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Future of steel is still bright

The main theme of the new Steel Gallery is ‘Harmony’ which represents that steel will be together with humanity for the next generation. The gallery is mainly composed with future advanced technology that gives incredible experiences of high class technology in POSCO’s world premium products.

One of the technologies we can proudly recommend to feel in our gallery is electric vehicle section. POSCO recognized that future vehicle trend will be dramatically changed with renewable energy such as electrically fueled vehicles. In the Gallery, POSCO introduced its own technology that plays a crucial part for future generation of vehicles such as lightweight frame and various solutions.

VR technology allows giving vivid experience about steel

Steel will be still with us

Another theme of the gallery is close to human life. One specific feature that the gallery makes so impressive is smart system, an interactive wall that helps better understanding of steel to the people who are not familiar with steel. Animated images of steel processing and VR Virtual Reality) are the good examples of smart POSCO. These advanced elements describes important role of steel for our future life.

Collaboration of visual art and steel expressing the steel in our life

‘Kinetic Steel’, Harmony with kinetic art

Finally, Steel Gallery shows fabulous collaborations of art work and steel in terms of kinetic art (also may refer to kinetic steel). For instance, shattered pieces of steel gathered and shape several objects that we can easily see in our life, such as vehicles, buildings and so on. POSCO expects that this incredible artistic feature may bring positive inspiration about steel.

Convenient access to POSCO’s premium products at Steel Gallery on the 2nd floor

As it mentioned above, the ultimate purpose of the Steel Gallery is to get closer to all generations by showing diverse technologies and visual impacts so that general population understand that steel is one of the fundamental elements of our current and even for the future life. POSCO will continue to make efforts for ‘better life for humanity’. The clips below represents that we also hope our achievements bring positive inspiration in global scale.

How does he come up with his designs?

“All my collections are built on scientific research. Technology helps me realize complex ideas and thoughts,” said Josefi. For the GANGS collection, his complex ideas were expressed through the use of steel, laser printing and 3D printing technology.

“During the design process, I was inspired by the movie ‘Gangs of New York’. I hope that my design will provide a stronger self-esteem in the tough times we live in and I chose to focus on womenswear with this collection. I always want to contribute to gender equality and with my collection, I intended to highlight women’s incredible strength. Furthermore, I became a dad to a little daughter recently and I wanted to dedicate this collection to her,” said the Swedish designer who is widely known for his win on Project Runway Sweden in 2012.

Steel dresses from the 2017 F/W GANGS collection.

A Timeless Duo: Steel and Denim

With his background as a bespoke tailor and a keen interest in science, Josefi is spearheading the application of technology into fashion for a highly customized and personal fit. As a result, his pieces incorporate some unlikely materials and the GANGS collection was no exception.

“I think denim and steel are always matched together. You always find steel details in denim garments such as buttons, zippers and rivets. The connection between denim and steel already exists. I just wanted to highlight the collaboration between the Swedish steel industry and fashion industry even more.”

He did just that by using 100 percent recyclable steel sequins to make the dresses for his collection. Josefi worked closely with a steel manufacturer in Munkfors, Sweden. Together, they produced extremely thin bands of steel and added color to them through an electrical heating treatment. Finally, the bands were cut into small sequins via a technique called etching.

Naim Josefi undergoing the intensive process of sewing on the steel sequins by hand.

What was the hardest part of working with steel?

“The difficulties were in cutting the perfect sizes because the steel I used is very thin- 0.022 mm (1/4 of a human hair) and I needed more than 100,000 pieces. This is my most ambitious high-tech project so far. The dress is made of more than 18,000 pieces of steel sequins in different shades. Every sequin of steel is stitched by hand on a silk fabric.”

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Designing for Sustainability

Steel sequins were not the only high-tech and sustainable component of his collection. Josefi used denim as his key fabric and incorporated laser printing into the design process.

Laser-printed denim was a key fabric for the 2017 F/W GANGS collection.

Why use laser printing?

“To support sustainability. Production is situated in Portugal where we use ecologic denim fabrics with a high-tech laser treatment to create the patterns. The laser technology reduces water consumption by 80 percent in the washing process. The benefits of laser printing for the design is that we get more elegant and clean graphic patterns.”

3D Printing for the Perfect Fit  

The GANGS collection was not Josefi’s first attempt at high-tech design. In 2011, Josefi was nominated for a Brit Insurance Design Award for his 3D-printed Melonia shoes.

“I wanted to push forward the concept of tailoring. I came to the idea that the perfect measurement is scanning the body and the perfect tailoring is done by 3D printing the garments. My Melonia shoe was a demonstration of the future tailoring concept.”

Josefi was nominated for a Brit Insurance Design Award for his 3D-printed Melonia shoes. (Source: Arch20)

So, how does one 3D-print a pair of killer heels?

“We scanned the foot and shaped the design digitally in Rhino software to fit the scanned foot and then we printed the design in polyamide in an SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) 3D printer. The technology is still very new and the quality of scanning and 3D printing in different materials is still quite limited.”

For his most recent SS18 collection, Josefi designed 3D-printed steel hats, and is currently working on 3D printing steel jewelry.

“It’s always important for me to push the development further. It’s my responsibility as a designer to challenge the development to something better.”

When asked if he plans on using more steel for future collections, his answer was a definite “Yes.”

Naim Josefi’s 2017 FW GANGS collection is gaining international attention.

Cover photo courtesy of Petroleum Economist.

POSCO’s smart safety features

As a steelmaking company, POSCO has been working towards becoming a “Smart POSCO”, or incorporating the implementation of AI into their production practices. In 2016, POSCO established a Smart Solution Council to research AI, big data and IoT applications. To date, the company has achieved a cost reduction of USD 14 million with the new technology. Even as one of the first steel producers in the world to implement a smart factory for production, the road ahead is a long one. Members of the discussion panel at the 2017 Smart POSCO Forum offered their expert opinions on how companies should move forward with AI research and applications.

Problem Mining

“One of the biggest difficulties in applying AI to manufacturing companies is problem mining. The only way to solve a problem is to find it and define it.” Kim Byung-In, a professor at the POSTECH Department of Industrial and Management Engineering, started off discussions and added, “Along with problem mining, people can learn from the past with reinforcement learning. Reinforcement learning means learning through similar tasks from the past to apply to new assignments. Defining problems and solutions more precisely and systematically managing related keywords can be useful for future tasks.”

Professor Zhang Byoung Tak, an AI professor at Seoul National University and a distinguished professor for POSCO added, “Traditionally, people solve problems, but in the generation of AI, AI will be able to solve problems for us… People now have to focus on defining problems, implementing systems and getting the right kind of data.”

Cooperative Research and Investment

Along with defining the exact problems that AI can provide solutions for, the implementation of AI will also call for a new working culture for companies and industries.

Tech company VUNO CTO Jung Gyuhwan stated, “Each company has its own production or operation method, and different data formats and protocols, but product inspection and screen UI (User Interface) are common areas. If we can find such common areas that can be commercialized and continue to research ways to expand AI applications to different sectors, we can achieve meaningful results together.”

Researchers developing programming and coding technologies

Jung went on to highlight that most AI personnel are unfamiliar with manufacturing. In particular, steel production terms are so difficult that it takes a considerable amount of time to share and understand information. There are also numerous obstacles and obligations for startups entering an unfamiliar development environment full of regulations and restrictions on things like the use of codes.

“In other words, task efficiency is a trade off with information security. I believe that if there is such a process in POSCO where the risk of technology leakage is not high, it will speed up results through collaboration with start-ups. POSCO ICT in Pangyo is a good place for startup employees to work. If we can take advantage of the POSCO ICT databases, collaboration with start-up companies will be easier. As of now, there are not many AI companies in Korea that specialize in manufacturing. Most people don’t even know that there is a lot of data available in the manufacturing industry. That’s why fostering start-up companies specializing in manufacturing now, is a good idea.”

Google’s Fei-Fei Li announces Google’s acquisition of Kaggle. (Source: Venture Beat)

According to CB Insights, M&A (mergers and acquisitions) of AI startups have increased 700 percent since 2011, because they are more efficient and often more insightful when it comes to AI research. Besides investing in existing startups, members of the panel agreed that collaborative competitions such as Kaggle, a contest platform where data scientists from around the world participate in solving problems in industry and society, are a great place to find talent and foster them as start-up companies.

Tackling New Challenges

The flurry of activity around AI research shows just how new the sector really is. People are still finding ways to apply AI across different sectors and industries. In such a volatile environment, how do companies and researchers navigate their way forward?

According to Choi Heeyoul, a professor of computer science at Handong Global University, companies need to “start where the people, problem definition and data are ready. Whether it is in production, sales, distribution, etc., if there is the will to solve problems, then results will follow. Especially when collecting data, you need the help of data analysts. For example, classification data for different types of steel can only be analyzed if the history of the classification criteria is recorded. Speech recognition is not any better for AI application than other fields, yet the most active and productive research has been completed in this sector. This is attributable to the will to apply AI, the abundance of accurate data and close cooperation with data analysts.”

Obtaining accurate data is vital for AI research

Professor Zhang Byung-Tak had another approach to offer. “I hope people will boldly take on challenges. The dramatic increase in computing power can now enable attempts that were previously considered reckless…No matter how much data we gather, it will never be enough. We need to approach problems as experiments and just start. One way to go about it is to work in reverse instead of waiting for data to be accumulated. You can start the task to define the data that is needed and determine the coherence of the data to the task.”

Lee Jong-Seok, a Professor at Sungkyunkwan University added, “When we are defining problems, we need to separate them into ones that can be solved in the short term and ones that require long term solutions. Some problems can be solved with minor improvements, while other problems will persist. For the latter, it is important to have patience and invest in a solution over a long term.”

That’s exactly what manufacturing companies are doing. They are collecting data every stage of production all the way to sales and administration. Big data is now available to study and apply to boost companies’ efficiency, sustainability and performance. Those who come up with the optimal software and modeling systems for data analytics will win the competitive edge early on.

UNIST professor Choi Jaesik echoed the panel’s sentiment, in closing, saying, “It’s very uncommon for a manufacturing company to hold AI courses for all their employees. I think POSCO can take pride that…POSCO is a great place to apply AI and achieve results. There is already plenty of data on site and employees are continuously working to obtain more accurate data. I look forward to seeing what POSCO will bring to the advancement of AI.”

POSCO CEO Kwon Ohjoon plans on doing exactly that, by increasing investment in research and implementing AI technology where applicable. Read more on POSCO’s smartization efforts here.

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The POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation

The POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation was created in 2013 to mobilize support from POSCO Group employees and subcontractors. Volunteers donate 1% of their monthly salary to the foundation, which then goes to fund projects for communities that need support the most.

The Foundation has completed a number of meaningful projects under this venture utilizing the company’s advanced steel products, such as PosMAC and PosCozy. From Korea to Myanmar and Vietnam, POSCO employees have helped with the construction of numerous houses, playgrounds, and villages.

Myanmar Steel Bridge

In Hmawbi, a village outside of Yangon, Myanmar, villagers were struggling to cross the wooden bridge they had used for years. The wooden planks were rotting with holes making it unsafe and difficult to cross. During the rainy season, it was near impossible to use. In order to help the residents of Hmawbi commute safely, the POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation decided to replace the old bridge with a new one made of steel.

Residents of Yoewa Village crossing the steel bridge built by POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation

The newly built bridge, 3 meters wide and 20 meters long, utilized POSCO steel plates and PosMAC, a World Premium Product known for its unique strength, lightweight, and durable properties. On May 24, the foundation completed the construction of the steel bridge with the help and collaboration of the POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation. Over 150 people including POSCO employees, residents of Hmawbi, and other partners in Myanmar gathered to celebrate the completion of the project.

POSCO Vietnam Steel Village

On June 13, POSCO Group holds a ceremony for completing the construction of 104 steel houses in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province.

In response to the request of Vietnam’s government to build a residential complex for the underprivileged in the Ba Ria–Vung Tau Province, POSCO Group began building houses in Vietnam’s largest business clusters near Ho Chi Minh City in 2014. Over the course of three years, over 1,500 POSCO Group employees and student volunteers have participated in various construction work, including a steel framing job, building walls, and painting, to help build houses for low-income families.

[clickToTweet tweet=”The POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation uses its advanced steel solutions to provide support for those in need.” quote=”The POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation uses its advanced steel solutions to provide support for those in need.” theme=”style6″]

With donations from the POSCO 1% Foundation and using POSCO’s advanced steel solutions, the project was completed on June 13. Together with Habitat for Humanity, the POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation built a total of 104 steel houses in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province for 500 low-income families. While POSCO SS-VINA provided H Beams for building the house frames, POSCO A&C was in charge of supplying insulation materials that can absorb rain impact noise and block direct sunlight as well as designing the natural ventilation system.

POSCO Korea Donggurang Steel Land

In Korea, the POSCO 1% Foundation built Donggurang Steel Land, an indoor playground for children, and donated it to the local government in Incheon. Previously in 2013, the foundation established an agreement with the Incheon Government Office to build public facilities for children of dual-income families and began the construction. The playground includes an artificial rock climbing wall, a smart gym board, and other facilities that provide children with a safe environment in which to play.

POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation’s Donggurang Steel Land

The two-story facility was designed and constructed using POSCO’s own materials and technology. While the roof was built with corrugated steel plates with corrosion-resistant steel, the outer wall was constructed by applying a steel curtain wall system. In order to reduce noise between floors, POSCO’s flooring system, PosCozy, was also applied.

POSCO hopes that the newly built bridge and facilities can represent POSCO’s strong desire to connect community goals with the company’s resources and expertise to accomplish healthy and sustainable neighborhoods. Building on years of successful contributions to local communities around the world, POSCO will continue to strive to become an exemplary case of sustainable growth. 

POSCO joins its partners in the energy industry at the Offshore Technology Conference held in Houston in May. The exhibition booth is prepared in collaboration with the high-profile offshore tool and material manufacturers in the energy industry.

Just as it did the previous year, POSCO presented a booth together with the offshore tool and material manufacturers in the energy industry. POSCO also consulted with various companies to expand new markets for its World Premium Products, including the high manganese steel for slurry pipes, steel for LNG terminals, and steel bars for tools and materials for energy mining.

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POSCO began research & development for this technology in 2013 and invested a total of KRW 55 billion. After POSCO Technical Research Laboratories completed the initial testing, the equipment was transferred over to the Plate Rolling Department at Gwangyang Works for production.

Normally, high manganese is produced by melting solid manganese iron. When the solid manganese alloy iron is injected into a converter (a large container for storing molten iron), the temperature of the molten iron is lowered and then increased again. This leads to additional energy costs and extends the process time. In addition, with this process, refractories in the converter start to wear away as manganese oxide is generated in the process of melting.

To make this process more efficient, POSCO built PosLM (POSCO Liquid Manganese), its own special facility that is capable of storing molten manganese iron.

POSCO has already applied its own high-manganese steel in the oil sand slurry pipes for ExxonMobil, the world’s largest oil company. Also, because of its excellent durability, POSCO also plans to apply its high manganese steel to the inner parts of industrial power transformers and liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanks.

From planning to production, the successful development of the high manganese steel production technology came about as a joint collaboration between POSCO Technical Research Laboratories, steel mills, and POSCO M-tech, the company’s material development unit. This technology received the Innovation Award at the 2016 POSCO Family Technology Awards.

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“I hope that innovation will continue to develop through improved sharing and communication, enhancing our business performance and the cooperation of POSCO China subsidiaries,” said Yong-sam Song, head of the Management Strategy Division at POSCO China.

POSCO China subsidiaries and employees came together for Innovation POSCO Festival China (left). Several subsidiaries received special recognition for their work in 2016 (right).

During the presentations, HR Innovation Office Project Support Group leader Suk-mo Jeong discussed the results of PSS+ (POSCO Six Sigma Plus), QSS+ (Quality Stability Safety Plus), SWP (Smart Work Place), and the direction of future innovation with POSTIM in 2017. In addition, several POSCO China subsidiaries contributed with presentations on gaining a competitive edge with optimal equipment (Zhangjiagang Pohang Stainless Steel Co., Ltd.), standardizing factory management (POSCO-CSPC), maintaining safety in the workplace (POSCO-CFPC), and creating a standard model for factory construction (POSCO-CCPC).

Four subsidiaries (ZPSS, CSPC, CFPC, and CCPC) were awarded by POSCO China president Sung-hee Han for their excellent performance with POSCO-CORE receiving recognition for its breakout performance in 2016.

In his closing comments, Han said, “I want to ask POSCO China’s Innovation Hub to provide customized support unique to each subsidiary’s circumstances and characteristics. And I want us to make our best effort to identify and resolve all waste factors at the workplace.”

Using the “Innovation POSCO Festival China” to help boost performance, POSCO China plans to strengthen their own innovation & collaborative efforts in order to succeed despite the unfavorable business conditions expected in 2017.

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