The company was spun out from BHP in 2000 as OneSteel when it was almost entirely a domestically focused steel manufacturer and distributor. The Whyalla Steelworks, harbour and associated iron ore mining operations along the Middleback Range in South Australia were among its principal assets. The company subsequently focused on growing its resource based businesses and now has significant mining and mining consumables businesses, as well as its steel and recycling business. In June 2006, an agreement was announced under which OneSteel would buy out scrap metal company Smorgon Steel for US$1.2 billion. However, concerns by the Australian competition regulator, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission resulted in significant delays in this process, as did concerns from Australian construction industry trade unions regarding possible job losses from the merger of the two operations. The merger was completed in August 2007. On 15 February 2008 it was announced that one of the bar mills in the Hunter Valley, and the mill in Melbourne, would be closed. On 15 November 2010 OneSteel agreed to acquire two companies, Chile-based forged steel grinding balls producer Moly-Cop, and Canada-based AltaSteel, a producer of ball stock for forged grinding balls, for a total of $932 million. On 22 December 2011 OneSteel sold its Piping Systems business, and associated property investments, to U.S.-based McJunkin Red Man Holding for a total of $100m. On 6 October 2011 OneSteel completed the acquisition of WPG Resources' iron ore assets for an estimated A$320 million. On 2 July 2012 OneSteel was renamed Arrium Limited. On 1 September 2017, British-owned GFG Alliance acquired the Arrium Mining and Arrium Steel businesses, including Australia's main steel manufacturer and distributor, OneSteel. Arrium Mining was renamed SIMEC Mining and the OneSteel brand was changed to Liberty OneSteel. The acquisition also included the Australian Reinforcing Company, Austube Mills and Emrails, and product brands such as Waratah and Cyclone.
In 2007, OneSteel commenced iron ore export from the port of Whyalla via transshipment. In October 2012, a new dual gauge railway balloon loop was commissioned at Whyalla with the purpose of increasing Arrium's iron ore export capacity to 12 million tonnes per annum. Arrium's iron ore export volumes from Whyalla peaked at 12.5 million tonnes per annum in 2013-14 and 2014-15. In March 2015, Arrium's Southern Iron project, which includes the Peculiar Knob mine, was "mothballed". Export volumes are expected to drop to between 9 and 10 million tonnes in 2015-16 and again to between 6 and 8 million tonnes from 2017. In October 2015, the company announced that it was working with the South Australian government to facilitate third party use of the Whyalla harbour to make use of its excess capacity.
Incidents
In 2012, a 37-year-old Whyalla man was killed while working on a barge during iron ore transshipment activities. The incident was investigated by Safework SA.
Financial difficulties and acquisition
In 2015, the company announced a full-year loss of $1.9 billion On 7 April 2016, Arrium's directors placed the company into voluntary administration by Grant Thornton International. By September 2017, voluntary administration had ended with the business's acquisition by Liberty House Group and was rebadged 'LibertyOneSteel'.
Divisions
The company had three primary reporting segments before September 2017, which may change under its new corporate parent:
Arrium Mining, which currently exports approximately six million tonnes of hematite ore to China per annum from its Middleback Ranges mining operation in South Australia. The business expects to increase its export sales to a rate of approximately 11 million tonnes per annum by mid-2013 through bringing on-line additional sales from its Southern Iron operations in South Australia and the doubling of its port capacity at Whyalla, South Australia to approximately 12 million tonnes per annum. The Southern Iron operations were mothballed in 2015 due to low iron ore prices, along with part of the increased port capacity at Whyalla.
Arrium Mining Consumables, which includes Moly-Cop grinding media, the largest supplier of grinding media in the world, servicing the global mining industry, particularly the copper, gold and iron ore sectors. The business sells grinding media in South America, North America and Australasia supplying around 950 thousand tonnes of product per annum.
OneSteel Steel & Recycling, a manufacturing, distribution and recycling businesses. The division manufactures long steel products, structural pipe and tube, and wire products in Australia; it distributes structural steel and reinforcing products in Australia with around 200 sites across the country, and supplies scrap metal to foundries, smelters and steel mills in Australia and internationally.
Political lobbying
Arrium was represented by registered political lobbyists in South Australia and at a federal level. As of April 2015, the company was represented at a Federal level by Michael Johnson Associates Pty Ltd, John O'Connor and Associates Pty Ltd, GRACosway Pty Ltd and Kreab Gavin Anderson Ltd.
