COLORBOND® steel Classic

Former Marketing Manager for COLORBOND® steel, Ian Pickering, shares his story about the launch of a national icon.

Ian Pickering is part of the legend. Having worked at BlueScope Steel, then John Lysaght Australia, from 1965 until 1973, Ian witnessed first hand the birth of COLORBOND® steel and its evolution to become the iconic Australian brand it is today. As COLORBOND® steel celebrates its 40th birthday, Ian sheds light on the brand's early days and the activities that set it on the path to success.

In 1965, Ian was appointed marketing manager for the Organic Finishes Divison, a new division at John Lysaght Australia set up to handle all aspects of a new paint line at Port Kembla. This continuous coil paint line was constructed to produce the company's latest and most innovative product, COLORBOND® steel.

One of Ian's first tasks was to travel to the United States to view the work of Prefinish Metals, Chicago, international leaders in the field of coil coating at that time. Ian explains: "I visited the US several times in my career, initially to work alongside Prefinish Metals' sales team and to gain an understanding of how to organise our sales and marketing team. We studied how to promote the new product and which specific markets to target. Also, I visited several leading customers of Prefinish Metals to witness the product in use.

"At that time, John Lysaght Australia showed a great deal of foresight in working closely with a US leader to iron out any potential production problems that could have occurred and to help accelerate the acceptance of the new product back in Australia."

As a result of these visits, a specialist sales force was appointed in each state and trained on all technical aspects of COLORBOND® steel. A survey was conducted of industry professionals such as architects and designers, resulting in an initial choice of 10 standard colours for exterior use. The new product was then given its name, COLORBOND® steel, and limited promotion commenced.

In 1966, six months after the paint line at Port Kembla was commissioned, 'Campaign COLORBOND®' launched the new pre painted steel to the Australian public.

In the first of two launch events, a stream of trade journalists visited the paint line before being entertained at the Lysaght Bowling Club. Two days later, 160 CEOs, production managers and financial advisors of major manufacturing companies descended upon Port Kembla to inspect the paint line and quality control facilities and to be among the first in the country to witness the latest development in steel.

Ian explains: "We were overwhelmed by the amount of attention that this new product gained at the time of its launch. The building industry showed a great deal of interest in COLORBOND® steel, which was hugely important for us as they were always going to be the greatest customers. The media attention was a hit too with coverage continuing to appear up to 12 months after the initial launch!"

Following the launch, Ian's greatest challenge was to introduce the new product to other end users concerned with products such as rainwater goods, garage doors, cool room panels and appliances. To break into these markets sometimes took months of trials, improving their tooling and converting customers to using a pre finished product as opposed to using their own post painting facilities. Even those manufacturers who were already keen to use COLORBOND® steel had to be specifically trained and get used to handling the new product, which was a slow and controlled process.

In 1973, Ian retired and moved to the Gold Coast, but will always look back at his time working with COLORBOND® steel with great fondness. "It was a very exciting time for me to work with one of the most innovative products ever released into the steel industry," Ian said. "I continue to be amazed at the growth of COLORBOND® steel from its small beginnings in 1966 and am delighted that it has been successful enough to reach its 40th birthday. Today, COLORBOND® steel is seen as the premium roofing material in the market, which could not have happened without the strong marketing campaign that has been running alongside the product for 40 years."

Ian recently visited the BlueScope Steel paint line at Acacia Ridge, Queensland, to see how much it had changed since his time with the company. Ian's son Dean accompanied him on the tour and, as sales manager construction for Bostik, took a real interest in the production of the material that his father had worked so closely with.

Ian explains: "It was very interesting for me to watch Dean's reaction when he saw the shear size of the plant and saw the paint line in action. In my time with the company, I carried out many site inspections of the line at Port Kembla and it never failed to impress potential customers. The plant is much more efficient and faster than in my day and of course it is significantly more costly to install and run! Overall I was very impressed with the paint line and the whole experience brought back many pleasant memories."