BHP upgrades metal coating plant in New Zealand

BHP upgrades metal coating plant in New Zealand

The leading steel producer BHP Steel Ltd., is expanding the capacity at its steelworks in Glenbrook, near Auckland. The company announced allocation of A$14 million ($16 million) capital expenditure in order to upgrade the metal coating plant at its wholly owned New Zealand steelworks located in Glenbrook. The upgrade process will be completed over next year. This expansion will enable the New Zealand coating plant to produce an additional 24'000 ton premium metallic coated steel products which means to increase the annual capacity by 10%, bringing same to a total of 234'000 tons. BHP supplies almost 80% of the flat steel of Australia and New Zealand. The company also announced today that it is investigating building a new plant in Australia for its pre-painted steel construction product Colourbond. Such project is estimated to cost about A$100 million.