BlueScope opens largest manufacturing unit in China

Australia's leading steel company, BlueScope Steel Limited, has officially opened its new flat steel metallic coating and painting facility today at Suzhou Industrial Park in Jiangsu province, 80 kilometers west of Shanghai, China. This facility has been developed at a capital cost of approximately A$280 million ($210.9 million), is BlueScope Steel's most significant investment in Asia, and represents the largest manufacturing investment of an Australian company in China. The new facility is part of BlueScope Steel's $2 billion investment program, comprising 20 projects in eight countries, aimed at moving further into high value-added steel products. BlueScope Steel's Suzhou facility has a metallic coating capacity of 250,000 metric tons and painting capacity of 150,000 metric tons per annum. It will produce BlueScope Steel's products for the building and construction markets. It will also supply BlueScope Buildings, which manufactures premium quality building components and pre-engineered buildings. BlueScope Steel operates a 5.1 million metric tons per annum integrated steelworks at Port Kembla, Australia, a 650,000 metric tons per annum integrated steelworks in New Zealand, and has a 50 per cent interest in a 1.8 million metric tons per annum mini-mill in Ohio, US.