Haywards' Reputation Reaps Rewards

Tasmanian heavy fabrication and engineering company Haywards Steel Fabrication and Construction has grown significantly in the last decade, establishing a national reputation for wind tower expertise.

The Launceston based company, which works on up to six major industrial projects at any one time, had an annual turnover of more than $35 million in the 2006/07 financial year.

"We've fabricated and delivered steelwork to every state in Australia over the past few years," Managing Director Steve Edmunds says. "The high profile nature of the wind tower work has given us a real boost into other major project work."

Haywards, which built its first wind tower in May 2001, has fabricated towers for five Australian wind farms, Woolnorth and Studland Bay wind farms in Tasmania, Canunda and Lake Bonney wind farms in South Australia, and the Alinta wind farm in Western Australia.

The company has specialist equipment including custom built heavy plate rollers and 35 tonne carrier units for loading and moving large steel sections. It also has extensive rotating and sub arc welding equipment.

"Wind towers are our largest single item fabricated. Each weighs about 65 tonnes, has a four metre diameter, and is built in 30 metre long sections, the largest size we can transport by road," Steve says. "A typical wind tower contract plate order can be up to five thousand tonnes of steel, most being XLERPLATE® steel."

Haywards' most recent wind tower project, Studland Bay Wind Farm, was completed in February 2007 and involved the fabrication of 25 80 metre high wind towers.

Other recent projects include the Monash Interchange Bridge for the Thiess John Holland Eastlink project, coal stackers for north Queensland, and the main column structures for the Southern Star Observation Wheel for Alfasi Steel Construction in Melbourne.

"We have just completed the final 74 metre high structural columns for the Southern Star Observation Wheel," Steve says. "We've built a total of six columns comprising 700 tonnes of mostly Grade 350 XLERPLATE® steel."

Southern Star Observation Wheel, a ferris wheel like structure almost 40 storeys high, will offer aerial views of Melbourne from Waterfront City, and is expected to attract 1.5 million passengers a year.

Haywards has recently completed the construction of a new furnace for BHP Billiton Temco Smelter at Bell Bay and has also been awarded the majority of steel fabrication construction work for the new Allegiance Metals Nickel Mine on the west coast of Tasmania. The company is allocating a significant part of its resources to construct the process buildings, equipment, conveyor systems and crushing and screening plant in the shortest possible timeframe.

"The Temco project involved demolishing the old furnace and building a new water cooled furnace, 12.5 metres in diameter and eight metres high," Steve says.

Haywards employs about 120 people at two workshops, an 8000 square metre workshop in Launceston, and 1000 square metre workshop at Wynyard on Tasmania's north west coast.

The company is a member of the STEEL BY™ Brand Partnership Program, sourcing its steel products through distributors OneSteel Steel and Tube and Smorgon Steel.

"As an Australian manufacturer, we fully support manufacturing in this country," Steve says. "We are a large purchaser of BlueScope Steel products, and joined the program to show our support for Australian made steel."

For more information contact:
Steve Edmunds
Haywards Steel Fabrication and Construction
Ph: 03 6391 8508
www.haywards-steel.com.au