Value Added Services

Infographic detailing STS's value added steel services from supply to fabrication.

Supplying steel to specification is the starting point. Getting that steel to site in the condition your project needs — cut, coated, tested, certified, and ready to use — is where STS adds a different kind of value through our steel processing services.

We offer a growing range of steel supply solutions and value-added services designed to reduce the work your team needs to do between material receipt and fabrication start. The result is less coordination overhead, fewer suppliers to manage, and material that arrives genuinely ready for your project rather than requiring further processing on the shop floor.

We like to be challenged. If your project has a requirement that sits outside standard supply, talk to us and we will find a way to help.

Cut & Processed Plate

Structural plate supplied cut to your exact project requirements — not full plate sizes requiring further work on arrival.

STS provides steel supply solutions by accepting DXF files directly from your engineering or detailing team, delivering plate cut to the exact shapes, dimensions, and hole patterns required by the project. This approach eliminates in-house cutting, reduces material wastage, and lowers freight costs — particularly significant for high-value offshore grade, shipbuilding grade, and duplex plate where offcuts can be costly.

Our steel processing services include:

- Cut to drawing from DXF files

- Hole cutting

- Profiling and shape cutting to complex geometries

- Drilling to drawing

- Bevelling and edge preparation for weld fit-up

- Exact quantity supply — no full plates, no wastage

- Short turnaround processing and delivery

Available in offshore grade, shipbuilding grade, duplex, super duplex, and standard structural plate.

Blast Cleaning & Weldable Primer Coating

Steel processing services offer blast cleaned and coated steel with a weldable primer, making it ready for fabrication without the need for surface preparation work on the shop floor.

Blast cleaning effectively removes mill scale, rust, and surface contaminants to meet required standards. The application of a weldable primer provides interim corrosion protection during storage, shipping, and the fabrication process, allowing for welding without primer removal, thus saving time and costs at the fabrication yard.

This service delivers three practical benefits that are often overlooked during the procurement stage but are significant to the project:

1. Storage protection: Uncoated steel exposed to open air or humid conditions is prone to rust, necessitating re-blasting before painting. With steel supply solutions, primed steel arrives in optimal condition, eliminating the need for rework and delays.

2. Salinity management: Steel transported by sea can accumulate salt contamination during transit. High salinity levels necessitate washing and re-testing before epoxy painting can proceed. By utilizing blast cleaning and priming prior to shipment, the surface is sealed, preventing salt ingress and removing the need for washing upon arrival.

3. Fabrication yard capacity: If the yard's surface preparation equipment is a program constraint, receiving pre-blasted and primed material alleviates a bottleneck from the critical path.

Our steel processing services include:

- Blast cleaning to Sa2.5 or project-specified standard

- Weldable primer application to specified DFT

- Salinity testing prior to coating

- Surface profile measurement and coating certification

- Applicable to plates, sections, hollow sections, and tubulars

This service is particularly beneficial for projects where material will be stored prior to fabrication, shipped to remote locations, or where the fabrication yard's surface preparation capacity is a program constraint, especially for any project where epoxy painting is critical.

Protective Coating

Beyond weldable primer, STS can arrange full protective coating systems for steel components as part of our comprehensive steel processing services, where the project specification requires a higher level of corrosion protection prior to delivery. Our steel supply solutions include: Full protective coating systems tailored to project specifications, marine grade coating for offshore and coastal applications, epoxy and polyurethane coating systems, coating inspection, DFT measurement and certification, and documentation to meet project quality system requirements.

Additional Testing & Inspection

Steel available from stock with standard certification does not always meet every project's specific testing requirements. When additional testing is necessary to satisfy project specifications or engineering requirements, STS can arrange and manage a comprehensive testing program as part of our steel processing services.

Services include:

- Charpy impact testing at specified temperatures

- CTOD fracture toughness testing

- Hardness testing — Brinell, Vickers, and Rockwell

- Positive material identification (PMI)

- Ultrasonic testing (UT) and dimensional inspection

- Dye penetrant inspection (DPI)

- Magnetic particle inspection (MPI)

- Hydrogen induced cracking (HIC) and sulphide stress cracking (SSC) testing for sour service

- Supplementary mechanical testing beyond standard mill certificates

All additional testing is conducted through accredited third-party laboratories and inspection agencies, ensuring full documentation and traceability as part of our steel supply solutions.

Minor Fabrication

STS offers tailored steel supply solutions that include minor fabrication work to enhance the value of a supply package. This approach effectively reduces the workload at the fabrication yard without infringing on the responsibilities of our fabricator clients.

It’s important to note that this is not a fabrication service; instead, it’s a targeted supply enhancement focused on making the material more efficient upon arrival, thereby lessening the fabrication yard's burden with lower-value tasks.

Our steel processing services encompass:

- Stud welding and attachment welding to plate or sections

- Rolled and formed sections to drawing

- Simple assembly and fit-up of supply packages

- Flange facing and bore machining

- Thread cutting and end preparation on pipe and tubulars

- Marking and identification to project requirements

We are intentional about defining the scope of this service. Our fabricator clients are valued partners, and we do not compete with them. If a requirement shifts from supply enhancement into fabrication, we will clearly communicate this and recommend the appropriate fabricator for the specific scope.

Storage & Consignment

Not all project material is needed immediately upon arrival in Australia. STS provides effective steel supply solutions, including storage and consignment options for material that needs to be held prior to delivery to the fabrication yard or project site. This is particularly beneficial for projects with long procurement lead times, where steel processing services allow material to be ordered and shipped ahead of the fabrication programme, or when delivery to a remote project site must be staged to align with site readiness. Services include: Secure storage of steel material prior to project delivery, consignment stock arrangements for ongoing project supply, inventory management and stock reporting, staged delivery to fabrication yard or project site, material preservation and condition monitoring during storage, and insurance coverage during the storage period.

We Like to Be Challenged

The services above represent our current value-added capability, but they do not define the limit of what we can do. Every project is different, and the most valuable contributions STS makes are often in response to a specific challenge a client brings to us.

If your project has a requirement that sits outside standard material supply — whether it's related to steel processing services, a testing challenge, logistics complexity, or schedule constraints — please bring it to us. We will engage our network, apply our experience, and find a solution.

"We are not just a steel supplier; we are a project partner. And a good project partner finds a way to deliver effective steel supply solutions."