
Dear Members and Friends, It is that time of the year, or in our case every second year where we finalised the preparations of our biannual refractory conference. Since our founding in 2000 this was our twelfth, and best, since each conference has been an improvement on the one preceding it.

The Australasia branch serves an important role in the refractory community of our region and as a not-for-profit organisation we are sustained, principally, through the surplus funds of such conferences. However, our conferences serve more than that, it is about bringing our community together, networking through knowledge sharing and gaining a greater insight into the refractory industry at large. How we as an industry can further support our end user base customers is foremost in our motivations.
Working with refractories is not a glamorous vocation but once every two years we should treat ourselves to learning and networking in a salubrious location. Our conference venue was upgraded to one of Sydney’s finest five star hotels (The Fullerton Hotel Sydney | Luxury Hotels Sydney CBD) and achieving this has required much commitment and effort from our management committee. Many thanks for your support and efforts.
Our event headlines keynote speaker, and holder of the Bessemer Gold Medal, Professor Geoff Brooks who discussed the latest innovations in green hydrogen ironmaking. This was followed by an expert panel of refractory industry leaders from Europe, India, Asia and Australasia for an exciting and robust discussion on refractory technologies and the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for our industry.
The complete program shown in the journal included a further twelve insightful papers amongst a gourmet food and beverage service that completes day 1. Day 2 was a real treat with BlueScope Steel hosting a tour of their Integrated Steelworks at Port Kembla. Attendees received a complete tour of ironmaking, steelmaking, rolling mills, a featured detour through their refractory department and an update on the progress of 3Mtpa No6 blast furnace reline.
Given the impressive itinerary, we are pleased to advise that our conference achieved a record turnout, achieving maximum sponsorship with attendance close to 80% capacity. On behalf of the management committee, we invite you to get on board and get involved this year, and together let’s make our institution stronger. Best always.
Mario Taddeo MI Ref Eng,
President, IRE Australasia
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