BlueScope, a manufacturer and supplier of metallic coated and painted flat-steel products, will next month start to market the new products to companies that make and operate refrigerators and freezers.

CRP antibacterial steel - a special design for structural surfaces in refrigerator and freezer panels - is proven to be effective in inhibiting the growth of bacteria that cause odours, stains, food poisoning and allergies.

BlueScope vice president for marketing Gregory Moffitt said the company expected to boost sales for CRP steel by 10 per cent this year. About 4,000 tonnes of the product were sold last year.

He said the product would increase BlueScope's market share in Thailand because of more awareness of health and hygiene among consumers. The total market for domestic CRP manufacturers is about 15,000 tonnes a year, he added.

He added that antibacterial steel would encourage food-service companies to lift their standards to boost their competitiveness in the global market.

BlueScope plans to totally replace its CRP food-grade steels with antibacterial ones. Despite higher production costs, it has no plans to hike the product price.

"It is our commitment to drive Thailand's steel industry to a new level in terms of market-driven product quality, innovation and customer service," Moffitt said.

However, he accepts that some other types of steel face tough competition from other materials, such as concrete. He said most steel firms expected flat growth because they had been affected by the economic slowdown since the second half of last year.

The company, a 75:25 joint venture between BlueScope Steel (Australia) and Loxley, had revenue of Bt10 billion last year.

Its factory at Map Ta Phut in Rayong is its largest facility in Southeast Asia, with production capacity of 400,000 tonnes a year in the cold-steel rolling mill and pickle line, 375,000 tonnes for metallic coating and 90,000 tonnes on its paint-steel line.

Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul

The Nation