steel Australia (Vol 35 No 2) Winter 2022

Page 34

STEELINE: SERVICE OVER AND ABOVE ESTABLISHED OVER 30 YEARS AGO IN 1991, STEELINE IS AUSTRALIA'S ONLY NATIONAL BUYING GROUP OF INDEPENDENTLY OWNED, METAL ROOFING AND STEEL BUILDING PRODUCT ROLLFORMING SPECIALISTS. WITH AROUND 50 BRANCHES ALL ACROSS AUSTRALIA—MOSTLY IN REGIONAL AREAS—STEELINE IS FAMILY OWNED, NIMBLE, LOCAL AND VERY SERVICE ORIENTED. THE PEOPLE WHO OWN THE STORES, RUN THE STORES.

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ccording to Andrew Walsh (Chief Executive Officer, Steeline), "The Steeline Group was originally created by the Jones family (The Roofing Centre Albury-Wodonga) over 30 years ago in 1991, and in 2021 we celebrated 30 years together. Steeline’s three founding members also included The Roofing Centre Mildura and The Roofing Centre Tasmania. In the 30 years since, the Steeline Group has grown considerably, and now has around 30 members across all Australian states and territories.”

also offers a variety of complementary products including fasteners, insulation, skylights and fibreglass and polycarbonate sheeting. Some Steeline members also choose to specialise in a particular market segment, such as purlins and girts for the commercial and industrial sectors, steel panel fencing, sheds, garages, carports, patios or steel framing.

Steeline’s growth has not only been through the acquisition of new members, the Group has also grown through the addition of new branches, and through organic growth, with new roll forming machines, new market segments, new customers, and increased market size and share.”

"Steeline is quite unique in the steel industry, in that we are Australia's only buying group of steel roll-formers. At Steeline, we see ourselves as being very different to all the rest. We’re not 'big corporates' like the others; we’re family owned and operated, we’re nimble, local – and very service oriented. We look after our customers like nobody else can, and we pride ourselves on delivering service over and above," said Walsh.

Steeline’s members are all local manufacturers and suppliers of high quality roll-formed steel building products, from roofing and rainwater goods, to steel framing, fencing, sheds, purlins, top-hats and battens, and many other steel building products. Steeline

Steeline‘s roll-formed building products are made from well-known, Australian made brands such as COLORBOND® steel, ZINCALUME® steel, GALVASPAN® steel, TRUECORE® steel and AQUAPLATE® steel, giving their customers the confidence that the job will last.

Andrew Walsh (Chief Executive Officer, Steeline)

As a national buying group, Steeline uses its combined volume and purchasing power to leverage the best possible value from its key suppliers. The sheer volume of purchasing power aggregated by the size of the overall group provides each individual member with economies of scale that they would not have been able to achieve on their own. "Steeline has a strong regional focus, which isn’t to say that we're not in the capital cities, but rather, we have a stronger presence in regional areas than metropolitan. Some roll-formed or folded metal building products can be challenging to transport over long distances and unless they are handled carefully, they can sometimes be prone to transport or handling damage. By having Steeline branches close-by in regional areas, Steeline is well placed to minimise traveling distances and therefore avoid these problems,” said Walsh. Steeline currently operates in around 50 locations, from Darwin to Hobart, Perth, Cairns, Mount Gambier and Wagga Wagga, through to Shepparton, Mackay and Maroochydore. And, at Steeline, the people who own the stores, run the stores. “Being locally owned also means we have a significant interest in doing a great job for both our customers and the local community. It also means our customers can just walk in and discuss their needs with local people who really care," said Walsh. "Steeline also has really good relationships with our key suppliers. As a national Group, we are sufficiently sized that we are important customers and channel partners to large suppliers, such as BlueScope, Fletchers, CSR, Buildex, Ampelite and many others, but we also aim to be easy to do business with – partners looking to succeed together." For Steeline’s members, the benefits of Steeline membership are about more than just purchasing power. National Steeline Conferences are held twice per year, to maintain the close relationships between members, and to discuss and formulate a range of strategic initiatives. Conferences are an opportunity for


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