Engineering the critical systems behind BlueScope’s next-generation processing infrastructure

Challenge

As part of a major upgrade at BlueScope’s Western Sydney Service Centre (MCL7), Soto was engaged to deliver the detailed pipework engineering for a new furnace and processing infrastructure project.

The project involved the design and coordination of a large-scale network of interconnected services including:

• natural gas
• compressed air
• cooling water
• wastewater
• process services
• furnace piping systems

While the technical scope itself was significant, the real challenge was the scale and coordination required across the broader project environment.

Multiple engineering disciplines, evolving site conditions, constructability considerations, and thousands of deliverables required a structured and highly collaborative delivery approach.

For Soto, the project also represented an opportunity to further strengthen its expertise in digital engineering and pipework capability within a high-compliance industrial environment.

Opportunity

Heavy industrial facilities rely on far more than major equipment alone. Behind every furnace, processing line, and production upgrade is a network of critical systems that must operate safely, efficiently, and continuously.

This project presented an opportunity for Soto to demonstrate:

advanced pipework engineering capability

• digital engineering maturity
• interdisciplinary coordination
• scalable project delivery systems
• real-world constructability focus

Importantly, it also aligned with Soto’s broader commitment to helping Australian industry modernise and future-proof critical manufacturing infrastructure.

Solution

Soto implemented a structured delivery framework that combined digital engineering tools, disciplined project coordination, and ongoing collaboration with stakeholders across the project lifecycle.

Using Plant3D and Navisworks workflows, the team developed coordinated models that improved visibility, constructability, and clash detection before construction activities commenced on site.

The project involved:

• more than 4,200 isometric drawings
• over 360 general arrangement drawings
• more than 2,000 pipe support drawings

Rather than treating the project as a traditional drafting exercise, Soto approached the delivery as an integrated engineering solution focused on real-world outcomes.

Weekly coordination meetings, action tracking, interdisciplinary model reviews, and staged quality assurance processes helped maintain alignment between engineering, fabrication, and construction teams throughout delivery.

The project also became a valuable capability-building opportunity internally, with Soto further expanding its digital engineering workflows and strengthening team capability in advanced pipework systems and 3D coordination.

Real-world impact

For industrial operators, reliability is everything.

Pipework systems are often unseen, but they are fundamental to keeping critical processing infrastructure operating safely and efficiently. Poor coordination or design issues can lead to costly delays, operational disruption, maintenance challenges, and safety risks.

By investing heavily in upfront coordination and digital engineering, Soto helped improve:

• constructability
• design clarity
• stakeholder coordination
• delivery confidence
• long-term operational reliability

The result was a highly coordinated engineering outcome that supported efficient delivery within a complex industrial environment.

Engineering with structure, collaboration, and purpose

While the project involved significant technical complexity, it also reflected a broader shift in how Soto approaches engineering delivery.

The project showcased:

• structured project systems
• scalable engineering capability
• collaborative delivery
• advanced digital workflows
• investment in people and process

Projects like this are a reflection of how Soto approaches engineering at every level,  combining technical expertise, digital capability, structured delivery, and practical problem-solving to create outcomes that perform in the real world.

Everything engineered.