BlueScope has announced the formal opening of a Customer Service Centre at its Western Port Works in Hastings, Victoria.
The $34 million facility is adjacent to BlueScope’s COLORBOND steel manufacturing plant at the Western Port site, where the company produces more than one million tons of this famous branded product each year and exports more than 200,000 tons to worldwide markets.
Managing Director & CEO Mark Vassella said the new facility (with capacity in excess of 100,000 tons per annum) reaffirmed the company’s commitment to local manufacturing.
“The Customer Service Centre IT infrastructure includes an automated slitting head build robot which is the first of its kind in Australia,” he continued.
“The robot automatically constructs a slitting cutting head to individual customer requirements without manual intervention from operators or other tradespeople, thus removing the risk of error, greatly speeding up the process of building a new head and enabling a more efficient operation to better serve customers.
“It also helps keep BlueScope people safe at work by eliminating manual handling and other safety risks.
According to Mr Vassella, the opening of the Customer Service Centre would also enhance Australia’s sovereign manufacturing capability.
“Recent and current global events have amply demonstrated the importance of local manufacturing for essential products, such as the steel that supplies Australia’s building and construction, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors,” he concluded.
