Atlas Steel opens K4 million factory in Tari

By MALUM NALU
ATLAS Steel has opened a K4 million factory in Tari, Hela to produce roofing iron and other building materials.
The factory opened by Tari-Pori MP James Marape and Governor Francis Potape on Friday means the people of Hela do not have to travel all the way to Lae to buy building materials. Allan Fleay, the general manager of the industrial division at Kenmore Group of Companies, said such investments were there for the long haul.
“Oil and gas will finish but I will still be here,” he said.
“This factory and more big factories will be here. This is your wish for this factory to be built here and I am happy to join in with other leaders for this important development in Hela. When everything is gone, manufacturing will remain.”
Fleay welcomed the opening of the Hope Institute in Tari which he said would provide educated people for the company to draw from when it came to recruitment.
Marape said when the idea of a steel factory was first mooted about 10 years ago, nobody wanted to invest in Hela – except for Atlas Steel.
“The company could have chosen to build this factory in Mendi, Ialibu or other places. But they chose to come here to our area.”
Marape paid tribute to the late Hela Governor Anderson Agiru for his vision for the province.
“This is a project  I had discussed with him since 2008,” he said.