Queensland set to become steel powerhouse as InfraBuild expands

Australia’s largest manufacturer and distributer of reinforcing steel has announced a major expansion in Queensland to service the state’s unprecedented construction boom ahead of the 2032 Olympics.

Infrabuild will expand its steel processing facilities at Hemmant and Eagle Farm, creating an extra 70 jobs and boosting output by 50,000 tonnes per year to meet customers’ soaring demands.

The two facilities distribute processed reinforcing steel for constructing apartments, stadiums, roads and energy infrastructure around Queensland and Australia.

The Hemmant and Eagle Farm expansions are the first step in Infrabuild’s larger Queensland vision. The company is also progressing plans for a new distribution centre, bar processing facility, prefabrication hub and a potential rolling mill. These investments build on InfraBuild’s existing presence in the state, with 37 sites and over 930 employees locally in Queensland.

“Queensland’s demand for steel is surging, and we’re investing in local steelmaking and processing to meet it head-on, starting now” said InfraBuild CEO Francisco Irazusta.

“Queensland is entering the biggest construction cycle in its history and the window to act is right now, not in five years. We’re investing today to produce steel locally and meet our customers’ surging demand.

“Extra capacity here on the ground is vital because when our customers are preparing for concrete, our steel has to arrive cut and bent, specifically for their program, at the exact time they need it. If it’s two hours late, or not the right shape, all hell breaks loose.

“This expansion will give us even more capability and capacity to get reliable and sustainable steel to our customers exactly when they need it.”

“We have a proud history in Queensland and a significant footprint to service the market, with 37 sites and 930 employees right here in the state.”

Queensland’s infrastructure pipeline is $117 billion over the next four years, including the $7 billion Olympic build. Over the next decade some 900,000 new homes need to be built across the state’s south-east.

The Hemmant facility expansion, currently underway, includes the installation of four new high-speed off-coil machines and significant upgrades to material handling capabilities, doubling annual capacity from 25,000 tonnes to 45,000 tonnes.

The Eagle Farm facility is also expanding with state-of-the-art bar processing equipment and plans to grow production from 60,000 tonnes to 90,000 tonnes a year. The expansion will be delivered in three stages over three to four years. The Hemmant expansion and Eagle Farm stage one expansion will be completed next year.

The two facilities are supplied by InfraBuild’s Rooty Hill steel plant in Sydney and its Newcastle steel mill. InfraBuild also has local mesh manufacturing capability in Queensland at its Acacia Ridge facility.

Infrabuild’s Distribution business (Infrabuild Reinforcing & ARC) is the largest steel reinforcing supplier in Queensland.

The company has supplied steel for some of Queensland’s most significant projects, including Cross River Rail, Queens Wharf, Waterfront Brisbane, Brisbane Ferry Terminals, Gold Coast University Hospital and the MacIntyre Wind Farm.