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We’re on a journey from being good to great

6 September 2021

It’s been a dynamic start as CEO of InfraBuild over the last couple of months, with ongoing COVID-19 challenges impacting so much of our business. Just like our industry partners and customers we are dealing with operational challenges and long-term health and wellbeing aspects of (what is hopefully) a once in a century pandemic.

As CEO, I’m proud of the way our people and business has adapted to keep people safe. Our doors are open and we continue to provide services and essential steel manufactured products to our customers.  In a lot of ways, it’s just another example of the DNA of our business. We have a proud history forged through good times and bad over more than 100 years of continuous operation.

I wanted to provide an update to our customers, suppliers and community about our strategic direction, and the conscious, deliberate choices we’ve made to continue to find ways to be better, work smarter and offer a superior customer experience. We’re on a journey from being a good company to becoming a great one.

We are committed to creating value for all our key stakeholders and continuing to lead the way to making sustainable steel in Australia – and in the process, building strong, local communities and economies across the country.

We are nation builders – we’ve been doing it for more than a century and look forward to continuing to play a critical role in shaping modern Australia.

We are building futures through sustainable steel.

One strong business, brand refresh and customer focus

You might have already noticed a few subtle changes at InfraBuild. We have updated our logo and there’s a new freshness to our branding. The changes will become more apparent in the weeks and months ahead, along with a sharpened focus on providing quality products and services to our customers.

We are one strong enterprise across three segments: recycling, manufacturing, and distribution, with go-to-market service and product brands. Our brand and customer focus go together.

Our distributors and channel partners are critical to us and working with them closely remains unchanged. They are an extension of the InfraBuild family, that’s how it has always been and always will be.

We are Australia’s only vertically integrated electric-arc furnace steelmaker and recycler, with unmatched capability across our recycling footprint, manufacturing infrastructure and downstream processing and distribution networks.

It’s clear, our size, scale, footprint, infrastructure and manufacturing, processing and distribution capability puts us in an enviable position. But on top of that, the discipline that comes from our new operating model and focus on the ‘4Cs approach’ will turn these inherent strengths into a true and long-lasting competitive advantage.

With clear performance targets established, we are explicit in applying customer-driven decision-making with our customers at all levels every day.

Our continuous improvement mindset will fuel our ambition to create excellence in steel manufacturing. And we will strive for both commercial excellence coupled with capital discipline.

Those two flip-sides to the same coin will ensure we deliver optimum results but manage our capital astutely. We have smart people who work for us and know their markets well but we want to grow that reputation further, while at the same time ensuring we manage our finances to enable longterm growth and consistent investment back into the business.

Our performance scorecard will be measured and tracked continuously through metrics on people, market, assets and financials.

With these underpinning mechanics and processes our business has the rigour to shift gears even further in the months and years ahead.

Our Mission and Values

Regardless of where or how you interact with our business, you can expect a consistent and premium experience, based on our shared values.

These values guide our behaviours and interactions with all stakeholders as we work everyday towards our mission: Building futures through sustainable steel drives us.

We respect each other – and all our stakeholders – and remain committed to the continuous improvement and innovation ethos that has punctuated our 100-plus year history and will guide our future growth.

We care about our footprint and building a sustainable long-term future to the benefit of all.

Our values – in combination with our infrastructure, network, reach and talented workforce – provide an intangible differentiator from our competitors, and set us up well to achieve our business goals.

Sustainability is our lens

We remain committed to carbon-neutrality and continue to lead the move to more sustainable steel through our GREENSTEEL approaches. Our credentials in lower-carbon steelmaking are well recognised by industry, but we’re not resting on our laurels.

We’re working on further initiatives to reduce our footprint further to make cleaner steel and contribute positively to Australia’s circular economy, creating long term value for all stakeholders.

The steel industry is a known driver of economic strength and growth. But all stakeholders – customer, investors, employees – now expect more and decarbonisation of steel manufacturing is our collective ambition. Future generations are demanding we act.

You may have recently seen news of two research projects we’ve got underway in a collaboration with Swinburne University and the University of Wollongong’s Steel Research Hub. We’ll be looking at the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies within our manufacturing processes, specifically: the development and analysis of sound sensor technology for advanced control of steel ladles; and data-driven solutions for improving the consistency of steel products at the Billet Caster.

These are just two initiatives we have in a pipeline that includes looking at the role of renewable energy to further reduce our carbon footprint and contribute to lower carbon steel. I will have more to say on this in the months ahead.

I’m confident that as we continue our journey from being a good to great company, we can lead the change in our industry in a way that not only contributes to a strong Australian economy and vibrant local communities, but also a healthier planet.

Thank you for your continued patronage, support, and interest in our journey towards carbon- neutrality and sustainable steel.

Regards,

Vik

Vik Bansal

CEO and Managing Director InfraBuild

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