It was demerged from BHP Billiton on 22 July 2002 as BHP Steel and renamed BlueScope Steel on 17 November 2003. Early in 2004, BlueScope merged with the American firm Butler Manufacturing. At this time, BlueScope's managing director and chief executive officer was Kirby Adams. Such a merger was considered a strategic move for both companies as they were similar in character and non-overlapping in the markets they operated in, such that acquisition of Butler, based in Kansas City, Missouri, would provide BlueScope with access to United States and Chinese markets. Butler was founded in 1901, operated in sixteen countries and focused on non-residential building and building component construction. At the time of the merger, Butler had a dozen production facilities across the United States, China and Mexico. In 2007, the company acquired four companies consisting of most of the United States holdings of the Argentinian firm Ternium, those being Steelscape, ASC Profiles, Varco Pruden Buildings; and Metl-Span, which was in 2012 acquired by NCI Building Systems. The four companies had been held by the Mexican Grupo IMSA prior to their purchase by Ternium. Steelscape originated in 1996 as BHP Coated Steel and was originally owned by BlueScope. In March 2012 a new coated steel manufacturing plant was inaugurated in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand State, India. In February 2014 Bluescope Steel purchased Orrcon Steel from Hills Corporation. Its products include RHS, SHS and CHS structural tubular steel, hot-rolled structural steel and fencing, roofing and building accessories. Because of lower energy prices in the U.S. than in Australia, BlueScope in 2019 decided to expand its investment in America by $1 billion.
Operations
The corporate headquarters are located at 120 Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria. The company has 16,000 personnel. Its largest operating plant, an integrated steelworks, is located at Port Kembla near Wollongong in the Illawarra, New South Wales. In October 2011, No.6 Blast furnace, one of two at Port Kembla, was shut down, reducing the plant's production capacity by 50% after the company decided to exit the export market. Major products include steel slab, hot rolled coil, steel plate, automotive steel, galvanised steel, corrugated galvanised iron, "Zincalume" brand coated steel, and "Colorbond" brand pre-painted steel. Tinplate production ceased in March 2007. In 2002, the founding Managing Director and CEO was Kirby Adams. Paul O'Malley replaced Mr Adams in October 2007. In January 2018, Mr O’Malley retired. The head of BlueScope’s Australian business division, Mr Mark Vassella, was appointed BlueScope Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer to replace him. Orrcon Steel supplies steel, tube and pipe to steel fabricators, furniture and trailer body manufacturers, housing and construction companies and pipeline and infrastructure engineering firms. It has distribution centres in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
Finished products are transported around Australia by rail freight operator Pacific National. In February 2007 PN secured Australia's largest ever rail freight contract with BlueScope Steel and OneSteel, to carry approximately 3 million tonnes of steel product each year for 7 years.
