PH becomes steel bar exporter

Leading Philippine steel firm SteelAsia Manufacturing Corp. is delivering its first export of rebars to Canada, making the Philippines a steel bar exporter again after several decades.

SteelAsia SVP and Head of Sales Yvette Sy said the company shipped 10,000 metric tons of rebar to Canada worth over P300 million (around $6 million). Rebars are used by the construction sector to provide tensile strength for infrastructure, buildings, housing, and other structures.

“We are excited to see Philippinemade rebars being used in buildings and infrastructure in Canada. This shows that our steel products are competitive and world-class, having passed the stringent standards on steel set by Canadian authorities,” she said.

SteelAsia is the first steel bar manufacturer in the Philippines to have an Integrated Management System (IMS) certification when its Environment (ISO 14001) and Health and Safety (OHSAS 18001) Management Systems were integrated with its Quality Management System (ISO 9001).

SteelAsia’s Quality Management System has also been certified to conform to UK CARES or the UK Certification Authority for Reinforcing Steel Bars, the only Philippine company to achieve such certification at this time.

“We hope to do our part in raising the reputation of Philippine manufacturing by ensuring that our steel products are at par with the best in the world,” Sy said.

She also assured that SteelAsia will continue to ably support domestic requirements, especially the ongoing massive infrastructure developments in the country.

The Yao-owned SteelAsia is the Philippines’ flagship steel firm with six rebar rolling mills across the country – three in Luzon, one in the Visayas, and two in Mindanao - producing an output of over two million tons per year.

“We are proud to contribute to the country’s development, not only through the manufacture of quality steel locally but also by earning precious foreign exchange for the country through exports,” Sy concluded.

In December last year, SteelAsia Chairman Benjamin Yao have partnered with China’s HBIS Group Co. Ltd. and Huili Investment Fund Management Co. Ltd. to jointly undertake the country’s first integrated steel manufacturing operation in Misamis Oriental worth $4.4 billion.

The facilities in the plant will include those related to port operation, sintering, coking, pelletizing, iron-making, steel-making, steel rolling and further processing. The construction and rampup period is scheduled to span from three to five years.