BlueScope Steel has rejected as “unlikely to be acceptable” a A$13.15 billion (A$30 per share) takeover proposal from a consortium led by Kerry Stokes-backed SGH and US-based Steel Dynamics, despite the 27% premium to its pre-bid share price. The company disclosed it had already turned down three unsolicited approaches in late 2024 and early 2025, including Steel Dynamics-led bids at A$27.50 and A$29.00 per share focused on its North American operations. BlueScope, which runs the Port Kembla steelworks and almost 100 Australian sites generating A$6.95 billion in local sales, is also in talks with Nippon Steel and Posco over a potential acquisition of the Whyalla steelworks.

Sripath has launched ButaPhalt, a new polymer additive for polymer modified bitumen (PMB) blends designed to address long‑standing bonding and durability issues in road surfacings. The formulation is engineered to increase crosslinking connectivity within the binder matrix, improving cohesion between bitumen, polymer and aggregate while also boosting plant production efficiency. For pavement designers and asphalt producers, this signals potential for longer‑life wearing courses, better resistance to rutting and cracking, and fewer processing constraints when specifying high‑performance PMB mixes.

Scottish Water has signed an advance market commitment to procure almost 20,000m³ of low carbon concrete over five years, equivalent to about 30% of its current annual concrete use. The Innovate UK and Carbon Limiting Technologies-led scheme, funded by the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero, aims to aggregate up to 500,000m³ of demand to de-risk commercialisation of novel low carbon mixes. With Scottish Water investing over £1bn a year in infrastructure, the commitment signals material changes to mix design specifications and supply-chain carbon baselines on upcoming projects.