Namaste. This phrase might be familiar to many people as a greeting used in India. The literal meaning of this is, “I pay my respect to the gods in you,” so this can be a greeting to the user as well. India is filled with respect for each individual’s beliefs and ideals and is a place people want to visit at least once in their lifetime.

POSCO Newsroom presents to you the story of a POSCO expatriate in India who is working to enhance the status of global steelmaker POSCO. Today’s star is POSCO’s Yang-Su Lim, working in POSCO India PC (Processing Center), Ahmedabad. Meet Lim’s vivid story that he had gone through since the completion of the Processing Center.

Hello. I’m Yang-Su Lim, and I work at the Processing Center in Ahmedabad, India. Here in India, POSCO operates POSCO-Maharashtra (Maharashtra), a Cold Rolling subsidiary, POSCO-ISDC (India), a distribution subsidiary, and four Cold Rolling Processing Centers (Delhi, Chennai, Ahmedabad, and Pune).

The Ahmedabad Processing Center is located in the Sanand Industrial Complex, Gujarat, about 900 kilometers southwest of New Delhi, the capital of India. The area has recently emerged as an automotive manufacturing hub in India.

The Center, in charge of processing Cold Rolled steel, opened in April 2016. I came here as a POSCO expatriate in June 2015, while construction was still in progress.

▲ In 2018, POSCO merged three Indian processing centers — Delhi, Chennai, and Ahmedabad — into POSCO India PC to maximize operating synergy.

The Ahmedabad Processing Center is divided into three sectors — a factory with processing facilities, an office building, and a cafeteria — and has an annual processing capacity of 120,000 tons. As of 2019, there are a total of 200 employees, including two expatriates, 77 local employees, and 128 employees of partner companies. Our main task is to process materials from POSCO headquarter and overseas manufacturing subsidiaries into the forms desired by clients. We are also actively engaged in other affairs and contribution activities for the local community.

The best selling product at our company is automotive steel plates. Global automakers such as Ford, Suzuki, Tata, M.G Motor, and domestic automotive part markers such as JBM, Victora, and Vee-Gee are our major clients. Home appliance companies, including JCI-Hitachi and Highly Electric, and manufacturers of solar panel support structures are also some valuable clients.

When the processing center opened in Ahmedabad in 2016, sales stood at a mere 26,000 tons. Expectations were high, so it was a little disappointing. However, last year, as a result of all the efforts of our employees, we could boost sales to 140,000 tons, which is a growth of nearly six times — all within four years.

l Out in the Wild: Cutting Costs

I’m a general manager in the sales department, so I am in charge of all sales-related tasks, including client and demand development, material purchase, and bond management. At times, I have to switch between several roles, such as a ‘manufacturing manager’ in charge of production and quality, ‘a personnel manager’ in charge of the labor and human resources sector, and a ‘representative’ in meetings with local government agencies.

Five years have passed since I came to Ahmedabad. Sometimes I’m reminded of when I first arrived here. There was nothing but a container officer where I had countless meetings with architects to design the plant and optimize specifications of facilities. I also made numerous phone calls to my seniors in POSCO, Korea, who had much experience in the construction area. I remember talking with them on the phone the whole day.

To cut construction costs, all purchase orders for the construction were placed according to individual parts, so from the beginning, I had to meet separately with seven companies, including electricity, civil engineering, and interior companies. Since most of the construction work proceeded at the same time, there were some challenges because a delay in one sector led to a complete stop in the construction itself.

However, it was all worth it. We succeeded in saving investment costs by more than 1 million USD, and also we were able to understand the entire construction process of the processing center. Frankly, I couldn’t understand why I had to go through all the trouble during the construction period. But as the construction came to an end and I could see the plant and office building on the site, I felt really rewarded and proud.

▲ The Ahmedabad Processing Center under construction

l “It was perfect!”: Pioneering a New Market

Another memorable story would be “expanding sales by pioneering the high carbon hot-rolled steel (HR) market.”

In 2016, at the beginning of its establishment, the processing center faced difficulties in expanding sales since it supplied to global automakers solely. The center needed a breakthrough to survive in areas where demand for carbon steel was relatively low. While on market research at companies in various industries, we learned that there were several client companies nearby who were using high carbon steel.

To pioneer a new market, we conducted market research and sought to discover potential clients from December 2016. But it wasn’t easy at first since the steelmakers in the area already dominated the high carbon steel market. Client companies hesitated, saying that POSCO steel was excellent but expensive. Their existing partnership with the steelmakers was another problem. Six months passed without any significant outcome.

Amidst all the rejection and frustration, a Korean saying, “Dig a single well,” struck my mind. This proverb means that focusing on something wholeheartedly will yield satisfactory results. So the next day, I set off straight away to Ahmedabad Strips Pvt. Ltd. (ASPL), which is located near the center. I met with the person in charge every day and tried to form a close relationship, talking about Indian politics, current market conditions, and personal life. One day, something surprising happened. On a rainy day in July 2017, ASPL placed a trial order of POSCO’s high carbon hot-rolled steel and contracted 25 tons. How did I feel? It was as if I completed a full marathon.

“It was perfect.” This was the response we got from ASPL. After constant persuasion, we succeeded in getting additional orders. We were introduced to new client companies, and in 2017 alone, the contract volume reached a total of 300 tons. With new clients and a successful quarterly contract with ASPL, the contract quantity increased as well. As a result, in 2018, the center recorded sales of 3,000 tons, which is ten times higher than the previous year.

And this was just the beginning. The client said that it wished to increase the proportion of POSCO products. It was a moment when the efforts of our staff finally paid off. In April 2019, POSCO signed an MOU with ASPL to supply 10 thousand tons per year. We continued to develop and attract new clients and finally, in 2019, we were able to sell more than 6,000 tons.

▲ POSCO and ASPL signing an MOU in April 2019

The high carbon hot-rolled steel project is a typical example of POSCO’s philosophy, ‘Business with POSCO,’ which pursues shared growth with client companies. As of 2019, the high carbon hot-rolled steel acclaimed for approximately 5% of total sales at the Ahmedabad Processing Center, while ASPL was able to reduce costs and improve productivity with POSCO products. “Using POSCO products has improved the rate of error by more than 30%, and the productivity of rolled products by more than 1.5 times compared to the local products of India,” said an ASPL production manager.

l The COVID-19 Issue

With the rapid spread of COVID-19 and its impact on the economy, the Ahmedabad Processing Center is also doing its best to overcome the difficulties it faces. The center has formed a TF as a response to the COVID-19 issue. The TF manages the health of employees, quarantine status of the plant, transport vehicles, and partner companies as well, to prevent any case from occurring.

According to the guidelines from the Indian government, all companies within the nation had to shut down, and the Ahmedabad Processing Center also ceased operation temporarily from March 23. Currently, the center has resumed operation, but owing to the decrease in domestic demand, a reduction in sales seems to be inevitable.

The Indian government has announced four series of lock-down regarding COVID-19 from March 24 to May 31. However, in the case of ^*Lock-down 4.0 (May 18-May 31), measures have been relieved comparatively, allowing transportation and deliveries within the country. In the Lock-down 5.0, which is in effect from June 1, the central government has granted more authority to the state government resulting in the reactivation of local companies. However, restrictions are expected to continue in major cities, such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Ahmedabad, where some confirmed cases are occurring.

As a measure to overcome the immediate crisis, all the employees at the center are doing their best to advance into the market and cut costs. Each employee is working with responsibility and ownership for the company. I hope that the economy will recover soon, and I am confident that this will give us a valuable lesson, and we can get through this situation and Jump-Up together.

I will definitely miss this place when I return home. But before then, I will do my best with the employees here at Ahmedabad to secure POSCO’s place in India.

April 22 was a memorable day for POSCO-Vietnam — Linh, the General Manager of Domestic Sales 1 Department, was announced as the winner of the 2020 POSCO Award. Linh was honored with the award in recognition of contribution to expanding the market share in Vietnam. Linh was the only POSCO Global local employee who made it on the list. POSCO Newsroom got a chance to interview Linh at POSCO-Vietnam.

Q1. Congratulations on receiving the 2020 POSCO Award. Tell us briefly about yourself.

Q2. How did you become to join POSCO? What do you think enabled you to achieve the POSCO Prize?

Q3. Do you have special tips to enhance business performance?

Q4. Domestic steel demand in Vietnam is the highest in the construction field as of present. What are your prospects for the future of the Vietnamese market?

Q5. Are there any high value-added steel products expected in the future of the Vietnamese steel market?

▲ A group photograph with the POSCO award at the Ho Chi Minh City Office. The award was presented here due to the COVID-19 issue. Linh in the middle with POSCO-Vietnam President (right) and Head of Marketing Office (right).

Q6. Let’s move on to the COVID-19 issue. How did the current situation affect you and POSCO-Vietnam?

Q7. Many coworkers might see you as a good model to follow. Do you have any advice for the staff?

▲ Click the image and find out more about POSCO overseas affiliates.

However, with closed borders and flights canceled, how could POSCO deliver face masks to its overseas subsidiaries? POSCO Newsroom looked into the details of this seemingly impossible mission.

CASE1. Indonesia
POSCO Group shipped 100,000 USD worth of COVID-19 test kits and relief supplies as well as 900,000 USD worth of face masks to Indonesia where PT.Krakatau POSCO (PT.KP) is located. The supplies helped in quarantine activities carried out by local communities and governments. The employees at PT.KP joined forces and took preventive measures against the COVID-19. As a result, PT.KP was able to continuously operate its plant without closing its facilities at all.

Irfan Afandi, the chairman of the labor union of PT.KP, expressed his thanks to POSCO CEO Jeong-Woo Choi through a letter describing how the face masks from the headquarter were well-distributed to all PT.KP employees and also to partner companies. He on behalf of all employees at PT.KP, also mentioned that all employees were deeply moved because the company supplied masks for their family members as well.

▲ The letter from Irfan Afandi (the chairman of the labor union of PT.KP)

Other than PT.KP, there are a total of nine POSCO Group companies expanding their businesses in Indonesia, including POSCO International’s PT. Bio Inti Agrindo (Palm oil farm) and PT.POSCO-Indonesia Inti (PT.PII), a Jakarta-based trading company.

The first death from COVID-19 in Brazil occurred in March. At that time, POSCO headquarters in Korea had already decided to provide face masks to all employees working at local business entities, business partners, and contractors, as well as all of their family members, and was striving to secure the supplies.

CASE2. Brazil
Must reach faster than the virus!
The first death from COVID-19 in Brazil occurred in March. At that time, POSCO headquarters in Korea had already decided to provide face masks to all employees and families, including group companies, partners, and joint ventures, as well as overseas subsidiaries, and was focusing on securing the supplies.

It was a race against time. With COVID-19 spreading rapidly since the beginning of April, acquiring new face masks was a difficult task, and employees in Brazil were using disposable masks for a week. While POSCO and POSCO ICT run offices in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo respectively, many employees from POSCO, POSCO E&C, and POSCO ICT are working at CSP(Companhia Siderúrgica do Pecém), a joint steel company in Brazil. POSCO secured more than 10,000 face masks for all employees and their family members including those from Dongkuk Steel, a business partner in CSP, and shipped them via air on April 14.

The masks arrived at Miami Airport, U.S. on April 15, but faced another challenge. All flights to Brazil had been canceled. POSCO decided to deliver them by land transport — traveling 14.887 km from Miami to Fortaleza, Brazil.

Transporting 14,887 km: from Miami to Fortaleza
To safely transport the mask, POSCO quickly contacted the most reliable company in the region. The specially packed face masks traveled through Miami, Panama, and Colombia, and reached its final destination, Fortaleza. After going through three days of the complicated customs clearance process, they were finally handed over to CSP on April 25. Three days after the arrival of the masks, the number of deaths in Brazil reached 5,000 and exceeded 10,000 on May 9. As of June 2, the toll stands at 30,000.

A CSP employee, who received the mask, expressed his gratitude on PBN, POSCO’s internal broadcasting station. “We appreciate all the efforts POSCO has put into providing the face masks — not just for the employees but also for the whole family.”, he said.

CASE3. India
New confirmed case occurs at airport customs, delivery delayed for 15 days.
In India, strong preventive measures were being taken due to the spread of COVID-19, including the closure of the country. In fact economic activity was paralyzed across the country. The number of airline flights decreased dramatically, including road closures, making it difficult to secure flights. POSCO managed to secure a flight but faced another challenge — customs. The multi-use face masks needed a guarantee from the local government, stating that they were relief goods. POSCO resolved the issue by closely cooperating with the customs and local government. Just when all seemed to go fine, a new COVID-19 confirmed case occurred in the airport customs. The entire airport was shut down, and the face masks were retained there for 15 days. After overcoming these series of challenges, the airport was reopened, and delivery resumed. The face masks arrived safely to the Indian subsidiary on May 8.

CASE4. Europe
Drilling through closed borders, into Europe.
The virus is on a rapid spread in Europe, especially in Italy and Spain. In the case of Italy, all borders of the country were closed, and all businesses faced temporary closure, except for essential industries. In this situation, POSCO-ITPC, a local processing center, urgently requested face masks. Although all borders were closed, fortunately, cargo planes from Korea were operated once a week. After several requests, POSCO succeeded in shipping the goods to Italy.

“Getting certification is nearly impossible if there’s no record of export to Europe.”
For other European countries, getting certification required for customs clearance was a major issue. The face masks were already exported to the U.S. and Hong Kong, but it had no record of exports to Europe, making it difficult to get a certification. It seemed that the procedure would take several months, However, acknowledging the urgent matter, the local customs finally accepted POSCO’s request in the end. At last, the face masks were delivered to various parts of Europe, including Germany, Belgium, France, Poland, and Slovakia.

What kind of face masks were delivered to POSCO Overseas employees?

▲ Multi-use face masks that were shipped to the POSCO E&C office in Abu Dhabi, UAE

Under the pharmaceutical law, face masks are designated as non-medical products and thus approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS). There are two types of face masks: a surgical mask is one and respirators (anti-dust masks) the other. The MFDS restricted exports of two types of masks that have a KF certification (respirators), so POSCO secured multi-use masks that are as efficient as KF94 masks and distributed them to all employees both in Korea and abroad. The multi-use masks made with new copper materials have an antibacterial effect. They can be reused up to three months, and are able to retain its effectiveness.

CASE5. America
The confirmed case of a dispatched employee & the rapid spread of COVID-19
In March, POSCO-America, POSCO’s business office in the U.S., requested for multi-use masks. It reported that a dispatched employee working at POSCO-AAPC, a local processing center, was confirmed of the virus, and two more employees at POSCO-America and POSCO-Mexico were being tested. There was a great deal of difficulty in securing a flight to the United States, but POSCO accomplished the task once again. On March 29, the masks were sent on a night flight and arrived at Atlanta airport the next day. After going through customs clearance, the masks were distributed to Atlanta, Washington, Houston, Detroit, and Mexico City.

In March, POSCO-America also donated eight devices for video calling to the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center (Fisher House), where veterans who participated in the Korean War reside, in Augusta, Georgia. (See article)

POSCO-Mexico supplies automotive steel to automotive makers in Mexico — including Volkswagen, GM, Kia Motors, and Chrysler — and the Southern United States. About 500 employees in 12 different departments are working here. POSCO Newsroom got a chance to listen to the stories of the local employees at POSCO-Mexico.

Q1. Tell us briefly about yourself.

Q2. How did you decide to join POSCO? Is there anything special about working in a Korean company?

Q3. Tell us about the most challenging task that you’ve done here at POSCO-Mexico.

Q4. Tell us about the company changes made at the beginning of the year.

Q5. How would you manage the company if you become the President of POSCO-Mexico?

Q6. What could POSCO offer to grow more in the Mexican market?

Currently, many residents in Mexico have lost their jobs due to the recent spread of COVID-19. With the 1% Sharing Fund, the President and expatriates of POSCO-Mexico stepped forward and provided 100 kits of daily essentials, including rice, beans, and other food products for low-income residents. The POSCO Hope Center — which was originally completed in February to support the education of the underprivileged — is currently operated as the “COVID-19 Emergency Situation Room” by the Altamira city government.

POSCO-Mexico is taking care of the health of its employees as well. Considering the difficulty to secure face masks, the company provides two masks per week to all employees, and thoroughly monitors their health conditions. To ensure a hygienic work environment, POSCO-Mexico has installed hand sanitizers and non-contact thermometers.

Though living in different time zones and climates, POSCO-Mexico is taking the same path of POSCO’s “Corporate Citizenship” and building a better future together. POSCO Newsroom sincerely hopes that their future shines brightly at POSCO and that their positive influence would expand throughout Mexico.

＊As of April 21, Mexico raised the national COVID-19 alert level to its highest, “Fase 3”. This interview was conducted before the alert, and POSCO Newsroom would like to thank the three employees for joining the interview amid difficult circumstances.

* Related Article: Meet POS-AMI of POSCO-Mexico

*This footage was taken before the outbreak of COVID-19.

In the first series of ‘How Do You Like POSCO?’ POSCO Newsroom sat down with the employees of PT.KRAKATAU POSCO in Indonesia. This time, the newsroom headed to Thailand to meet the special guests of today. Thailand is known to be the largest automobile market in Southeast Asia and one of the world’s Top 10 automobile manufacturers.

Among the three manufacturing subsidiaries that POSCO operates in Thailand, POSCO-Thailand PC(Processing Center) is the oldest. Launched in 1997, POSCO-Thailand PC is still under operation and supplies automobile and home appliance steel products. In 2011, POSCO acquired Thainox, the sole stainless rolling mill in Thailand, to expand the product range. POSCO ventured further by establishing POSCO-TCS in 2016 to meet the demands of global automobile steel products. POSCO-TCS manufactures premium galvanized steel for automobiles.

All three subsidiaries sit in ‘Rayong,’ Thailand’s largest industrial complex located 170 km away from the capital, Bangkok. POSCO Newsroom met with four employees of POSCO-Thainox online and got a chance to hear their stories.

■ “Making History with POSCO-Thainox!”

Q1. Tell us briefly about yourself and how you became to join POSCO-Thainox.

Q2. Tell us about your job in detail.

Q3. How do people around you react when you tell them you work at POSCO-Thainox?

■ “Growing Together with the Best Colleagues”

Q4. What makes POSCO-Thainox special compared to other local companies?

Q5. How are your Korean colleagues? How do you get along with the local employees?

Ever since POSCO and Thainox came together in 2011, POSCO-Thainox has grown into Thailand’s No.1 stainless steel plate producer. POSCO Newsroom hopes the four employees here — along with the 568 employees working at POSCO-Thainox — will grow with POSCO and become the leaders of tomorrow. At the end of the interview, Paiboon, Prateep, Sujira, and Ji-Yeon expressed their hopes for the company.

•Meet SV Min Keun Bae – The Master of POSCO-Thainox

‘How Do You Like POSCO?’ is a series presented here at POSCO Newsroom, introducing POSCO’s major global business sites and local employees who are living the global POSCO dream. The first story is about four local employees at PT.KRAKATAU POSCO, Indonesia.

Part1. “The Leading Force of PT.KRAKATAU POSCO”

Q. Tell us briefly about yourself and how you became to join PT.KRAKATAU POSCO.

Q. How do people around you react when you tell them you work at PT.KRAKATAU POSCO?

▲ PT.KRAKATAU POSCO

Q Tell me about your job in detail.

▲ Winners are taking a commemorative photo on January 29 at the 2020 Safety Golden Bell event in PT.KRAKATAU POSCO.

Part2. “Another Family, PT.KRAKATAU POSCO”

Q. How are your Korean colleagues? How do you get along with the local employees?

▲ Group photo of the Iron Making Department in PT.KRAKATAU POSCO in 2019. The photo was contributed by SV Won-Ki Lee.

Q. What are the advantages of working at PT.KRAKATAU POSCO regarding work environment and welfare? What makes PT.KRAKATAU POSCO special compared to other local companies?

The pride of working at the first overseas steelworks of POSCO, the world’s most competitive steelmaker, and the fact that it is the first integrated steel mill in Southeast Asia — as well as Indonesia — presents PT.KRAKATAU POSCO local employees with motivation and positive influence. At PT.KRAKATAU POSCO the Korean and Indonesian employees will continue to develop together with POSCO’s abundant techniques and experience.
Just like the many POSCO employees, who were proud to contribute to the national economic development in the past, POSCO Newsroom hopes the local employees — along with the four employees here — will grow further in POSCO, and later on, contribute to the regional and national development.

POSCO got to meet with this superstar and decided to build the one and only ‘Pengsoo House’ using POSCO’s premium steel products for construction. Let’s take a look at this behind-the-scenes story below, written by Pengsoo’s huge fan, POSCO assistant manager Choi. 

My Special Story — I Love Pengsoo!

First of all, I would like to thank all POSCO and EBS staff for giving me a chance to be a part of this project. It’s just like a dream come true for me! Let me tell you my dramatic story.

I’m Deuk-Yong Choi working at the POSCO Construction Steel Materials Marketing Office. I joined the company in 2014 and have been working here for six years. I saw Pengsoo for the first time when its video turned up as a recommended video on YouTube. I didn’t know then that I would become such a huge fan. After watching one episode, I was totally into it — watching episode after episode. Even now, I squeeze in time to watch Pengsoo’s video during lunch break or before going to bed. If someone asks me why I keep watching it, I answer, “Just watch one and you’ll know.”

Pengsoo’s charms? Where do I even begin? I put on a smile and get comforted by just looking at Pengsoo. Pengsoo made me do things that I’ve never done before. My desk at the office looked so much better after I covered it with photos of Pengsoo!

POSCO Builds Pengsoo House!

One day, the company Communication Office gave me a call. It was the most surprising call I’ve ever got at work. “Mr. Choi, could you build Pengsoo a house using INNOVILT?”

At the time, I was busy preparing for the launch of INNOVILT — POSCO’s premium brand of construction material. Meanwhile, the Communication Office was working on a project to build a house for Pengsoo. They said that it was harder than expected since they wanted to display Pengsoo’s picture on the outer wall of the house. Actually, Pengsoo lived in a small prop room which was sad for me to watch. And now I was given the opportunity to change that!

I could build an igloo for Pengsoo since it’s from the Antarctic, but I wanted to make a house made of the best steel possible. I hurried to the EBS headquarters to meet Pengsoo. Seeing Pengsoo asleep in its space — the prop room — I became so excited about this project.

The Story Behind Pengsoo House

As soon as I returned from the call, I gathered my team members working together with me on INNOVILT. INNOVILT, as mentioned earlier, is a premium brand of construction material. Why did a steel company make a brand of construction material? These days people consider various criteria carefully, for example, environmental standard, when purchasing even household items. However, in the case of construction material, there isn’t much information on even basic items — such as structural materials and interior and exterior materials. That is why POSCO came up with this premium brand that uses construction materials made of POSCO’s high-grade steel so that consumers can easily recognize it.

My team worked together for a few days to handpick and design the best products for building Pengsoo House.

The design was revised over several times so that all the four sides of the house could display the photos of Pengsoo well. Pengsoo is 210cm tall, so to fit Pengsoo in, the house had to be built five meters high. For this task, ‘PosMAC’ was considered suitable to build the structural frames, and ‘PosART’ — a steel plate where Pengsoo’s picture could be printed — was selected for the exterior. Both products are currently awaiting evaluation to become INNOVILT products.

Now, let me give you a little explanation regarding the details of Pengsoo House.

The Frames of Pengsoo House: PosMAC Stud

PosMAC Stud was adopted as the frame for Pengsoo House. PosMAC is normally called ‘rust-free steel’ in POSCO. PosMAC processed into ┌┐shape is PosMAC Stud, and when these┌┐shaped pillars are weaved together, they enable Pengsoo House to become much stronger. Compared to other materials, PosMAC is more resistant to earthquakes and fires. It is also distinctively space-efficient, making it a perfect choice for GIANT Pengsoo House.

 The Interior & Exterior: Pengsoo’s Face Using PosART

Next, the interior and exterior materials — the highlight of Pengsoo House! The exterior needed a photo of Pengsoo and the interior was to be colored with yellow, the signature color of Pengsoo. Most of all, we needed a technology that could display Pengsoo’s photograph in real life high-resolution and fortunately, PosART made this possible. With PosART, I could make a Pengsoo face panel as seen below.

Pengsoo House is in the lobby of EBS headquarters. I took several trips there and kept working on PosART day and night, worried the quality might not come out as planned. After spending a whole weekend, finally, I could get to work on the exterior wall with PosART printed with Pengsoo’s picture.

Come and Visit Pengsoo House!

2 December 2019. A day I will never forget. It’s the day I showed Pengsoo its house for the first time. Pengsoo visited the site while we were working on the exterior wall. Pengsoo came wearing a giant safety helmet and it was so cute! Pengsoo checked out the house and shook it to see if it was strong enough and — Wow! My heart was trembling, not the building. Pengsoo even gave me a massage on my shoulders. The moment Pengsoo touched my shoulders, I almost melted. ⋛⋋(・ꃪ・)⋌⋚

After Pengsoo House was complete, Pengsoo threw a housewarming party, and other EBS characters came to visit. Everything felt surreal. Watching Pengsoo look so happy, I thought maybe this was why I’d entered POSCO.

I believe that everyone is special. And although Pengsoo is a trainee who hasn’t even made a debut, it still deserves a nice house to live in.

Pengsoo is my lifetime friend, and steel is my job for life. I’d built a house for my lifetime friend with steel that I sell! What a story! All my coworkers envied me when they heard my story. This is truly a memory I’d cherish my whole life. I want to thank POSCO for giving full support and making this happen.

To see the whole footage of Pengsoo House and the housewarming party, check out the following videos (Korean).

| Thailand, the Largest Automobile Market in Southeast Asia

Thailand is known to be the largest automobile market in Southeast Asia. In 2011, POSCO launched ‘POSCO Thainox, the sole stainless rolling mill in Thailand to meet the demands of automobile steel products, which have a high dependency on imports. POSCO Thainox is also aimed to increase its market share in the Thai automobile and home appliances sectors.

To optimize the plant operation, expert field knowledge was crucial. That’s why SV Min Keun Bae came on board. Mr. Bae joined POSCO in 1982 and had worked for over 30 years in the stainless steel order processing and production managing area before retiring in 2016.

Mr. Bae was offered the SV position a year before his retirement by then President of POSCO Thainox. Bae said, “There was a place that needed me. I was able and had lots to offer, and I couldn’t find a reason to decline. So as soon as I retired, I headed straight to Thailand.”

| ‘Sawadee Kap’ — Befriending New Language, New Culture

At the beginning, everything was challenging. The mental burden of starting over in a strange new place was huge. However, with his positive and proactive personality, Mr. Bae adapted to the new life in Thailand.

Bae concentrated on learning Thai to better adjust to life in the foreign land — he watched YouTube videos during the commute, and at home, he practiced writing Thai-alphabets on his notebook.

As a result of his effort, he could start utilizing simple Thai expressions into conversations, and communicating with local staff became much easier. Mr. Bae maintains a close relationship with his colleagues visiting their houses and sharing meals on his days off.

| The Leadership of the ‘All-round’ Master

At POSCO Thainox, Mr. Bae is in charge of processing orders acting as a control tower between the production and sales department. He controls and monitors production so that the end product can be delivered on time. Another important task is cooperating with POSCO headquarter in Korea. Mr. Bae adjusts production volumes when the headquarter makes requests for overseas plants to meet the stainless steel supply that the Korean market can’t provide.

Every day, Mr. Bae is busy examining the product storage, coming up with a set of tasks to improve the work environment, and encouraging the employees. The jam-packed schedule, however, has its perks. “Had I stayed in Korea after retirement, I would’ve been left with simple chores. But here, I can really contribute. It’s a great pleasure to be able to help others with my experience even after the retirement,” he said with a big smile.

Ever since the ‘all-around expert’ SV Min Keun Bae joined POSCO Thainox, the company’s long-term inventory has reduced by over 10,000 tons — the long-term payment delay also went down. Bae’s meticulous personality improved the work environment in the plant making POSCO Thainox one of the top manufacturers in Southeast Asia.

The words of advice Mr. Bae would like to offer to those following his footsteps is never to be afraid of new challenges: “What follows inaction? Nothing. If you challenge yourself, there’s always something to be gained — even if you fail. The current failure can help you succeed on your next try.”

To learn more about Mr. Bae’s new life and the challenges he’s taking on at POSCO Thainox, check out the following footage (Korean).

“I’m too old for this… I can’t speak the language…” For POSCO Thainox supervisor Min Keun Bae who constantly challenges himself to learn, these are just excuses standing between him and an opportunity to grow. POSCO Newsroom will always root for the global masters who are advancing POSCO’s frontier spirit in all corners of the world..

A PT Krakatau POSCO employee recently made headlines for donating his reward money from the company to local charities. PT Krakatau POSCO is a joint venture company between PT Krakatau Steel Tbk, Indonesia, and POSCO Korea. Meet Muklis , a junior team leader at the coke plant of PT Krakatau who’s carrying out the sprit of POSCO’s global corporate citizenship. POSCO Newsroom reports.

▲ A PT Krakatau POSCO employee recently made headlines for donating his reward money from the company to local charities. Muklis, a junior team leader at the coke plant of PT Krakatau POSCO is the winner of the POSCO Grand Award for Corporate Citizenship of 2019.

l Establishing Eco-friendly Operating System and Receiving the ‘POSCO Grand Award for Corporate Citizenship’

The Award was established in 1992 and underwent a few name changes over the years. From this year, the award is reestablished as the ‘POSCO Grand Award for Corporate Citizenship’ to reflect POSCO’s new management principle, corporate citizenship. The annual award selects 10 outstanding employees from a total of 60,000 POSCO Group workers worldwide whose work performance and model behavior reflect the spirit of corporate citizenship.

▲ The winners of POSCO Grand Award for Corporate Citizenship of 2019 are taking photos with the POSCO CEO Jeong-Woo Choi (sixth from the right). Standing CEO Choi’s right is Mr. Muklis, the junior leader of the Ironmaking Department at PT Krakatau POSCO.

Muklis, a junior leader at PT Krakatau POSCO in Indonesia received the POSCO Grand Award for Corporate Citizenship on April 25.

Coke is used as a fuel in melting iron ore in a blast furnace and is produced in coke oven by baking coal until it becomes carbon by burning off impurities without burning up the coal itself. What Mr. Muklis did was to establish an eco-friendly coke oven helping improve the overall quality of life in the local communities.

▲ For the last two years, Mr. Muklis and his team were dedicated to improving coke oven facilities to make steel mills more environmentally friendly.

“The coke ovens tend to get bad reputations because it bakes coal. However, since the beginning of the operation, both Korean consultants and Indonesian staff collaborated to minimize the unexpected situation in the plant. Their dedication helped improve both the quality of the coke and the furnace operation. Furthermore, the facilities also improved the environment in the vicinity for the past two years – now the oven is so clean it’s called the garden of the steelworks. With every achievement, I feel incredibly grateful and proud of all the work our team is doing. I feel more confident than ever.”

l The Seed of Sharing to Spread to the Whole Country

From his reward money, Mr. Muklis donated 50 million IDR (approx. 3,600 USD) to the Red Cross Cilegon, where the PT Krakatau POSCO is located. He also donated 10 million IDR (approx. 716 USD) to a local charity where the Krakatau employees regularly volunteer.

*The average starting salary of university graduates in Indonesia is around 100 million IDR (7,160 USD).

▲ On June 25, Mr. Muklis delivers the donation to the Red Cross Cilegon.

“I couldn’t have done this alone. All the employees at the PT Krakatau POSCO contributed. If our company could help improve the lives and opportunities for the community, in turn, our local talents can grow up to contribute to the company, the steel industry, and entire Indonesia. I wanted the reward money to be put to good use.”

“It’s an incredible honor to receive the POSCO Grand Award for Corporate Citizenship. I would like to thank the CEO Jeong-Woo Choi – I want to tell my little boy all about it when he grows up.”

l Experiencing the Joy of Sharing at Pohang Steelworks

Mr. Muklis joined the PT Krakatau POSCO in 2012. In 2016, he worked as an exchange engineer at Pohang Steelworks for six months.

“I was impressed by the industrious work ethic in Korea and POSCO’s corporate culture. Everyone was so driven to tackle and solve problems together. The employees were incredibly loyal and had a sense of ownership for their work. After work, I would also go out for dinner and baseball games with my colleagues who also helped me with my Korean.

He also recalled being inspired by the employees’ regular volunteer work during the weekend.

▲ Mr. Muklis also donated 10 million IDR (approx. 716 USD) to a local charity where the PT Krakatau employees volunteer on a regular basis.

“One of the fondest memories were made at those weekend volunteer programs. The employees at Pohang Steelworks, as well as the family members, helped the local seniors –with haircuts and dying, etc. The experience inspired me to make donations to our local communities in Indonesia.”

It was while he was working at the Pohang Steelworks that his first child was born – a boy. Because of his fond memories from Korea, he named his son Daehan.

▲ Mr. Muklis’ family photo with his son Daehan

“I named him Daehan because I wanted the spirit of POSCO’s founding principles to be carried down to our family. POSCO is one of the top companies in Daehan Minguk. If I have another son, I would like to name him ‘Minguk.’

* Daehan: Composed of two Chinese characters, Daehan means ‘Big/Grand/Epic Korea’
** Minguk: Composed of two Chinese characters, Minguk means ‘Country of people’
*** Together, ‘Daehan Minguk’ means the Republic of Korea

l Pride and Strong Support System Moves the PT Krakatau Forward

For Mr. Muklis, PT Krakatau POSCO is more than just a job. He emphasizes the POSCO Grand Award for Corporate Citizenship was a team effort, not his individual achievement.

▲ PT Krakatau POSCO

“Everyone at PT Krakatau POSCO is incredibly proud to be part of the company – not only is POSCO the world’s top steelmaker, but PT Krakatau POSCO is its first steelworks outside of Korea – and the first integrated steel mill in entire Southeast Asia. I’m well aware of how all POSCO employees came together to build the Pohang Steelworks in the middle of wasteland – and now it’s the most competitive steel company in the world. We have a very supportive community here at PT Krakatau POSCO, which is how we overcame initial challenges and kept progressing.”

Indeed, PT Krakatau POSCO just achieved record-breaking steel production since its first operation. Just as Mr. Muklis acknowledged, it did overcome its initial challenges and kept progressing.

“I have no doubt the PT Krakatau POSCO is playing a significant role in the Indonesian economy. All our employees are moving towards the big vision – to become the biggest steelworks in Southeast Asia.”

▲ Mr. Muklis monitoring the coke plant.

“PT Krakatau POSCO’s success feels like a miracle. POSCO’s expertise and advanced technology, as well as the employees’ dedication and maximum initiatives, made all this possible. Just like the POSCO leader who’s mentoring the PT Krakatau POSCO, I would like to become the plant manager of the coke plant one day. I would like to witness the historical moment when we achieve 10 million-ton production.”

▲ ‘Pride of Indonesia’ – Mr. Muklis dreams of the day when the company achieves 10 million-ton steel production.

Mr. Muklis says not only must he develop his skills to become a good manager, but he’s also realizing the importance of establishing a unique company culture through active communications with the employees.

POSCO applauds Mr. Muklis’ dedication to Southeast Asia’s first integrated steel mill. POSCO Newsroom will accompany his journey as he continues spreading POSCO’s spirit of corporate citizenship.

“Terima Kasih! (Thank you)”

SteelChallenge takes place over two rounds – the Regional and then, the World Championship. To compete in the World Championship, contestants must first pass the regional round that takes place in four regions: North & South America; Europe, CIS, Middle East & Africa; Asia & Oceania, excluding China; and China.

The Regional Championship takes place online. Participants can access the competition from the steelUniversity website and have 24 hours to record at least three successful runs of the basic oxygen steelmaking and secondary steelmaking simulations.

On November last year, Yong-Tae Kim of POSCO advanced to the final World Championship as the regional winner of Asia. In the World Championship in Madrid, he competed with four other regional winners for two hours, finally taking home the winning trophy. How did Kim prepare for the competition and what was his key to success in steelChallenge? Find out at POSCO Newsroom.

 l “Precision, Precision, and Precision.”

Q: What is steelChallenge World Championship, and how did you get to participate?
A: SteelChallenge is every steel engineer’s dream stage. Even though the competition is individual-based, I personally felt it would mean more to me if I participated with the company affiliation. I wanted to let the whole world know how proud I am to be part of the company.

Q: How did you prepare for the steelChallenge World Championship?
A: Ever since joining POSCO in 2010, I tried to learn as much as possible from the previous participants who also work in my department. Quite a few POSCO employees had already experienced the competition which was helpful. I also tried horning my skills by participating in steelUniversity Korea challenge – in fact, I became the winner in 2010, the year when I joined POSCO. Since then, I was busy focusing on the work at POSCO so I held off participating in the World Championship. Nevertheless, I was still rooting for my colleagues who challenged themselves for the competition. I always studied with them and prepared for the competition thinking I would participate one day.

Q: What was the mission challenge for the steelChallenge-13 World Championship, and how did you come up with the solution?
A: This year, the task was to produce a specific engineering steel grade at the lowest cost using steelUniversity’s Basic Oxygen Steelmaking and Secondary Steelmaking simulators. This meant we had to build billets into which ferroalloy is inserted. As a cost-cutting measure, I maximized the use of low-cost ferroalloy and focused on reducing intermediary costs. I analyzed the stats of every simulation to come up with an accurate forecast model.

Q: What was your top priority going into the competition?
A: Precision, precision, and precision. I believed the key to winning the challenge was a meticulous calculation. Through the forecasting model and multiple simulations, I worked on perfecting the model. In the actual competition, I simply crunched in the data required for the challenge question, coming up with the best numbers in the end.

 l Racing towards the Top – in Ten Minutes

Q: Can you tell us about the other contestants? What were they like?
A: The other contestants came from Brazil, Netherland, and China – our academic background ranged from computer science, mechanical engineering, to industrial engineering, and some even participated with steelChallenge team uniform. Their energy and vibes were all very infectious and inspiring.

Q: During the competition, what did actually go on? Any anecdotes to share about the result, or speculations about possible winners?
A: For the past two years, China’s HBIS Group took the World Championship, so the expectation was in the air that this result will reciprocate. For the World Championship final challenge, the contestants had two hours to finish their assignment. Right until the 15-minute cutoff time, all contestants’ records were shared. As soon as the clock started, I became number one in 10 minutes’ time – other contestants caught up after about 30 minutes into the competition. After the challenge ended, I found out I won by a landslide – there was a significant gap between my record and that of the next runner-up. When asked about the secret to this success, I simply had to say, “doing one’s best,” – the rest was confidential (chuckles).

Q: Was there any fun story to share?
A: In the World Championship, everything is decided within a matter of two hours which is why I was so tensed up. Then, I had a brief encounter with our CEO Jeong-Woo Choi. He was attending the general assembly for the worldsteel, and he said something that completely helped me decompress. It was actually a compliment – and something I’ve never heard elsewhere. (chuckle). He really helped me unwind, and I was able to compete in the best mindset.

Q: What about your work at POSCO? Is there any connection between your work and the techniques involved in the competition?
A: In the steelmaking department where I work, we’re currently developing a temperature forecast model. Managing temperature is so important for quality steel, so my work was definitely helpful for the competition.

l Teamwork: The Secret Sauce Behind POSCO’s Winning Streaks

Q: So some of your colleagues are also past winners of the steelChallenge?
A: Yes. At Pohang’s steelmaking department, there are altogether two world champions and three regional champions. Jin-Hong Park and Sung-Jin Kim started all this back in 2006. At that time, the competition was team-based – from 2014, the steelChallenge became an individual competition, and this is the first victory since then. Because of the work of my predecessors, we were able to take home the victory.

▲ Past winners of the steelChallenge from POSCO including 2006 World Champions Sung-Jin Kim (second from the right) and Jin-Hong Park (far right)

Q: Any words of advice from the previous winners?
A: Yes. it was, in fact, Sung-Jin Park who first introduced me to the steelChallenge. For the past few years, I have been studying for the competition with my colleagues. Until I learned about the competition eligibility, I went through actual simulations with my colleagues who participated in the challenge. Preparing for steelChallenge takes years – for the World Championship especially, the years of working experience at POSCO helped get my foot in the door.

Q: Multiple winners in just one department? How?
A: I have to attribute the credits to the senior leadership in our department. They helped us organize the team to prepare for the competition – also coaching our studies. They provided the best environment for us to prepare. The steelChallenge itself is one of the hottest events for the whole department, so it was especially motivating.

Q: Do you have any words of advice for the next contestants?
A: Before the competition begins, prospective participants are given two months to study a simulation program. It is critical for them to understand the simulation program fully in order to come up with calculations on various problems – after of which, through countless practice, you horn and perfect your skills finding anything that is overlooked and minimizing errors.

Q: Now that you are the final winner, any plans for the future?
A: The actual steelmaking process involved in the field has more variations than in the competition, making precise prediction quite challenging. However, through persistent analysis of the field operation, I will support improving and automating the steelmaking process. Through the automation process, we will minimize the variants, boost quality and reduce costs, helping the company move forward.

What’s ahead for the steelChallenge 2019? Will Yong-Tae Kim’s infectious energy help bring home the victory yet again? The clock is ticking for the next steelChallenge Regional Championship – which is set to take place this coming November.