LEADING steelmaker SteelAsia Manufacturing Corp. has shipped 10,000 metric tons (MT) of rebars to Canada to put the Philippines back on the map of steel exporting.
SteelAsia Senior Vice President and Head of Sales Yvette C. Sy said the firm exported the reinforcing steel bars amounting to P300 million to Canada, the first time after several decades a Philippine company shipped steel for export.
Rebars are used to provide tensile strength for infrastructure, buildings, housing and other structures.
“We are excited to see Philippine-made 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,” Sy said.
SteelAsia is the first steel-bar manufacturer in the Philippines to obtain an Integrated Management System certification when its Environment (ISO 14001) and Health and Safety (OHSAS 18001) Management Systems were integrated with its Quality Management System (ISO 9001).
Its ISO 9001 has also been certified to conform to United Kingdom standards for rebars, the only local firm 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 on a par with the best in the world,” Sy added.
Sy vowed SteelAsia will not lose its sight over domestic requirements. This is particularly crucial at a time when the government is embarking on a massive infrastructure program aimed at decongesting Metro Manila and spurring economic growth and employment to the countryside.
SteelAsia is the country’s flagship steel firm with six rebar rolling mills across the archipelago: three in Luzon, one in the Visayas and two in Mindanao. The six mills have a combined output of over 2 million MT annually.
“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 said.