History

Atlas Specialty Metals traces its roots to the stainless and specialty steels manufacturer, Atlas Steels, Canada. This company first became associated with Australian industry in 1939 as a major supplier of specialty steels for the Australian war effort. After the war the company remained in Australia. From Canada they continued to supply stainless and specialty steels in sheet, coil, plate and bar primarily through appointed steel distributors.

In 1962, Atlas established its own distribution warehouse and a wire drawing mill at Altona North, Melbourne. From this beginning the company has grown to 22 sites across Australia and New Zealand. The mill continues today as the only commercial manufacturer of high-speed steel wire, stainless steel wire and specialised bar in the region.

In 1987, Atlas Steels (Australia) Pty Limited as it was then known, was publicly listed on the Stock Exchange of Melbourne. At this time, the steel manufacturing and distribution operations of Atlas and the Martin Bright Steels Group were brought together. This merged entity created the largest stainless and specialty steels company in Australia and New Zealand. It stocked and processed all forms of flat, section, and tubular product.

Atlas was acquired by Email Limited in 1995 and the distribution and manufacturing operations became a part of the Email Metals Group.

Following the closure of the BHP cold rolled, stainless steel, flat products mill in Australia in 1997, a joint venture was formed with Ugine, France. This enterprise sought to build and operate a flat products processing service centre in Australia. The successful result was Pacific Stainless Processors (PSP) which was established in New South Wales.

In 2001, a consortium of Smorgon-OneSteel, acquired Email. To approve this public takeover, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) stipulated that the consortium had to dispose the Atlas/Bisalloy businesses. Atlas (and Bisalloy Steels), was subsequently acquired by a newly formed private company, 'AB Steel Holdings Pty Ltd'. Today, this company is known as 'Atlas Group Holdings Limited'.