Voices of BlueScope: Recent Episodes
Bluescope
Join host Martin Feld as he interviews BlueScope people around the world about their careers, teams and projects. Along the way, you'll learn how our people create strong, resilient products and workplaces to benefit our communities for the future.
As Health, Well-being and Innovation Manager at BlueScope Australian Steel Products, Steph O'Dwyer discusses her career, the importance of health and well-being and how it felt to be recognised with the Safety Advocacy Award at the 2022 Women in Industry Awards. Links and Show Notes * Read a transcript of the episode. * Occupational health and safety (OH&S) * Milo (drink) * Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971 film) * Blog: Steel Safety Day 2022 — Working at heights by worldsteel * Employee assistance program (EAP) * Deborah Keep (Steph's reference to 'Deb Keep Program') * Women in Industry * LinkedIn post during the 2022 Women in Industry Awards about Steph's Safety Advocacy Award
Edited by Martin Feld
As we explore and move towards new alternatives in steelmaking, planning is underway for a massive project to reline the currently dormant No. 6 Blast Furnace at our Port Kembla Steelworks in Australia. To celebrate this and acknowledge the hard work of those who came before, we welcomed back to our Port Kembla Steelworks four former employees who contributed to the original launch of the No. 6 Blast Furnace in 1996: Darryle Lathlean, Peter Cross, Ron Buchan and Syd Webb. Reminiscing about their past work and looking to the future, they kindly shared their personal stories in separate interviews with us. Links and Show Notes * Read a transcript of the episode. * Port Kembla, New South Wales * Port Kembla Steelworks * The Blast Furnace Process at Port Kembla Steelworks (TVBlueScope video) * Blast Furnace Walk Past in 360 Degrees (TVBlueScope video — drag or swipe to move the 360-degree clip) * Faces of BlueScope: Former Employees Return to No. 6 Blast Furnace (TVBlueScope video showing podcast interviewees' responses on the blast furnace deck) * Faces of BlueScope: Engineers at No. 5 Blast Furnace (TVBlueScope video about the next generation of engineers at Port Kembla) * Interested to see what a podcast looks like? View a screenshot of the editing timeline for this episode.
Edited by Martin Feld
We chat with Tay Kruizinga, a Licensed Graded Tradesperson in Port Kembla, Australia, who received the HVTC award for Apprentice of the Year in 2021, along with other significant accolades. She tells her personal career-change story, shares what she loves about her role and explains how other women can pursue work in trades.
Links and Show Notes * Read a transcript of the episode. * Pictured with Tay in MP3 artwork for podcast chapter four: Michael Ruddock (Manager, Southern Regions at HVTC) * Tradesperson * Apprenticeship * Faces of BlueScope: Tay Kruizinga, Licensed Graded Tradesperson (TVBlueScope video) * FocusOn New Apprentices in 2021 (TVBlueScope video featuring then-new recruits) * FocusOn Basic Oxygen Steelmaking - the BOS (TVBlueScope video) * HVTC * TAFE NSW * Apprentice Employment Network NSW & ACT * NSW Training Awards by Training Services NSW * Analytics * Data centre * Port Kembla, New South Wales * Port Kembla Steelworks * Sydney (Australia) * An earlier LinkedIn post about one of Tay's awards * BlueScope and Sydney Water (TVBlueScope video with more of an explanation of water recycling) * Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) * Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths Careers at BlueScope (TVBlueScope video) * Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) * Automation * FocusOn Semi-automated Packing Line at Springhill (TVBlueScope video as an example of automation for safety and efficiency)
Edited by Martin Feld
As Voices of BlueScope returns in 2022, our Head of Corporate Affairs, Michael Reay, holds a special interview at the Port Kembla Steelworks in Australia with Dave Bell, our retiring General Manager Manufacturing. In this role, Dave has been responsible for the entire integrated steelmaking facility, and is now leaving BlueScope after an impressive 43 years with the company to enjoy retirement and time with family. You'll hear Dave reflect on his career, describe the people he’s met along the way and explain how BlueScope has evolved and continues to adapt for the future.
Links and Show Notes * Read a transcript of the episode. * Whyalla * Port Kembla * Metallurgy * Greenfield project * Profit and loss (P&L) * Western Port * FocusOn BlueScope's Innovation Laboratories (TVBlueScope video) * Staves are used to protect the shell of a blast furnace. * MoU with Rio Tinto * MoU with Shell * Illawarra * Victoria (Australia) * Ford Mustang * ASP = BlueScope Australian Steel Products * ResponsibleSteel * Bunnings Warehouse * Coronavirus * Hotel California by Eagles
Edited by Martin Feld
We learn about New Zealand Steel's partnership with Road Safety Education, a not-for-profit organisation that is committed to reducing trauma on our roads by educating young people in senior high school. Our guests include two Road Safety Education representatives, Maria Lovelock (General Manager NZ) and Brooke O'Donnell (General Manager – Education and Communications), along with Vicki Woodley (External Affairs Manager, New Zealand Steel). Links and Show Notes * Read a transcript of the episode. * New Zealand Steel * Road Safety Education * About RYDA * Kress carriers * Waiuku * Māori language
Edited by Martin Feld
This episode includes excerpts from the 2021 Annual General Meeting (AGM) and reflections on company performance for the year, along with a behind-the-scenes interview after the event.
Links and Show Notes * Read a transcript of the episode. * First Nations or Indigenous Peoples (as a general term) * Map of Indigenous Australia (showing history and geography of Australia's First Peoples) * Eora Nation * Gadigal (or Cadigal) People * Kulin Nation * Boon wurrung People * Wurundjeri People * BlueScope Annual General Meeting * BlueScope sustainability reporting suite * Our Purpose & Our Bond * Health, safety and environment (HSE) * Leading and lagging indicators (explanation from an unaffiliated blog) * Paris Agreement * Working together to accelerate a zero-emissions steel sector * BlueScope and Rio Tinto sign MOU for low-emissions steelmaking at PKSW * North Star BlueScope Steel * Strengthening position in US, acquisition of ferrous recycling business * MetalX * FocusOn Scrap Steel Recycling (TVBlueScope video) * DRI - Melter - BOF Pathway (TVBlueScope video) * LinkedIn post about AGM 2021 (including photos)
Edited by Martin Feld
Situated in Delta, Ohio in the United States, North Star BlueScope Steel has been undergoing a major expansion. In this episode, we meet four people from North Star: Doug Lange (President), Sheri Caldwell (Vice President Human Resources), Weldon Hull (Engineer in EAF Operations) and Daniel Bridge (Manager in Caster Maintenance). Together, they give an overview of the company, explain its products, share what it’s like to work there and discuss how they have maintained operations during the expansion.
Links and Show Notes * Read a transcript of the episode. * North Star BlueScope Steel * North Star BlueScope Steel Expansion Project (TVBlueScope video) * Electric arc furnace (EAF) * Images of the expansion project (PDF with chronological presentation of the caster, ladle aisle and electric arc furnace)
Edited by Martin Feld
Benn Williams, Katy Jones, Mark Weaver and Mikaela Keir join the podcast to discuss their work on the Identity committee at New Zealand Steel, which promotes the benefits of diversity and inclusion at work and beyond. Links and Show Notes * Read a transcript of the episode. * New Zealand Steel * List of Iwi * Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori — Māori Language Week (history of the Māori language) * He Papa Tikanga — NZ Certificate in Tikanga (Mātauranga Māori) * List of 2021 Diversity Awards NZ™ finalists * Photo from 2021 Women in Industry Forum at New Zealand Steel, featuring speakers Dr. Troy Coyle and Gretta Stephens (Chief Executive Climate Change, BlueScope) * An example on LinkedIn of women at New Zealand Steel challenging traditionally male-dominated roles
Edited by Martin Feld
Earlier in 2021, we were thrilled to welcome 91-year-old John Lysaght and his family to our Springhill Plant at the Port Kembla Steelworks in Australia. John is the former Managing Director of Lysaght and a direct descendant of the company founder of the same name. Retiring in 1989 after a stellar 35-year career in charge of Lysaght, John has left a lasting legacy on our business. This episode features an interview with John by Michael Reay, Manager Corporate Affairs, along with his visiting son Andrew, daughter-in-law Lexi and grandchildren Zoe and Will.
Links and Show Notes
* Lysaght website
* Port Kembla, New South Wales
* Timeline of the Lysaght company and brand, featuring information about products and the Springhill plant
* Photo of John Lysaght with former Prime Minister of Australia Bob Hawke and Australian entrepreneur Dick Smith at the Western Port site in Victoria
Dick Smith image
* Photo of John Lysaght visiting the Springhill plant with his family
* Photo of John Lysaght visiting Taiwan
* Western Port, Victoria
* BHP
* Rugby football (collective article about various sporting codes)
* Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport (song)
Edited by Martin Feld
We meet Steven O'Connor (VP Finance and Sales) and Petcharat Wongkamonrat (VP Health, Safety and Environment) at NS BlueScope in Thailand. They share stories about how the company has been promoting health, sustainability and education across the country, along with how BlueScope products have been used to benefit underprivileged communities. Links and Show Notes * Read a transcript of the episode. * Thailand * Myanmar * NS BlueScope ASEAN * Nippon Steel Corporation * BlueScope: Our Purpose * BlueScope: Our Bond * Habitat for Humanity * Lysaght at NS BlueScope * Buddhism * COVID-19 * Personal protective equipment (PPE) * Ranbuild * FocusOn Maptaphut Training Centre (TVBlueScope YouTube video) * Klong Toey / Khlong Toei District in Thailand * Duang Prateep Foundation * BlueScope LinkedIn post about collaboration with Duang Prateep Foundation * BlueScope LinkedIn post about donation to Rangsit Baby Home Foundation * BlueScope LinkedIn post about the donation to Somdet Chaopraya Institute of Psychiatry, raising awareness of mental health * BlueScope LinkedIn post about Green Star Awards for NS BlueScope and NS BlueScope Lysaght (environmental and safety recognition form the IEAT Governor) * International Women's Day * Image: Rayong Prison flyer on the donation of essential women's and baby's items * Image: health, PPE and oximeter donations for COVID-19 treatment * Image: local forest clean-up by NS BlueScope employees * Image: donation of roofing material for school coffee shop
Edited by Martin Feld
Michael Reay (Manager Corporate Affairs) speaks with a panel of four BlueScope employees who participated in Jawun Indigenous Corporate Partnerships in Australia, including Rachael Lew, Lloyd Niccol, Jillian Noad and Blake Tasker. We learn about their experiences working with remote communities and organisations, as they encourage others at BlueScope (and beyond) to apply for the program. Links and Show Notes * Read a transcript of the episode. * Interviewees are Rachael Lew, Lloyd Niccol, Jillian Noad and Blake Tasker. * Jawun * Aboriginal Australians (Indigenous or First Nations peoples) * Regional Anangu Services Aboriginal Corporation (RASAC) * Purple House * Dialysis * Central Australian Aboriginal Congress (CAAC) * Mentioned in the podcast, 'CIPA' stands for Coated and Industrial Products Australia. * Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (NPY) Women’s Council * Kuku Yalanji * Alice Springs * Northern Territory * Western Australia * South Australia * Victoria * Central Australia * Four-wheel drive * Goodie/goody bag * Fly (insect) repellant * Sunscreen * Protein bar * MacDonnell Ranges * Rodeo * Pukatja (formerly Ernabella) * Note that degrees are in Celsius! * Woolies (Woolworths Supermarkets) * Kmart Ausrtralia
Edited by Martin Feld
We meet four people at the Port Kembla Steelworks in Australia, who are working in electrical and mechanical roles. Aidan Grindle, Bradley Heino, Naomi Alves and Stuart Kerr are at different stages of their careers but they each have one thing in common: they all started at BlueScope as apprentices. In each interview, they explain what it means to train as an apprentice or learn a trade and where it has taken them.
Links and Show Notes * Read a transcript of the episode. * FocusOn New Apprentices in 2021 (TVBlueScope video) — featuring Naomi Alves * Apprenticeship (Wikipedia article) * Basic oxygen steelmaking (Wikipedia article) — known as 'the BOS' at the Port Kembla steelworks * FocusOn Basic Oxygen Steelmaking - the BOS (TVBlueScope video) * HVTC website — apprenticeship partner with BlueScope in Australia * Learn more about careers with BlueScope in Australia on the dedicated website.
Edited by Martin Feld
We meet Rachael Robinson and Letitia Sutherland Napaltjarri, two interns with the CareerTrackers Indigenous Internship Program: an Australian non-profit organisation that supports Indigenous young adults to attend and graduate from university. Letitia and Rachael share their own stories of joining the program and working with us at BlueScope. They're joined in the episode by Horace Cavallaro, Technical Manager at our Springhill facility, who gives his perspective of collaborating with interns on various projects.
Links and Show Notes * Read a transcript of the episode. * Accompanying video with Rachael, Letitia and Horace * CareerTrackers website * Earlier video featuring Letitia (2020) * The Seven Sisters or Kungkarangkalpa Creation (Dreaming) story * Tjukurpa Kungkarangkalpa Kurualala — Seven Sisters Story at Kuru-ala (video) * Kungkarangkalpa: Seven Sisters Songline (live performance video) * Pleiades
Edited by Martin Feld
2020 has been a transformative year. At BlueScope, like many others, we have adapted the way that we work. One key example is our 2020 Annual General Meeting (AGM), which was held entirely online between two studios in Melbourne and Sydney in Australia. This episode reflects on these changes and includes excerpts from the AGM, as we look ahead to 2021.
Links and Show Notes * Read a transcript of the episode. * BlueScope Annual General Meeting (archive including links to documents and a video recording) * BlueScope FY2020 Sustainability Report * Outcome no. 1: sustainable and enduring business * Outcome no. 2: safe and inclusive workplaces * Outcome no. 3: climate change action * Outcome no. 4: responsible products and supply chains * Outcome no. 5: strong communities * LinkedIn post about AGM 2020 (including photos)
Edited by Martin Feld
Located in Sydney in Australia, this site produces a range of flat steel products for use by various customers in building and construction. Alex Buckoski and Mandi Kumar, who work at the site, were kind enough to show us around and tell us about what goes on there in two dedicated interviews.
Links and Show Notes * Read a transcript of the episode. * Watch the accompanying video titled 'FocusOn BlueScope Distribution in South Granville' to explore the site, including narration by Alex and Mandi. * South Granville in New South Wales, Australia * Australian Steel Products page at BlueScope Corporate, with more information and links to steel products * Dux * Rheem * Roll slitting
Edited by Martin Feld
This time, we meet Craig Roadcap, Branch Manager at Batemans Bay in Australia. He was recognised with a BlueScope Living Safety Award in 2020, after he and his close-knit team kept their site safe and running during the devastating bushfires that hit the area late in 2019.
Links and Show Notes * Watch the accompanying video titled 'FocusOn BlueScope Lysaght Batemans Bay' to see Craig Roadcap and his team working on-site. * Batemans Bay * New South Wales * Flashing (weatherproofing) * Box gutter * Fascia (architecture) * BlueScope Lysaght ZENITH™ (architectural cladding) * BlueScope ZINCALUME® steel * Bunnings Warehouse * Definition of 'felt leadership': '“Felt leadership” is the name given to a style of leadership in which management wants employees to feel that their supervisors respect them and are deeply invested in their well-being. Felt leadership is about showing, not telling.' (Source: DuPont Sustainable Solutions, 2020) * RU OK? Day * Our Purpose at BlueScope * Bushfire (also known as wildfires or rural fires, depending on the country or region) * Ember attack * New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) * Fires Near Me webpage * Fires Near Me NSW app
Edited by Martin Feld
In this episode, we meet three modern-day pioneers at the Port Kembla Steelworks's BOS facility: Ruby O’Driscoll, Kiana Rodgers and Gillian Smillie. On 7 October 2020, they were the first to constitute an all-female team in the BOS control-room—a crucial point in our manufacturing process. They explain the role of the BOS, their own career backgrounds and how they feel about this historic moment. Links and Show Notes * Internal Workplace post about the team from 7 October 2020 * Ruby, Kiana and Gillian at the BOS * A mule (as mentioned in the podcast: a motor/train substitute to pull torpedo ladles in and out of the building) * FocusOn Basic Oxygen Steelmaking — the BOS (TVBlueScope video on YouTube)
Edited by Martin Feld
We speak with Justin Tierney (General Manager at BlueScope Fiji) and Bhavesh Kumar (Director of RC Manubhai Group of Companies) about their B2B relationship and what it's like to work with people from diverse cultures in Fiji and make a difference to building standards in the country.
Links and Show Notes * BlueScope New Zealand and Pacific Islands webpage * Justin and Bhavesh on tour in Port Kembla * Image of employees singing their prayer song of unity * BlueScope on LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube
Edited by Martin Feld
We speak with Shaun Yeo, Hung Dang and Maharany (Nikki) Putri about the various corporate social responsibility programmes that are happening at NS BlueScope in Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on work at their respective locations in Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia.
Links and Show Notes * NS BlueScope website * NS BlueScope on LinkedIn * 300 Roofs — BlueScope Zacs in Vietnam (video)
Edited by Martin Feld
In 2020, BlueScope repeated its successful competition for a VIP tour of The Block, giving one lucky employee the opportunity to visit the property displayed on the Australian television show. The winner was John Conran from Port Kembla, who stunned the judges with a poetic entry. In this episode, we speak with John about his competition victory and career with BlueScope.
(There is a nice, little surprise for those who listen until the end.)
Links and Show Notes * The Block (Australian TV series) * My Country by Australian poet and fiction writer Dorothea Mackellar (the classic inspiration for John's poem) * The plate mill at Port Kembla * John and his mechanical metallurgy book * Australian Iron & Steel Pty Ltd booklet examples * John's IEEE tie * John's blue tie from the slab and plate division * Some of the uttered Australian vernacular includes: + reno = renovation; + verandah = a roofed platform along the outside of a house, level with the ground floor; and + tradie = tradesperson (e.g. electrician, plumber, carpenter).
John's Winning Poem
The love of paint and plaster
Of wood with shady grains,
Of ordered tools and workshops
Is running in our veins.
Strong love of crisp-white finish,
Grey trim and soft downlights
I know, but should I dare it,
Renos are otherwise.
I love a stripped out kitchen,
Devoid of asbestos sheet,
Of holes in walls and gaps in floors,
Where rodents come to eat.
I love her little secrets,
Under the cupboard floors,
Old papers from the sixties
Keep out the draughts I'm sure!
The bright bare ring-barked cables,
Behind thick plaster wall,
The borer-drilled floorboards,
A broom will swish it all.
Stuck tangle of the brushes
Left long in turpentine.
Rainforest deck verandah,
With oil it will be fine.
Pain of my brain, my reno!
The budget never slows,
The mess piles up around us,
Off to the tip it goes.
But then the grey clouds gather,
And we can curse again,
Re-roofing of the sun room,
Delayed now due to rain.
Core of my bones, my reno!
Planned before contract signed,
We oust the ghost of renos past
For bathroom and kitchen all designed.
Engage the hungry tradies, who eagerly quote the job.
Progress it is upon us, if ever they arrive.
So the jobs all take longer, than scheduled back yonder,
But the final result will be what we strive.
'Tis true the ranks of amateurs,
Will try their hand at plane,
To even out the timbers,
That run around the drain.
But if by chance a choice is made,
I might just turn to song,
On hearing my selection,
To The Block to do inspection,
And to chat with those contestants,
So I’ll find out what over the years I have been doing wrong.
—
Edited by Martin Feld
Visiting a lesser-known section of the Port Kembla Steelworks, the Skin Pass Mill, we meet three BlueScope employees who offer their own perspectives on this important part of the steelmaking process.
Links and Show Notes * A crane carries a coil through the mill. * Kate walks past stacked coils in the mill.
Edited by Martin Feld
In this episode, we hear from Jill Harmon, Foundation Director at The BlueScope Foundation in the USA. She speaks about the work that the foundation does to support charities in local communities, along with her own career and personal interests.
Links and Show Notes * BlueScope Buildings North America * The BlueScope Foundation * Butler Manufacturing * Mountain dulcimer * FocusOn The BlueScope Foundation USA at TVBlueScope on YouTube
Edited by Martin Feld
We meet four individuals who are part of the team that constructed a new coil plate line at the Port Kembla Steelworks in Australia—from the ground up.
Links and Show Notes * FocusOn A New Coil Plate Line at TVBlueScope on YouTube * BlueScope on LinkedIn * @BlueScope on Twitter
Edited by Martin Feld
Welcome to the first episode of our podcast, Voices of BlueScope. Stay tuned for future interviews with BlueScope people!
Links and Show Notes * BlueScope on LinkedIn * @BlueScope on Twitter * TVBlueScope YouTube
Edited by Martin Feld