BlueScope Steel MCL7 facility

Prime Constructions has successfully delivered the Metal Coating Line 7 (MCL7) facility for BlueScope Steel at its Western Sydney Service Centre, Erskine Park – an ambitious and highly complex industrial project that pushed the limits of coordination, sequencing and on-site delivery.

Part of BlueScope’s $415 million expansion, the MCL7 facility is an extension to their existing CPL8 Colorbond line building – providing a new metal coating line for the zincalume treatment of coiled steel sheeting and increasing overall production capacity by 240,000 tonnes annually.

Delivered over 28 months, Prime undertook a dual role, providing Design & Construct services for the building and infrastructure, alongside construct-only works for the highly specialised line equipment foundations. The project involves the construction of a 10,000m², 38m high production facility with significant electrical, mechanical, fire and specialised services infrastructure along with 9 heavy duty overhead cranes.

The challenges were significant. The narrow 22-metre-wide building footprint, combined with a live industrial, working environment, created severe access constraints – particularly as multiple trades mobilised, with up to 300 workers onsite daily. Construction of six-metre-deep internal cellars within this confined structure required innovative sequencing, including the use of sacrificial sheet piling installed prior to steel erection.

Operating within a 24-hour, six-day program, over 8 stages to facilitate early access, Prime maintained momentum through careful planning, extended shifts and close collaboration with BlueScope’s large, multi-disciplinary delivery teams. Despite the complexity, the team successfully coordinated structural, civil and services interfaces to deliver a high-performance facility.

The result is a technically sophisticated asset that strengthens BlueScope’s manufacturing capability while demonstrating Prime’s ability to solve complex construction challenges under pressure.