After only two months in operation, an expansion of service center operations in Melbourne by Outokumpu’s Australian sales company receives the approval of major coil polished products users: the quality, brightness and consistency of the polished finishes produced by a new Imeas line meet their highest standards.

The state-of-the-art coil polisher is able to process up to 3.0 mm thick, 1500 mm wide coils weighing up to 10 metric tons. The line improves the service center’s production efficiency and allows it to offer a more complete range of polished products. A 2,000-square-meter expansion to house the line also provides additional storage capacity to further improve Outokumpu’s ability to serve the market with prompt service and hold a broader range of value-added coil products.

“The expansion reaffirms Outokumpu’s commitment to the Australian market,

ensuring that we are the preferred stainless steel partner to all independent distributors and major end users,” says Peter George, General Manager of Outokumpu Pty Ltd.

Outokumpu holds a strong position in the Australian market. Facts speak for themselves: with a 22% market share, Outokumpu is clearly the leading mill supplier in the cold rolled products market of Australia, a country with no domestic stainless steel mills. Outokumpu operates the only mill-owned sales company with its own service center in the country. The Melbourne operation is strategically well placed, being the only dedicated stainless steel service center in the largest and fast growing regional market for cold rolled sheet in Australia.

Outokumpu’s expansion comes at a timely juncture in the Australian market, as demand for high value-added polished products is on the increase. “Even before the new polishing line, the Outokumpu service center had developed a good reputation for locally polished, high-quality sheet products and reliable service,” Mr. George says. The center now holds a significant share of the market for sheet polishing.

The sales company works in close cooperation with other Outokumpu units, to ensure that all links from mill to customer are synchronized into a seamless operation. “Our optimized process route from feed coil to finished product will raise the bar for locally polished coils,” Mr. George affirms. “It will cement our number-one position in Australia, already realizing the Group vision of becoming the undisputed Number One in stainless.”

For more information, contact:
Peter George, General Manager, Outokumpu Pty Ltd
Tel. +61 3 9369 3344, e-mail: peter.george@outokumpu.com