Despite its focus on the local market, the country’s largest steelmaker SteelAsia Manufacturing Corp. has tapped opportunities overseas.

SteelAsia senior vice president for business development Rafael Hidalgo said in an interview here Thursday that the company made six shipments to Canada worth PHP1.5 billion since 2023.

Hidalgo said the company has exported 41,148 tons of high strength steel for infrastructure to Canada for its subway system.

SteelAsia chairman and chief executive officer Benjamin Yao added that its partnership with Acciona for the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway opened the opportunity for the company to export to the North American country.

“This is all because we supplied the bar for the Cordova Bridge, and the contractor was Acciona. And Acciona is also the contractor for the Vancouver, Canada, South Coast region,” Yao said.

“So, the relationship, they’re happy with our service.”

SteelAsia has six production lines across the country located in Bulacan, Cebu, and Davao with a total rolling capacity of 3 million tons annually.

Its latest facility is the Compostela plant in Cebu with a production capacity of 1 million tons annually.

Yao said the Compostela plant is SteelAsia’s largest and most modern steelmaking facility, not only in the country but also in the region. (PNA)