BlueScope has hosted a ceremony at its Western Sydney Service Centre (WSSC), Erskine Park, NSW, announcing BlueScope Board approval of a $415 million investment to build a 7th Metal Coating Line (MCL7).

This significant investment in Australian manufacturing will add 240,000 tonnes per annum of metal coating capacity, alleviating cyclical supply bottlenecks whilst also removing constraints on BlueScope’s growth ambitions for its flagship products such as COLORBOND® steel for roofing and walling applications and TRUECORE® steel for light gauge steel framing.

BlueScope has been operating a paintline in Western Sydney since 2007, currently employing around 100 employees. Strategically located in Western Sydney in one of the biggest growth corridors near the Aerotropolis, the new MCL7 will be co-located next to the existing paintline on the site. This will create 100 new jobs, 50 during construction and 50 ongoing.

MCL7 is expected to be fully commissioned and operational by the end of calendar year 2025.

Speaking from the event, BlueScope’s Managing Director & CEO, Mark Vassella said “Fundamentally, we recognised we needed to increase our production capacity to meet the needs of our customers.

“This will address growing demand and future-proof supply to the critical building and construction industry.

“To provide a sense of scale, this new capacity is equivalent to an additional 200,000 new COLORBOND® steel roofs per annum OR 80,000 TRUECORE® steel house frames each year.

“It is not only great to see us making more things here in Australia, but this strategically aligns with our ambition to maximise value added steel products for the domestic building and construction segment.

“We remain committed to delivering high-quality steel products and this investment demonstrates BlueScope’s dedication to meeting the evolving needs of our customers that rely on our iconic products for their critical nation building projects,” said Mr Vassell.