product innovation, corporate information and news for customers of BlueScope Steel Limited

OCTOBER 2006

www.steelby.com.au BRAND PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM 1

Innovation now drivingAustralian manufacturing

BlueScope Steel's Corporate BrandManager Leo Kerema (left) congratulatesWaratah Engineering's ManagingDirector Mark Kingshott.

26965 BS Steel Edge OCT #23 12PP:11579 BS Edge MARCH #13 6/10/06 11:26 AM

“We wouldn’t use anything else. COLORBOND®

steel is a good quality product and there’s a strongguarantee if there’s ever a problem – which therenever has been.”

Withers Homes is also a member of the SteelBy BlueScope Steel Brand Partnership Program,which Mr Withers says has provided him withvaluable exposure.

He says it’s important for companies likeWithers Homes to be able to leverage off theperceived strength and reputation of theBlueScope Steel brand.

For more information contact: Tony Withers,Withers Homes, ph (02) 6654 2537.

A Coffs Harbour housing companyspecialising in beachside homes isfast building itself a reputation foraward-winning innovation.

Withers Homes managing directorTony Withers says every displayhome built by his company has wonawards, with the latest designpicking up both regional and nationalawards. Judges described the houseas “modern”, “innovative” and “greatvalue for money”.

Mr Withers says the company’saward-winning formula stems from adesire to build homes that “people canwalk into and feel as if they’re at a resort.”

He says that while Withers Homes produces anumber of standard designs, many of the housesbuilt for the “beachy” NSW North Coastincorporate al fresco dining areas, open plan living,tiles and water features to create a relaxing,resort-like ambience.

One of the advantages of choosing WithersHomes is the company’s flexibility, according toTony Withers. It recognises that many clients maywant to alter the design mid-way through a project– and his company is happy to accommodate that.

Withers Homes uses only COLORBOND® steelfrom BlueScope Steel in CUSTOM ORB® profile.

LYSAGHT SMARTASCREEN® made fromCOLORBOND® steel.

“They’re easy to install, termite and rot-resistant,and can be used on stepped and sloping ground.”

The company generates business through anextensive network of contacts in the ACT.

Pinus Sawmills joined the Steel By BlueScopeSteel Brand Partnership Program to align itsreputation with the recognised quality and serviceoffered by Australia’s leading steel supplier.

For more information contact: Doug Reid, PinusSawmills, ph (02) 6297 2484.

The devastating Canberra bushfires of January2003 have generated a huge demand for steelfencing in the ACT.

Third-generation timber supplier PinusSawmills has grown by 10 per cent since itexpanded its product range to includeaesthetically pleasing fencing made fromCOLORBOND® steel two-and-a-half years ago.

“There’s been a lot of publicity surrounding theway fencing made from COLORBOND® steel haswithstood the bushfires and saved homes,” sayscompany owner Doug Reid.

“Tests carried out by the CSIRO and BushfireCo-operative Research Centre have proved steelfencing can help protect your home from bushfires.”

Mr Reid says his company’s sales of fencingmade from COLORBOND® steel have increaseddramatically in the last 12 months.

“We’ve bought $1.2 million worth of fencingproducts from BlueScope Steel already thisfinancial year.”

The company’s stocks of steel fencingproducts are LYSAGHT NEETASCREEN® and

Award-winning homeswith beach resort feel

www.steelby.com.au2 BRAND PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM

A family-run Sydney business that manufacturesand installs patios, carports, decks and glassrooms is poised to expand its reach to otherparts of the city.

The father of current Patioland Hornsbymanager Adrian Apostolatos bought the homeimprovements company approximately 20 yearsago and gradually increased its product rangeand flexibility.

Patioland Hornsby now also manufactures andinstalls its own range of Eclipse opening roofs andprimarily relies on the strength and quality ofCOLORBOND® steel from BlueScope Steel.

The company has joined the Steel ByBlueScope Steel Brand Partnership program tohighlight its use of quality steel from Australia’sleading manufacturer and is now consideringexpanding its operations to other Sydney areas.

“We have restructured the company’smanagement to better meet client demandsand improve our efficiency and now we arelooking for new opportunities and ventures,” saysAdrian Apostolatos.

Mr Apostolatos said that withoutCOLORBOND® steel Patioland Hornsby would notbe in business.

“That’s the brand customers specify when theyapproach us to use our products and services.

“We prefer to use steel from BlueScope Steelbecause of that company’s strong heritage, theconfidence that exists in its brands and thesatisfaction we have had from them.”

Patioland Hornsby promotes its flexibility intailoring all its products to client requirements.

That flexibility includes matching the products’colour and specifications to those of existingstructures on clients’ dwellings to allow theadditions to blend in seamlessly with theirenvironment and look as elegant as possible.

For more information contact: AdrianApostolatos, Patioland Hornsby, ph (02) 9477 7073.

Steel fencing pushesnew boundaries

Pinus Sawmills owner Doug Reid.

Tony Withers, ManagingDirector of Withers Homes.

Northsidecompany looksto expand

Adrian Apostolatosof Patioland.

26965 BS Steel Edge OCT #23 12PP:11579 BS Edge MARCH #13 6/10/06 11:26 AM

An innovative electric coal carrier has wonNewcastle firm Waratah Engineering the topManufacturer of the Year award at the 2006Manufacturers’ Monthly Endeavour Awards.

The Waracar, which can carry up to 16tonnes of coal in underground mines, was alsonamed Import Replacement of the Year.

Waratah Engineering expects sales of theWaracar will grow by more than 15 per cent thisfinancial year and will account for almost half thecompany’s total sales.

The company has already built 25 Waracarshuttlecars and is fabricating another five atits Newcastle workshop. With other ordersstreaming in, the company will be moving tolarger facilities in 2007.

Established in the 1920s, WaratahEngineering first moved into the coal industry inthe mid-1980s with machinery maintenance andupgrade services, before discovering a nichefor Australian-made coal carriers.

“We were repairing and upgradingcomponents on our competitors’ shuttle cars,

so the next step was to manufacture ourown,” Waratah Engineering’s Sales andMarketing Manager Terry Coggles said.“We built the first Waracar for BHP Billitonin 2003.”

The $900,000 Waracar is nine metres longand three metres wide and varies in height from1.8 to 2 metres.

Each car contains 20 tonnes of Grade350 XLERPLATE® steel and consists of afabricated body, conveyor boom, flameproofelectrical enclosure, hydraulic compartment,cable reel compartment, operator’s cabinand mechanics.

“The Waracar is equipped with four wheeldrive and four wheel steering because it operatesin tightly confined areas and needs to be able tonegotiate 90-degree bends,” Mr Coggles said

The machine can also be fitted with awireless data transmission system.

“Earlier this year we became the firstcompany in the world to exhibit the systemat a tradeshow in central Queensland,” MrCoggles said. “It’s critical for underground

STEELEDGE ISSUE NUMBER 23 OCTOBER 2006

PRINT POST APPROVED PP 255003/05589A newsletter of product innovation, corporate information and news for customers of BlueScope Steel Limited

communications because it allows managementto monitor machine reliability and also measureproduction cycle time.”

Celebrating AustralianManufacturingThis edition of Steel Edge celebrates Australianmanufacturing excellence, featuring customersusing BlueScope Steel products.

It coincides with the sponsorship by theSteel By BlueScope Steel Brand PartnershipProgram of the 2006 Manufacturers’ MonthlyEndeavour Awards, and highlights innovativeand award-winning products and services.

These award-winning manufacturers – andthousands of others – are vital to the country’sfuture. Their dedication to Australian-madeproducts and their determination to outdoforeign competitors will ensure Australianbusinesses continue to grow and arewell-positioned in the highly competitive globalmarket in the years to come.

Buildings by sea - Page 2 • Fast tracking - • Supply ship - Page 6

Innovative Waracarreplaces mining imports

26965 BS Steel Edge OCT #23 12PP:11579 BS Edge MARCH #13 6/10/06 11:26 AM Page 3

New South Wales company Custom TransportableBuildings has constructed some of the world’sheaviest transportable buildings – and deliveredthem by sea.

The 11 electrical switchroom buildings, thelargest weighing 900 tonnes, were shipped toGove in the Northern Territory on a specialheavy-lift barge imported from New Zealandfor the task.

The steel-framed and steel-clad buildingsare a key element in a major expansion ofthe Alcan alumina refinery at Gove. CustomTransportable Buildings, based inKooragang near Newcastle, builtthem under contract with DownerEngineering Power.

Alcan’s Gove alumina refineryis installing 10 of the electricalswitchrooms as part of an upgradewhich will almost double its outputcapacity to 3.8 million tonnes perannum by 2007.

The eleventh switchroom wasinstalled at the Gove plant’sgas-fired power station. Becausethis larger switchroom buildingmeasured 36 metres long and17 metres high when assembled, somesections had to be fabricated in modules, thendisassembled for movement by platform traileronto the barge bound for Gove.

Custom Transportable Buildings’ ManagerSimon Griffiths said the complexity of the projecthad led to the formation of a unique alliance whichcovered the design, engineering, manufacture, airconditioning, logistics and transportation involved.

“No project of this scope can succeed withoutthe closest possible partnership with all thoseinvolved,” he said.

“We’ve worked intensively with DownerEngineering Power, with BlueScope Lysaght andwith the specialist transport companies toensure success.”

For Custom Transportable Buildings, the Alcancontract is the latest success in a remarkablegrowth path which began 10 years ago.

“We began by manufacturing site sheds forconstruction sites, but found it hard to breakinto an already crowded market,” Mr Griffithssaid. “We switched to fabricating granny flatsand manufactured homes, always with anemphasis on quality.

“Now we have positioned ourselves as aspecialist in custom-built buildings, tackling anythingfrom school buildings to electrical switch rooms.”

Mr Griffiths singles out the formation of strategicpartnerships with key suppliers such as BlueScopeLysaght as a major reason for the huge growth whichthe company has seen over the past few years.

“We have worked closely with BlueScopeLysaght and have found the company to begenuinely passionate about assisting us to bringthe project in on time and to budget,” he said.

Mr Griffiths said construction of the switchroombuildings involved 10,000 square metres ofLYSAGHT SPANDEK® cladding in COLORBOND®

Stainless steel for roofing and external walls, fixedto 28 kilometres of LYSAGHT® Zed and Cee purlins.

The interiors were lined with more than 24,000square metres of LYSAGHT PANELRIB® cladding.

As its ability to compete on a global basiscontinues to grow, Custom Transportable Buildingsmaintains an emphasis on keeping business inthe Hunter region.

It also strongly supports the concept ofAustralian-made in its componenty sourcingand has a steady uptake of local apprenticeshipapplicants.

www.bluescopesteel.com2 STEEL EDGE OCTOBER 2006

The latest BlueScope Steel technical bulletinis available for companies and tradespeopleworking with house frames made fromTRUECORE® steel.

TRUECORE® steel, with its striking blue resinfinish, makes a smart choice for all typesof housing, especially homes built in Australia’sharsh environments.

The product is termite-proof, won’t twist, shrinkor warp, and is backed by a 50-year warranty fromBlueScope Steel.

Building frames made from TRUECORE® steelare quick and easy for builders to put up, and areideal for open space contemporary designs becauseof the product’s excellent spanning capabilities.

The lightweight framing is environmentallyfriendly – it is 100 per cent recyclable and canbe prefabricated to minimise onsite wasteduring construction.

The TRUECORE® steel technical bulletinincludes diagrams and detailed information onhandling and site storage, wall frames (compatiblemetals, insulation, suitable membranes), rooftrusses, wall ties and fasteners.

For further information contact BlueScopeSteel Direct on 1800 022 999.

User’s guide to TRUECORE® steel

A series of boardroom lunches is helpingBlueScope Steel executives better understandthe business needs and product requirements ofcustomers throughout Australia.

These lunches – the first of which have beenheld in Sydney and Melbourne – are designed tobring a wide cross-section of manufacturing anddistribution customers together, generating a mixof useful views and feedback for BlueScope Steel.

Initial conversations have revolved aroundchallenges facing Australian manufacturers, withattendees sharing their views on the state of theirbusinesses, the industry as a whole, andhighlighting ways in which BlueScope Steel canimprove its performance or add further value.

Customers are hearing first-hand howBlueScope Steel is responding to its ownchallenges to ensure the company remains aviable, reliable and competitive steel supplier.

Connectingwith customersover lunch

Refinery expansion sparksbuilding delivery by sea

The heavy-lift barge loaded withelectrical switchrooms.


A patented locking system for farm machineryis revolutionising the way Australian farmersplant and manage their crops.

Invented by South Australia-based AgpointAustralia, the system speeds up weeding andplanting processes by enabling farmers to swapmachinery attachments – like points andsweeps – in minutes rather than hours.

“The conventional method of securing theseattachments uses bolts to hold the knife-pointsin place. However we’ve invented a slim wedgelocking system that’s just as secure, and makespoints easier to replace,” Agpoint National SalesManager John Thompson said.

The average replacement process can nowtake 15 minutes rather than two hours.

Agpoint Australia invented the system toaddress the growing demand for minimumtillage, which requires machinery attachmentsthat are harder wearing than before.

Minimum tillage means farmers spend lesstime preparing and cultivating the soil due tothe use of weed-killing chemicals andmodified machinery, so the soil is disturbed lessand holds more moisture. However, thedownside is that soils are harder, and take agreater toll on farming equipment.

“Broad-acre farming – wheat, barley cropsand the like – is our biggest market, but we alsosupply products to cotton and sugarcanefarmers,” Mr Thompson said.

Agpoint Australia produces more than700 hard tool products for farming, andsupplies knife-points and sweeps nationallyand internationally through an extensivenetwork of dealers and distributors.

Backed by 139 years experience in theagricultural manufacturing industry, thecompany is Australia’s leading manufacturer ofpoints and sweeps.

“We source more than 2000 tonnes ofXLERPLATE® steel and XLERCOIL® steel a year,”Mr Thompson said.

Agpoint Australia uses a special heatingprocess to turn the BlueScope Steel productsinto hard tools that can service about 6000hectares (15,000 acres).

“If we’re making knife-points, the plate isprofile cut, goes to the furnace where it reachestemperatures up to 1000 degrees Celsius, thengets hot-formed, pressed, water-quenched,tempered, machine-surfaced and soldered,”Mr Thompson said.

He said Agpoint Australia was playinga key role in the future of Australian farmingbecause of its dedication to research anddevelopment.

Agpoint Australia has 55 employees andjoined the Steel By BlueScope Steel BrandPartnership Program to promote Australian-made products.

For more information contact: JohnThompson, Agpoint Australia, ph (08) 8525 3509.

Work has begun on a multi-million dollar railtrack ballast cleaner at the Sydney workshop oftrack maintenance and construction equipmentmanufacturer Plasser Australia.

Due for completion in late 2007, the standardgauge (1436mm) RM 900 Ballast Cleaner is worthbetween $17-18 million. It will become the firstballast cleaning machine of its size available forcontract hire in Australia and will be used toclean and replace the crushed rock ballast thatforms the rail track bed.

Metropolitan rail lines need to be cleanedon average every 15 years, and heavy-haulfreight lines every 10 years, depending on totaltonnage carried on the track.

“The Ballast Cleaner is a multiple-car350 tonne machine equipped with an excavationchain to remove contaminated ballastfrom beneath the track,” Plasser Australia’sSales and Marketing Manager Allan Logan said.“It runs the contaminated ballast through apair of cleaning screens before it’s returned tothe track.”

The RM 900 has a track operating speedof about 400 metres per hour while working.Its travelling speed between work sites is80 km/hour.

Established in 1970, Plasser Australia is partof Austrian company Plasser & Theurer, theworld’s leading supplier of track maintenanceand construction equipment.

Plasser Australia sources about 300 tonnesof Grade 250 and Grade 350 XLERPLATE® steel ayear from NSW distributor Horan Steel tomanufacture equipment like ballast cleaners,tamping machines, track stabilisers andmeasuring cars.

“Tamping machines are the company’sbread and butter,” Mr Logan said. “They’re usedto resurface the track and come equipped with

automatic, computer-controlled lifting, levellingand lining systems.

“We’ve produced equipment in all the gaugeswe have in Australia, from narrow gauge (610mm)through to broad gauge (1600mm),” he said.“We’re also interested in assisting Australiancontractors expanding their operations into Asianmarkets, such as Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia andIndonesia in the future.”

Plasser Australia has 65 staff and buildsapproximately six tamping machines a year at its2.5 hectare St Marys facility. Each machine costsan average of $6 million, and weighs 70-80 tonnes.

Plasser tracks steadily into the future

Aussie invention fast-tracks farming Agpoint AustraliaNational Sales ManagerJohn Thompson.

Plasser Australia’s RM 900 Ballast Cleaner.

www.bluescopesteel.com OCTOBER 2006 STEELEDGE 3


Tasmania’s Doric Engineering has beatenAustralian and international competition tosupply 2000 purpose-built shipping containers forBHP Billiton’s Ravensthorpe nickel development.

The $2 billion Ravensthorpe project involvesthe development of a mine, treatment plant andassociated infrastructure near Ravensthorpe, WA,and the expansion of the QNI Yabulu NickelRefinery near Townsville.

Work on both projects began in April 2004, andthe first nickel production from the expandedYabulu refinery is expected by late 2007.

Jimmy Trambas, founder and ManagingDirector of Devonport-based Doric Engineering,led the team which designed and developed ashipping container system to transport up to220,000 tonnes of mixed nickel and cobalthydroxide intermediate product per year. Allcontainers are to be delivered within 12 months.

The product will be packaged into thecontainers at the Ravensthorpe processingplant, transported by rail to the Port of Esperance,then shipped by sea to Townsville for finalrefining at the QNI Yabulu Refinery. Each ship willtransport 660 containers.

“Without BlueScope Steel’s help, we probablywould not have won this contract,” Mr Trambassaid. “We would not have been able to get thesteel in time.

“We have been formally working onthis project for 14 months, and for almost twoyears before then we were providing informationand discussing concepts with our customer.We had to go through proof of conceptprocedures and then quickly produceprototypes to demonstrate that we coulddeliver the product and that it would do whatwe promised.”

Concept to working prototype took only a fewweeks, and all critical components are made fromGrade 350 XLERCOIL® steel. The project willinvolve some 4000 tonnes of XLERCOIL® steel –ideal for delivering strength, while keepingcontainer weight to a minimum.

Doric Engineering recently produced 550strong, light-weight rail containers – also usingGrade 350 XLERCOIL® steel – for carrying cars.

Australian-owned manufacturing companyTranstank has a new name, a new locationand new state-of-the-art premises – and isnow exporting its fuel storage tanks to SouthAfrica and Canada.

The company, which began operations 19 yearsago in Bendigo, under the name Nash Tank andPipe, moved its manufacturing facility to Parkes inCentral Western NSW two years ago to takeadvantage of a direct rail link to Western Australiaand to be close to major NSW mining operations.

Under the direction of Neil Harrison, ProductionDirector, Philip Kemm, Safety, OH&S and HazardousGoods Specialist, and John Steel, Container IndustrySpecialist, Transtank’s products service a broadrange of mining and transport industry applications.

Set on a 3.9 hectare site, Transtank’s new 3000-square-metre Parkes manufacturing facilityfeatures a custom-designed abrasive blast roomand dust-free paint booth.

It has switched from manufacturing andservicing automotive LPG equipment four years agoto developing, designing and manufacturing itscurrent range of self-bunded fuel storage tanks –and business has boomed ever since.

The tanks – which can store fuel or oil, orprovide a multi-product storage facility – featureenclosed pumping and interlocking mechanisms,making them superior to traditional tanks.

Because they are self-bunded, any leakscan be contained within the unit. If a leakoccurs, the tank itself identifies that thishas happened, making the Transtank systemfoolproof, even under the arduous conditionsof mine sites and constant movementthroughout their life cycle.

Designed in-house to suit standardtransportation, the tanks themselves rangefrom 2250 litres to 110,000 litres.

About 75 per cent of each tank isconstructed from XLERPLATE® steel with

about 19 tonnes of plate going into each ofthe largest tanks with a volume capacity of110,000 litres.

“When it comes to fuel storage, strengthand reliability are paramount,” Mr Harrison said.“We use XLERPLATE® steel mainly because of theconsistent quality of the product.”

For more information on Transtank, visitwww.transtank.com.au

Riding the waves

New location fuels businessgrowth for Transtank

Transtank Production Director Neil Harrison.

Jimmy Trambas with his company’s containers.

www.bluescopesteel.com4 STEEL EDGE OCTOBER 2006


OCTOBER 2006 STEELEDGE 5

Steel silos are at the centre of two $100 milliongrain projects in South Australia andWestern Australia.

Privately-owned construction and engineeringcompany SDR Australia has fabricated 10 silosfor the West Australian port of Albany’s grain-handling facility upgrade.

The 10 6000-tonne capacity silos are madefrom more than 3000 tonnes of XLERPLATE® steel.

Meanwhile South Australia’s leading grainhandling body ABB Grain Ltd is to fabricate 10 silosfrom up to 3800 tonnes of XLERPLATE® steel forthe Port Adelaide redevelopment to helpstreamline the State’s grain export process.

“Concrete silos used for grain storage inthe past have been prone to failures that have ledto expensive repairs,” a spokesperson for SDRAustralia’s contractor Leighton Contractors said.

“There were also concerns about the cost ofconstruction and the importance of maintainingthe quality of the grain.

“The steel design concept is mostly to increasethe life expectancy of the silos.”

SDR Australia fabricated the 60,000-tonnecapacity Albany silos in sections and deliveredthem to site where 150-tonne and 450-tonne pinjib cranes erected them.

Silos for the Port Adelaide redevelopment arebeing built at the Outer Harbour and will be

completed by March 2007.ABB Grain says eight

of the new silos will hold7500 tonnes of grain, whilethe remaining two siloswill each hold 2500 tonnes.

Steel supports for thefirst two silos are alreadyin place and are beingfabricated by ManueleEngineers from morethan 1000 tonnes ofXLERPLATE® steel.

The silos’ ring beamsare being manufactured byanother South Australiancompany, Air Ride Wind.

www.bluescopesteel.com

The extreme conditions faced by primaryproducers in rural Australia have helped aMildura company build an internationalreputation for hardy, durable off-road products.

Titan Andys has manufactured off-road wheelsand components for almost 60 years. Its productshave been used on ice-crushers in Antarctica,people movers at San Diego Zoo as well as on awide range of mobile farming equipment.

Titan Andys builds new wheels for sales andexport, as well as providing replacement parts forimported agricultural machines. PurchasingManager Jeff McKeon said Australian farmerswere known for pushing their on-farm and on-roadvehicles to the limit.

This was partly because Australia has fewrestrictions on maximum weights for off-roadvehicles using roads. Europe has much stricterregulations governing design parameters ofmachinery and wheel loads.

The duty cycle, or expected workload, ofTitan Andys’ products is greater than in Europe,given the comparative size of Australianproperties, Mr McKeon said.

“A farm in Germany might consist of four orfive hectares, while a farm here might be around6000,” he said.

Titan Andys, which has sales officesthroughout Australia, uses XLERPLATE® steelto manufacture the centres for its wheels.Mr McKeon said the company typically uses16mm plate, and sometimes 20mm, comparedto the 12mm usually used on overseaswheel products.

Titan Andys is supplied by Adelaide ProfileServices.

Rolling over thecompetition

Silos of steelin demand

Titan Andys Purchasing Manager Jeff McKeon.

Some of the 6000-tonne Albany silos.

Proposed Adelaide facitlity.


More than 1200 tonnes of XLERPLATE® steel isbeing used to convert a commercial oil tankerinto one of the Royal Australian Navy’s latest ships.

Initial work on the South Korean-built MT Delos– to be commissioned later this year as HMASSirius – started at Tenix’s WA shipbuilding facilitieslast September. When completed it will be a majorsupport vessel for the Department of Defence.

According to Tenix Project Manager on theMT Delos job, Leigh Newbery, XLERPLATE® steelis being used on a number of different projects.

“We are fabricating a rear flight deck, a bulkstores area capable of storing up to 12 shippingcontainers, upgrading accommodation for70 people and situating a number of guns onboard,” Mr Newbery said.

“The ship will also be able to undertakereplenishment work – fuel and other goods – at sea.”

Tenix, a major global defence organisation,

was previously involved in building the Navy’sANZAC Class frigates – and used BlueScopeSteel’s XLERPLATE® steel extensively for that work.

“XLERPLATE® steel is of a consistently highquality, making it suitable for this kind of high-precision shipbuilding work for the AustralianDepartment of Defence,” Mr Newbery said.

The original HMS Sirius was a supply ship inCaptain Arthur Philip’s historic First Fleet, whichdropped anchor in Sydney Harbour in 1788.

Supply ship shapesup and joins navy

6 STEEL EDGE OCTOBER 2006

Pipes fabricated by a Brisbane company will bevital in tapping into an extra 40 billion litres ofwater a year for Sydney residents.

Rollpress Proplate Group (RPG) hasmanufactured pipes, some weighing as much as20 tonnes, to access deeper water at WarragambaDam for emergency water supplies.

While the dam, 65 kilometres west of Sydney,can provide the city an extra six months’ waterduring an extreme drought, 10 per cent of its watercapacity remains untapped because it sits belowthe lowest outlet point.

The pipes are part of a modification projectbeing carried out by engineering and constructioncompany Baulderstone Hornibrook to build newpumping stations and pipelines for the dam, andwill be used to pump water from the dam’s bottomto a new treatment plant on the surface.

Sales and Marketing General ManagerRichard Kearns said the $2 million pipelinecontract was a complex one, and RPG wasproud to be associated with BaulderstoneHornibrook on the project.

“Some of the pipes are 6 metres long with adiameter of 2.7 metres so they’re three times as bigas a car,” he said. “We delivered 28 truckloads toWarragamba Dam, and most were over-dimensional– some single loads weighing close to 20 tonnes.”

Mr Kearns said RPG cut and rolled Grade 250XLERPLATE® steel into pipes, welded necessaryflanges, manufactured branch lines and clutchplates, and assembled them at the company’sWacol factory.

“The pipes are hydro-tested and pressurised to20 bar, so they can withstand more than three timesthe pressure applied to average household pipes.”

XLERPLATE®

steel pipes tap untouched waters



Ensham Resources, one of Queensland’slargest and fastest growing thermal coalproducers, has commissioned BucyrusAustralia to supply a 5350-tonne dragline dueto come online in December.

The huge $100,000,000 Bucyrus 8750 dragline,to be used at Ensham’s mine site 40 kilometresnortheast of Emerald in Central Queensland, isnow being assembled at the mine.

The dragline is being fitted with a 143-cubic-

yard bucket, large enough to scoop out materialto fill two backyard swimming pools with asingle pass.

Ensham Resources and Bucyrus Australiawere both determined to maximise Australiancontent in the dragline, particularly the use ofAustralian steel.

Bucyrus took on the role of principalcontractor and enlisted the services of a groupof Australia’s most experienced engineering andfabrication contractors to assist with the project.

“It is a massive co-ordination task over a twoyear project,” Bucyrus Australia’s Manager ofSpecial Projects Geoff Hoffman said.

Construction of the dragline has involvednearly 3500 tonnes of XLERPLATE® steel fromBlueScope Steel, supplied by OneSteel.

“We contacted OneSteel and they have agood relationship with BlueScope Steel, so wethen moved on to a series of three-way technicaldiscussions,” Mr Hoffman said. “It was a veryco-operative process.”

OneSteel’s project team, led by Malcolm Smith,collaborated closely with Bucyrus to maximiseplate allocations and provide initial processing.This included major weld preparation and thebevelling of plate edges.

“You probably wouldn’t find the steel size andgrade combinations that we required in a standardcatalogue, but there was excellent collaborationinvolving our engineering department withOneSteel and BlueScope Steel,” Mr Hoffman said.

“We worked closely with OneSteel andgave BlueScope Steel comprehensive rollingpriorities for the delivery of XLERPLATE® steel.Throughout the process BlueScope Steel’sperformance has been outstanding andtheir collaboration with OneSteel hasworked well.”

The partnership involving Bucyrus, OneSteeland BlueScope Steel is delivering recognisablevalue to the client and is proving to be a key factorin the success of this project.

Oversized industrial bins are the way of the futurefor Sydney-based waste recycling collectionequipment manufacturer Bincorp Equipment.

Bincorp Equipment, one of the largest steelbin manufacturers in Australia, specialises inmanufacturing skip bins, bulk bins, hookliftframes, trailers, and hydraulic compactors fromXLERPLATE® and XLERCOIL® steel.

The company’s fastest growing market isproviding bulk bins to waste contractors likeThiess Services, Cleanaway and VeoliaEnvironmental Services (Collex).

“We’re manufacturing about 250 bulk binsa year, some with a volume of 65 cubicmetres,” Bincorp Equipment ManagingDirector Tony Nott said.

Privately owned Bincorp Equipmentemploys 14 tradespeople and has recentlymoved from a 700-square-metre workshop atRiverstone to a 1700-square-metre workshop atWetherill Park.

“The new factory has allowed us to boostproduction to meet the growing demand forsemi-trailer containers over the last two years,”Mr Nott said.

Each year, Bincorp Equipment alsomanufactures about 20 compactors for shoppingcentres, 1000 skip bins for domestic rubbishremoval and hook lift frames for trailers.

The company sources Grade 250XLERPLATE® steel from Horan Steel, one

of BlueScope Steel’s distributors in NSW.“They give us reliable service, sales

and competitive pricing,” Mr Nott said. “Wecan also rely on the quality of XLERPLATE®

steel because it’s strong, durable and easy towork with.”

www.bluescopesteel.com OCTOBER 2006 STEELEDGE 7

Bulk bin boom for Bincorp

Huge dragline to make its mark

Bincorp Equipment's Tony Nott (left) and MurrayBrown from NSW distributor Horan Steel in front ofone of Bincorp Equipment's bulk bins .

Bucyrus dragline.


8 STEEL EDGE OCTOBER 2006

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South Australian manufacturerAir Ride Wind has fabricatedvital components for the$100 million expansion ofBlueScope Steel’s PortKembla Steelworks.

Air Ride Wind has suppliedlarge ductwork and a sectionfor the stack as part of theexpansion project which willincrease the nominal capacityof the Hot Strip Mill at PortKembla Steelworks from 2.4 to2.8 million tonnes a year.

Expansion plans includethe construction of a secondwalking beam reheat furnace,which will add value to anadditional 400,000 tonnes ofsteel slab a year by converting it to hot-rolled coil.

This hot-rolled coil production will help supportthe expansion of BlueScope Steel’s downstreamsteel coating and painting facilities in Asia, andhelp meet demand for flat steel products inAustralian markets.

This number is for callers within Australia only: Callers in other countries should refer to our web site

for the contact number of their nearest BlueScope Steel Limited office.


BlueScope is a trademark of BlueScope Steel Limited.

1800 800 789

Published by BlueScope Steel Limited

Air Ride Wind has fabricated five hot-air ductsand a section of the stack for the new walkingbeam reheat furnace. Mainteck Services, a PortKembla-based construction company contractedto part-manufacture and erect the new furnace,approached Air Ride Wind to undertake the work.

Steel Edge #23 OCTOBER 2006

With more than 80employees working from itspremises in Islington, AirRide Wind is one of thelargest manufacturers ofwind towers in Australia.Although wind towers area speciality, the companyalso undertakes otherheavy fabrication work.

About 30 tonnes ofGrade 250 XLERPLATE®

steel was used for theductwork, and a further20 tonnes was used forthe stack. The massivehot air ducts measurealmost 3 metres indiameter and are 5-10metres long. The stack ismore than 3 metres indiameter and 8 metres long.

Smorgon Steel, one of BlueScope Steel’sdistributors, managed the supply of the steel toAir Ride Wind, enabling the project to becompleted on schedule.

Rockhampton-based Queensland Steel Productsis using its reputation for quality and on-timedelivery to win a growing slice of the boomingresources industry business.

Established in 1986, the company has achievedpreferred supplier status with BHP Billiton,Queensland Magnesium, Austrak and GL&VDorr Oliver. It has also undertaken majorfabrication work for organisations such as Orica,Thiess, Veolia Water and John Holland.

Managing director and company founder DavidParker and his design engineer Kim Laundry haveestablished and sustained many of these long-term business relationships with resourcesindustry heavyweights.

The quality and consistency of XLERPLATE®

steel and the benefits they deliver to QueenslandSteel Products projects are cornerstones of manyof these relationships.

Apart from using XLERPLATE® steel for generalfabrication work, Queensland Steel Products uses itfor concrete railway sleeper moulds and float cell forprocess operations at minerals processing facilities

and mines throughout Australia and Indonesia.“Austrak, for instance, modifies its railway

sleeper designs to suit individual projects,”Mr Laundry said.

“Sleeper requirements can change fromproject to project, depending on whether they arebeing used for passenger or freight lines, andaccording to traffic density and the loads beingcarried by the track.”

Queensland Steel Products fabricated morethan 1000 concrete sleeper moulds for Austrakplants at Katherine and Tennant Creek duringconstruction of the Darwin to Alice Springs railline. The company is now producing new mouldsfor a number of Austrak projects in Queensland.

Mr Laundry said the moulds included sectionsof 4mm, 6mm and 8mm XLERPLATE® steel in Grade250, and are built to tolerances of smaller than 1mm.

“It’s vital that tolerances be kept to a minimum,”Mr Laundry said. “It all helps in maintaining overallproduct quality and consistency.

“We insist on using XLERPLATE® steel becauseof its consistently excellent quality, and because itproduces great results in the next production stage.”


Air Ride Wind stacksup for steelworks

Queensland Steel Productsbenefits from fine tolerances


BRAND PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM 3www.steelby.com.au

A Victorian-based marketing and designcompany specialising in recreatingfarmhouses is using the latest computertechnology to help bring designs tothree-dimensional life for clients.

From quaint English farm cottages torambling American ranch homes, FarmHouses of Australia recreates homesit says offer authentic country characterand charm, while offering modern styleand flexibility.

The company’s computer-aided design(CAD) service allows floor plans to beconverted into 3D format, a specialisationin concept drawings which not only allowsclients to better visualise their future homes,but allows design changes to be made easilybefore construction starts.

The owners of Farm Houses of Australia,husband and wife team Ron and Rysha Hosking,have been specialising in this style of homefor the past 15 years.

“The modelling program allows clients to evenplace and rearrange furniture on the floor planto ensure the final layout is completely suited totheir needs and tastes,” Mr Hosking says.

“There’s no more struggling to visualise whata home – both inside and out – is going to looklike from basic plans.”

South Frankston local Christine Grahamrecently moved into her new four-bedroom, two-storey weatherboard home and was more thanpleased with the result.

“We wanted a bright, homely place withcharacter,” she says. “Being able to see the designin 3D really helped us finalise the details.”

Farm Houses of Australia worked with

builder Doug Law of Construction by Law onthe house with an attic-style roof.

The colour scheme of yellow exterior witha roof made from COLORBOND® steel in thecolour of Shale Grey™ completed theproperty’s country feel.

Mr Hosking says Farm Houses of Australiaexclusively uses roofing made from COLORBOND®

steel because of the high quality of the product.“The aesthetics of steel roofing also suit the

styles,” he says. “For example, we use a lot ofthe Deep Ocean® as this colour blends with thesky. Cottages and homesteads traditionallyinvolve colour schemes using Classic Cream™,Cottage Green® or Manor Red®.”

He says his company has found palegreys like Shale Grey™ and Windspray® are

becoming more popular.Farm Houses of Australia has joined

the Steel By BlueScope Steel Brand PartnershipProgram to highlight its preference forquality steel originating from Australia’sleading steel manufacturer, and to leveragethe strength and quality of the BlueScopeSteel brand.

For more information on Farm Houses ofAustralia, ph (03) 9775 8254.

Business is booming for NSWSouthern Highlands-based companyAus-Truss as engineers begin toappreciate the cost-effectiveness oflightweight steel frames.

To speed construction – and cutbuilding costs – Aus-Truss hasdeveloped a roof lift system that allowsbuilders to construct a steel-frame roofon a building’s base before hoisting itinto position with a crane.

“Because this method avoidsdouble handling, it’s much faster andmore efficient than more traditionalmethods. It’s also far safer from anOH&S perspective,” Aus-Truss ownerand builder Andrew Fowler says.

He launched Mittagong-based Aus-Trussmore than three years ago to specialise inproviding lightweight building and house framesthat can withstand everything from termites tocyclone-strength winds.

With an emphasis on building relationshipswith architects, engineers and builders, Aus-Truss wins a lot of major contracts.

“It is through a unique relationship withprofessional builders, engineers and architectsthat Aus-Truss is able to create solutions using1.2mm thick TRUECORE® steel,” Mr Fowler says.

“It means we can manufacture trusses witha span of up to 18 metres – structures which aresimply supported.”

Mr Fowler says Aus-Truss is committed tofinding engineered building solutions.

“Our slogan is ‘steel frames with grunt’,because our steel frames are so strong,” hesays. “Using structural steel in buildingframes can be expensive – you get muchbetter value for money with frames madefrom TRUECORE® steel.”

The company is a member of the Steel ByBlueScope Steel Brand Partnership Program,open to companies that source 80 per cent ormore of their steel supplies from BlueScopeSteel or a BlueScope Steel Distributor.

Mr Fowler says Aus-Truss relies onBlueScope Steel for its quality products andthe fact that TRUCORE® steel comes with a50-year guarantee. BlueScope Steel’stechnical support is also excellent.

“We put the Steel By logo on all ourstationery because it’s a point of difference

and people recognise it. That’s really importantnowadays because a lot of companies useimported steel,” he says.

“When we tell customers we manufacture ourframes from TRUECORE® steel, they know they aredealing with quality products.”

For more information contact: Andrew and LisaFowler, Aus-Truss, ph (02) 4871 3555.

Andrew Fowler from Aus-Truss.

Ultra-modern technologymeets country charm

Steel frames with grunt

Ron and Rysha Hosking of FarmHouses of Australia outside one of their latest homes.


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Steel Edge #23 OCTOBER 2006

The current softening of the New South Walesresidential building market has seen a steadyrise in interest in steel framing, according toDavid Sheehy, Managing Director of IllawarraSteel Frame Homes.

The company is the largest supplier of steelhouse frames around the Illawarra region.

“When customers have time to consider howthey’ll build their homes – without the constantpressure of rising home prices and increasedbuilding activity – they more often than not settleon steel framing,” Mr Sheehy says.

“Our customers appreciate steel frames madefrom TRUECORE® steel from BlueScope Steel overtraditional pine timber house frames.”

One consideration affecting buying decisionsin the Illawarra region, as in many other parts ofAustralia, is termite activity.

Customers also point to other advantages ofTRUECORE® steel frames over timber. Steelremains perfectly straight, is lighter (a major

handling consideration for owner builders), quickto work with compared with traditional framingmaterials, and can be erected using normalbuilding tools.

Illawarra Steel Frame Homes, based at OakFlats near Shellharbour, provides a range of home-building products.

For more information: David Sheehy, IllawarraSteel Frame Homes, ph (02) 4237 6667.

How to join the programFor more information call Steel Directon 1800 800 789 and ask for aninformation brochure and registrationform or download the informationfrom www.steelby.com.au.

When word of mouth generates a large part ofyour business, you can’t beat people singing yourpraises at the local pub.

Pergolas Plus Outdoor Living has that pub-talkmarket largely on tap thanks to buildingthe outdoor dining pergola at the Echuca Pub inrural Victoria.

The pergola is an 18-metre by 17-metre triple-gabled design that can shelter 150 people.

Echuca, set on the banks of the Murray Rivera short two-hour drive north of Melbourne, is hometo dozens of houseboats.

The rural riverside setting is a romanticdrawcard for tourists and a major reason why theowners of Pergolas Plus Outdoor Living, Ian andJulie Brooksby, moved there from Queensland.

Ian Brooksby also had a background in makingrainwater harvesting systems, rainwater goodsand pool fences, and he wanted to continueworking with steel.

Pergolas Plus Outdoor Living builds an averageof five steel pergolas per week for rural andmetropolitan Victorian customers.

It employs 12 full-time staff, including anarchitect who plays a critical part in the buildingapprovals process.

Pergolas Plus Outdoor Living welds its ownposts, brackets and flashings in-house.

“Thirty to 40 per cent of pergolas the companybuilds are prototype projects that require strongconnections,” Ian Brooksby says.

The company uses a range of BlueScope Steelproducts, including COLORBOND® steel inLYSAGHT CUSTOM ORB® profile for roofing,

and LYSAGHT FIRMLOK® BEAM, a light, strongstructural beam.

“LYSAGHT FIRMLOK® BEAM offers us a veryclean, complete finish,” Julie Brooksby says.

The company also uses downpipes andbrackets made from steel from BlueScope Steel.

A member of the Steel By BlueScope SteelBrand Partnership Program, Pergolas Plus OutdoorLiving says the service they receive fromBlueScope Steel is second to none.

“It’s BlueScope Steel’s knowledge,professionalism, product warranty and ability

to deliver and customer respect we like,” JulieBrooksby says.

Pergolas Plus Outdoor Living is also leveragingthe strength and recognised quality of theBlueScope Steel brand against the quality of itsown products and services.

The Steel By brand partnership signage thatthe company displays on its premises helpsreinforce that its products are Australian-made.

For more information contact: Ian andJulie Brooksby, Pergolas Plus Outdoor Living,ph (03) 5480 1636.

Ian and Julie Brooksby ofPergolas Plus OutdoorLiving in rural Victoria.

David Sheehy, MD of IllawarraSteel Frame Homes.

Demand for steel-framedhouses rises in the Illawarra

Pub talk and pergolas26965 BS Steel Edge OCT #23 12PP:11579 BS Edge MARCH #13 6/10/06 11:26 AM Page 10

OCTOBER 2006 Innovation now driving Australian … than one million Australians – most full-time....

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