New Zealand Steel
Encyclopedia
New Zealand Steel is a large steel mill
located at Glenbrook
, New Zealand
. It uses a unique method of producing steel from ironsand
, abundant on the west coast of the North Island
. The ironsand is mined at the coast, then mixed with water to form 'slurry', which is pumped through an underground pipe to the mill and stockpiled to await use.
The mill is served by the Mission Bush railway branch
, (which was formerly a branch line to Waiuku
). Coal and lime trains arrive at the mill daily, and steel products depart.
The company had pioneered the direct reduction process for reducing iron oxide (ironsand) into metallic iron. This culminated in the commissioning in 1970 of iron and steelmaking facilities to produce billets for domestic and export markets.
Expansion continued with the commissioning of a pipe plant in 1972 and a prepainting line in 1982. Total output at this time averaged 300,000 tonnes a year.
In the 'Think Big
' era of New Zealand
industrialisation
, the mill was upgraded.
In 1987 New Zealand Steel was acquired by Equiticorp. However, Equiticorp was bankrupted in the New Zealand sharemarket crash of 1987. In 1989 New Zealand Steel was acquired by Helenus Corporation, which comprises Fisher & Paykel
, Steel & Tube, ANZ
and BHP
. In 1992 BHP took up a controlling interest with an 81% shareholding by acquiring the shares of Fisher & Paykel and Steel & Tube. The company was initially renamed BHP New Zealand Steel Limited, but in 2002 it was renamed New Zealand Steel when BHP Steel was listed on Australian stockmarket under the name Bluescope Steel
.
Steel mill
A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel.Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. It is produced in a two-stage process. First, iron ore is reduced or smelted with coke and limestone in a blast furnace, producing molten iron which is either cast into pig iron or...
located at Glenbrook
Glenbrook, New Zealand
Glenbrook is a rural and industrial area in the Franklin district of New Zealand.The industrial site, that of New Zealand's major steel mill, New Zealand Steel, is not located close to any towns - the surrounding countryside is occupied by huge farms...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It uses a unique method of producing steel from ironsand
Ironsand
Ironsand is a type of sand with heavy concentrations of the metal iron. It is typically dark grey or blackish in colour.It comprises mainly magnetite, Fe3O4, and as such is attracted to magnets....
, abundant on the west coast of the North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
. The ironsand is mined at the coast, then mixed with water to form 'slurry', which is pumped through an underground pipe to the mill and stockpiled to await use.
The mill is served by the Mission Bush railway branch
Waiuku and Mission Bush Branches
The Waiuku and Mission Bush Branches are two branches on the New Zealand railway network which are closely linked. The Mission Bush Branch connects the North Island Main Trunk railway to the Mission Bush Steel Mill.-History:...
, (which was formerly a branch line to Waiuku
Waiuku
Waiuku is a country town in the Franklin District, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located at the southern end of the Waiuku River, which is an estuarial arm of the Manukau Harbour...
). Coal and lime trains arrive at the mill daily, and steel products depart.
History
New Zealand Steel Limited was incorporated by the New Zealand Government in 1965. In 1967, construction started on a mill at Glenbrook. Commercial operations began in 1968, with imported feed coil being used to produce steel for domestic and Pacific Island markets.The company had pioneered the direct reduction process for reducing iron oxide (ironsand) into metallic iron. This culminated in the commissioning in 1970 of iron and steelmaking facilities to produce billets for domestic and export markets.
Expansion continued with the commissioning of a pipe plant in 1972 and a prepainting line in 1982. Total output at this time averaged 300,000 tonnes a year.
In the 'Think Big
Think Big
The New Zealand Prime Minister Robert Muldoon and his New Zealand National Party government in the early 1980s sponsored Think Big as an interventionist state economic strategy. The Think Big schemes saw the government borrow heavily overseas, running up a large external deficit, and using the...
' era of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
industrialisation
Industrialisation
Industrialization is the process of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial one...
, the mill was upgraded.
In 1987 New Zealand Steel was acquired by Equiticorp. However, Equiticorp was bankrupted in the New Zealand sharemarket crash of 1987. In 1989 New Zealand Steel was acquired by Helenus Corporation, which comprises Fisher & Paykel
Fisher & Paykel
Fisher & Paykel is a major appliance manufacturing company based in East Tamaki, New Zealand.Originally an importer of domestic refrigerators, Fisher & Paykel now holds over 420 patents and bases its identity on innovative design, particularly in the areas of usability and environmental...
, Steel & Tube, ANZ
ANZ New Zealand
ANZ New Zealand is New Zealand’s largest financial services group and is a subsidiary of Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited of Australia. ANZ New Zealand operates under its legal entity ANZ National Bank Limited which was formed as part of the 2003 merger of ANZ and The National Bank...
and BHP
BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
. In 1992 BHP took up a controlling interest with an 81% shareholding by acquiring the shares of Fisher & Paykel and Steel & Tube. The company was initially renamed BHP New Zealand Steel Limited, but in 2002 it was renamed New Zealand Steel when BHP Steel was listed on Australian stockmarket under the name Bluescope Steel
BlueScope Steel
BlueScope Steel is a flat product steel producer with operations in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, the Pacific and North America. It was spun off from BHP Billiton in 2002 as BHP Steel and renamed BlueScope Steel on 17 November 2003...
.
Production
The site produces about 650,000 tonnes of steel a year, and supplies most of the steel used in New Zealand, apart from that used in concrete reinforcing which is produced by Pacific Steel. 1,150 employees and 200 semi-permanent contractors work at the site, which makes them the biggest site by employment in New Zealand.External links
- Glenbrook Steel Site (official company webpage)