From sand to steel

Summit Steel & Wire’s fencing products are world renowned for their durability and market-leading quality. Made in Christchurch, New Zealand using only the highest quality raw materials in their state-of-the-art production facility, Summit has been tried and proven in the harshest conditions and the most testing applications across the globe.

But what is it that separates their products from the rest? Summit’s rural fencing products are manufactured from the highest quality primary metals in the world. Summit’s raw materials are sourced from the Whyalla Steelworks in South Australia’s Middleback Ranges, 400km North-West of Adelaide. Here 1.2 million tonnes of iron-ore is produced every year where it is turned into commercial grade billet feed. The billet is then sent to an InfraBuild processing plant, in the New South Wales beach town of Newcastle. It’s here that the raw iron-ore billet is turned into the class leading wire used in the manufacture of Summit fencing products. Summit’s key raw material supplier, Infrabuild Wire, has a long and proud year history in wire production — over 100 years — and has been manufacturing high quality fencing products for the Australian and international markets for many decades. InfraBuild is a fully integrated steel manufacturer with control of its upstream raw material inputs thereby maintaining strict control over the quality of the steel rod that is its key input to wire manufacturing. InfraBuild Wire is a leader in galvanised wire production technology operating a number of galvanising lines with a significant portion of their capacity reserved for production of the corrosion resistant Zinc/Aluminium coated LifeMax® wires. This is the wire that Summit uses in its fencing products.

| Steel billet being poured.

In the Newcastle processing plant, the billet enters an electric arc furnace to be stretched into its final wire form. Then it is sent through for its two gas wipe layer coatings of zinc/aluminium. The gas wipe coating differs from other ways of manufacturing, as it allows the wire an even spread of the zinc/aluminium layer. Other methods can leave an uneven coating which promotes patchy wear and the potential for rust to appear sooner.

| Summit Steel & Wire coils in production. | Red hot billet on the production line.

Between the two even coatings an intermetallic barrier layer forms around the wire, this can lead to up to three times the lifespan from equivalent zinc coating on wire. The separate coatings provide both galvanic and barrier protection by creating an oxidising electrolytic cell, with the steel wire protecting it from any harsh environment. More common processes only use a zinc alloy coating for the wire which doesn’t provide as much protection, as well as being less ductile and more prone to cracking, all of which reduces the overall lifespan of the wire. InfraBuild Wire has held ISO9001 Quality Management Systems certification for many years and closely monitors the quality of its wire products via its NATA accredited testing laboratories. Each parcel of its LifeMax® wire is tested for tensile strength, diameter, coating adherence (wrap test) and coating weights. InfraBuild then provides Summit with Certification outlining these test results for each batch. Once this process is complete the wire is coiled and shipped to Summit’s manufacturing plant in Christchurch. Summit’s plant is home to five fencing machines that operate 24 hours a day manufacturing 700 tonne a month of fabricated fencing for the domestic and international markets. Summit’s point of difference is the traceability achieved throughout their procurement of raw feed and manufacturing process, to provide world-class levels of quality assurance and control. Summit are also the world leaders in agility manufacturing; where other production sites will require large

| Raw materials are sourced from Whyalla Steelworks in South Australia’s Middleback Ranges.

minimum order quantities Summit’s ability to create quick turnaround times and machine specification changes has allowed it to become the first choice in quality and price when manufacturing niche products around the world. All the above factors combine to ensure that both Summit and its customers can have the utmost confidence in the quality of the fencing products they are working with.

For further information, contact the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.

Article supplied by Summit Steel & Wire | From sand to steel, Summit have the utmost confidence in the quality of their products.