Steeling for growth in the future
BURLEIGH Heads-based Buyrite Steel Qld is laying a solid foundation for growth thanks to the strength of the luxury home market on the Gold Coast.
The company was founded in Sydney three decades ago by managing director Ben O’Bryan’s father Dinny O’Bryan.
It ventured into the Queensland market in 2000, opening a production facility in Burleigh Heads and in 2016 cut ties with the Sydney operation to become Gold Coast based.
Turnover has almost tripled in the past three years and the company is looking to open a new facility in Yatala by the end of the year.
The move will double Buyrite Steel’s existing Gold Coast production footprint and build on the company’s workforce of 16, with the number of staff growing to 32 by the end of next year.
“We’re importing specialist equipment from the US for our new plant at Yatala, which will run in tandem with our existing Burleigh factory,” Ben O’Bryan said.
“After some very good years, we’re looking to take Buyrite Steel to the next level.” Founded: 2000 by Dinny O’Bryan
Base: Burleigh Heads Staff: 16
Business: Full reinforcing steel production service and sale of Australian-made mesh for concrete reinforcement Website: Buyritesteel.com.au
Ben O’Bryan took over the reins of the business when his father retired soon after the 2016 move to the Gold Coast.
He said the business had a diverse customer base supported not just by the luxury home market on the Gold Coast, as well as Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, but also ongoing demand for warehouse and industrial projects.
“We’re evolving into a much larger business now,” Mr O’Bryan said. “That means enhancing all our internal systems as well as production capacity to keep pace.”
Buyrite’s clients include specialist luxury home builders, commercial and industrial developers and the Gold Coast City Council.
“To keep those clients coming back our focus is always on quality, and that means both products and service,” Ben O’Bryan said.
“It’s our job to save time for builders and developers by giving them exactly what they need for each job.”
Buyrite supplies steel that meets the standards of the Australasian Certification Authority for Reinforcing Structural Steels. It also sells Australian-made mesh for concrete reinforcement.
While Ben O’Bryan concedes the construction industry faces challenges ahead, he said opportunities abounded in southeast Queensland.
“Interstate migration figures remain strong for the region, and that underpins a great deal of construction activity,” he said.
“There’s enough of the right kind of activity still coming through to keep our business growing comfortably.
“We have also diversified sufficiently to handle any downturn. In the past, when the housing market has cooled down, we’ve seen a pick-up in the commercial and industrial markets, and that’s on trend at the moment.
“Over the longer term, we are expecting many years of growth across our key markets on the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Sunshine Coast. We’re setting ourselves up now to capture any opportunities as they arise.”