SteelAsia’s 1st steel beam plant operational by 2023

MANILA, Philippines — SteelAsia Manufacturing Corp. expects to begin operations of the country’s first steel beam manufacturing plant in Lemery, Batangas in 2023.

In a recent statement, SteelAsia said construction of the two production lines for steel making and steel   section rolling at the facility was suspended due to the imposition of community lockdown to slow the spread of COVID-19 last year.

SteelAsia broke ground on the facility in 2019.

Once operational, the facility will create at least 1,500 direct jobs and thousands more from ancillary industries and businesses.

It will also have an annual capacity of around 1.1 million tons of steel products used in infrastructure and heavy construction such as H/I beams, sheet piles, heavy angles and channels.

These products are all currently being imported.

“The Lemery Works steel plant is of national significance as it will reduce our reliance on imports for important steel products needed for the government’s ambitious infrastructure program,”SteelAsia president Benjamin Yao said.

In addition, the facility which was provided with design and equipment by the world’s leading manufacturer of sections equipment SMS of Germany, and one of the pioneers in reheating furnaces, Fives or formerly Stein Huertey of France,  will position Batangas as one of the country’s top steel hubs.

“When you export and process our resources abroad, it is creating jobs in another country. With this new plant, we will recycle our steel scrap here and generate local jobs,” Yao said.

SteelAsia aims to create regional industrial hubs and make steel products more accessible and affordable in all parts of the country.

At present, SteelAsia has plants in Davao, Cebu, Misamis Oriental, Batangas, and Bulacan.

It is also building plants in Compostela Cebu, Tarlac and Quezon Province.