BlueScope Steel mill in Vietnam inaugurated

Australian Prime Minister John Howard has today officially inaugurated BlueScope Steel Vietnam's new A$136 million (US$101 million) flat steel metallic coating and painting operation at the Phu My 1 Industrial Zone in Vietnam. “I am pleased to officially open BlueScope Steel's Phu My plant. It is indicative of the increasing economic linkages and complementarity between Australia and Vietnam, which has seen our two-way trade increase significantly to A$5 billion in 2005-2006. I commend BlueScope Steel for its vision in establishing its plant at Phu My, which will augment Australia's economic relations with Vietnam,” Prime Minister Howard declared at the inauguration ceremony. The state-of-the-art manufacturing facility represents Australia's largest manufacturing investment in Vietnam and is part of BlueScope Steel's A$2 billion Asia and North America investment program, the company release stated. The new line will be able to supply Vietnamese customers with 125,000 mts of metallic coated and 50,000 mts of pre-painted flat steel products per annum, once it operates at full capacity. BlueScope Steel Managing Director and CEO, Mr Kirby Adams, said, “BlueScope Steel's superb new metallic coating and painting facility will enable us to produce high quality, tailored steel building products to respond even more quickly to our Vietnamese customers' needs and market opportunities.”