BlueScope Distribution understands that successful construction companies need access to a wide range of steel materials quickly, to respond to their customer’s needs.
Critical to large building developments is access to trusted products, such as sheet and coil products like COLORBOND® steel and ZINCALUME® steel, and plate products, such as XLERPLATE® steel. Products such as these are produced to relevant Australian Standards, in Australia, for Australian conditions.
As well as flat steel products BlueScope Distribution can supply a range of steel products for the construction industry:
- tube steel
- steel bar and merchant bar
- structural steel
- reinforcing steel products
As well as stock-holdings for urgent materials, BlueScope Distribution can assist in coordinating supply to large future building projects; ensuring projects are accurately supplied on-time with the specified products.
Case Studies – CONSTRUCTION
A recent case study in Construction involved a tank project in Townsville undertaken by Townsville Engineering Industries, with the support of BlueScope Distribution. The key product involved was XLERPLATE® steel.
Townsville is well known as one of the fastest growing urban centres in Queensland. Located in the city’s north is Mount Louisa, an idyllic semi-rural residential suburb. Like many other locales around the region, the suburb has seen rapid urban expansion in recent years – but a lack of necessary infrastructure has meant its water supplies have dwindled.
To address the issue, Townsville Council funded the construction of a potable water storage reservoir and commissioned local firm Townsville Engineering Industries (TEi) to build the structure with a premium quality BlueScope product. The Mt Louisa reservoir is to hold 221⁄2 mega litres, measure 52 metres in diameter and will be 12 metres high. The foundation is a structural concrete ring beam with road-base pad and asphalt seal.
TEi has been operating for more than 45 years as an engineer and fabricator. As a jobbing factory, the company has produced trommels, conveyor systems and structural sections for clients in mining, construction, food manufacturing and agriculture. However according to TEi’s General Manager Richard Parker, the company takes pride in its expertise with heavy plate work, a forte which has been put to good use on a number of different successful reservoir construction projects over time – Mt Louisa being the most recent.
“We’ve made quite a few reservoirs over the years for Townsville City Council and become quite well known for being able to engineer and construct large water tanks. Three years ago we had huge success building a similar reservoir at nearby Mt Low. It was about half the diameter, but a similar sort of construction. Because of that project we were looked at favourably and ended up winning the Mt Louisa tender process,” Parker said.
As the project’s Principal, TEi’s scope of work included excavation, piping, civil construction, valve pits and steel tank construction. Although the choice to go with BlueScope XLERPLATE® 350 steel on the Mt Louisa reservoir was a specification by the project’s designers, Parker said it made complete sense from an engineering standpoint.
“BlueScope XLERPLATE® 350 steel has advantages both in terms of construction and service life. We’ve found it to be highly formable, malleable and weldable. You can bend, set it, then form it into shape. We can dog it into position very easily,” he said.
“With the correct surface protection and cathodic protection the durable material’s going to have a very long life. I believe the other option would’ve been to go with concrete for the tank’s construction, but that would have been a slower, much more difficult build. Concrete would have given the structure a shorter life and there’d be uncertainty in joins between pours.”
TEi’s working relationship with BlueScope Distribution as a supplier further bolstered its confidence in the use of XLERPLATE® steel for the project.
Although the project is nearing completion, there is plenty for TEi to be excited about in the near and long-term future. Townsville City Council has proposed a number of other different reservoir projects to keep development ahead of its ever-burgeoning population. “There’s another reservoir set to go into development next financial year and the Council’s also green-lit a tank farm project commencing in 2020, where one tank will be built per year,” said Parker. “That means there’s going to be plenty more tenders to win and hopefully the opportunity to construct those tanks using a great Australian steel product.”
To contact Townsville Engineering Industries visit www.tei.com.au
To download the Case Study click on: Townsville Engineering Industries
This case study has been prepared for information purposes only. BlueScope makes no representation or warranty as to the completeness or accuracy of the information contained in this document. You must make your own assessment of the information contained in this document and rely on it wholly at your own risk. Published by BlueScope Steel Limited. ® are registered trade marks of BlueScope Steel Limited. ™ are trade marks of BlueScope Steel Limited. © 2015 BlueScope Steel Limited ABN 16 000 011 058.