1. #Winning – competitiveness and sustainability

POSCO was recently named the world’s most competitive steelmaker for the eighth consecutive year by World Steel Dynamics (WSD). POSCO again took home the gold with the highest scores in five categories including innovative technology, cost reduction, skill level of labor, restructuring and investment environment.

POSCO is the world’s most competitive steelmaker.

Not only did POSCO come out on top for competitiveness, the company was ranked 35th among the “Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World in 2017,” by Toronto-based magazine and research firm Corporate Knights. The list was announced in early 2017 at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. This is the third consecutive year POSCO made the list with outstanding scores in safety, environment and the salary levels of employees.

2. Joining the trillion club

POSCO entered the trillion club twice in 2017 as it recorded USD 1.283 billion (KRW 1.365 trillion) of operating profits in the first quarter, and USD 1.0581 billion (KRW 1.1257 trillion) in the third quarter based on its consolidated operating profit. Even in the midst of global oversupply and governments opting for protectionist policies, POSCO’s profits were unscathed. Much of the credit is owed to the company’s steel and non-steel affiliates overseas with strong sales performances. The consolidated debt-to-equity ratio was the lowest since 2010 and the non-consolidated debt-to-equity ratio was at its lowest ever.

POSCO recorded an operating profit over KRW 1 trillion in the first and third quarter of 2017.

To add, international credit rating agency S&P upgraded POSCO’s BBB-plus credit rating outlook to “stable” last February, and Moody’s also upgraded POSCO’s long-term corporate credit rating outlook to “positive” on October 26.

3. Everything’s bigger in…POSCO

Last June, after 102 days of repair, Pohang Blast Furnace No.3 became the world’s fifth-largest blast furnace. Its internal volume expanded from 4350㎥ to 5600㎥, allowing the super-sized blast furnace to put out 15,000 tons of molten metal daily. POSCO currently operates five super-sized blast furnaces, or blast furnaces sized 5500㎥ or larger.

Pohang Blast Furnace No. 3 under construction.

POSCO further upgraded Pohang Blast Furnace No.3 by adding in AI capabilities. It is now equipped with smart technology that can control the internal state of the blast furnace automatically, and smart sensors can now predict accidents before they happen, extending the lifespan of the furnace. Furthermore, POSCO plans to collect big data from the blast furnace and use it to develop fully smart blast furnaces in the future.

4. The smarter the better

Since his taking up the CEO position in 2014, POSCO CEO Ohjoon Kwon has repeatedly expressed his vision for securing future competitiveness through smart solutions. The company even started a smartization training course for employees and held the Smart POSCO Forum 2017 last July to share its insights and progress with clients and affiliates.

POSCO is gaining a competitive edge through smart solutions. (Source: Global Trade Magazine)

Moreover, POSCO also supported a smart talent training project customized for SMEs. The program included job training for AI and big data application technologies. Going forward, POSCO plans to build a “Smart Industry” to increase steel competitiveness and create new business opportunities with new, smart technologies.

SEE ALSO: How Factories Produce Steel- the Smart Way

5. Getting in on electric vehicles

The market for electric vehicles (EVs) is an exciting one with so many companies investing in new technologies. POSCO also hopes to extend its customized material and technology solutions to EV manufacturers. Last October, the company held the Global EV Materials Forum to showcase four of its core business areas: lightweight bodies, batteries, motors and charging infrastructure. More than 380 clients took part in the forum to learn about emerging trends and POSCO’s products and services including POSCO GIGA STEEL and commercially produced lithium batteries for EVs.

POSCO is a solutions provider for EV manufacturers. (Source: Bloomberg)

6. POSCO’s new marketing approach

For the first time ever, POSCO created and aired a TV commercial highlighting a specific product, instead of its corporate brand. This marks POSCO’s first B2C marketing effort and features the company’s innovative auto steel, POSCO GIGA STEEL. The commercial compares POSCO GIGA STEEL to aluminum, another widely-used lightweight material in a visual demonstration so that everyday drivers can better understand the benefits of a stronger yet lighter material.

7. Going for 10 million tons of automotive steel

On April 26, POSCO completed 7CGL, a new steel production facility in Gwangyang, Korea, designed exclusively for the production of POSCO GIGA STEEL. 7CGL has an annual capacity of 500,000 tons and is the world’s first plant capable of producing both 1.5 giga-level galva-annealed (GA) and galvanized (GI) steel sheets.

POSCO Completed 7CGL on April 26, 2017. (Source: Business Korea)

In addition, POSCO managed to reduce investment funds and secure cost competitiveness by designing and constructing 7CGL’s core facilities based on accumulated facility technologies and operating know-how. The 7CGL is POSCO’s 12th plant exclusively for automotive steel sheets, and POSCO aims to sell 10 million tons of automotive steel in 2018 globally.  

8. Setting new records with high manganese

POSCO became the first company in the world to commercialize the technology for producing high manganese using fusible ferroalloys. The technology took KRW 5.5 billion of research and development costs and four years to complete.

POSCO is the first company in the world to commercialize its high manganese production technology. (Source: Eramet)

The core part of POSCO’s high manganese production process is PosLM (POSCO Liquid Manganese), a special holding furnace that stores manganese ferroalloys in a fusible state. POSCO’s technology reduces the production time for high manganese steel by more than 50 percent as well as increases slab production efficiency. PosLM was jointly researched and developed by the Institute of Technology and POSCO M-tech.

9. Bringing home the lithium

On February 7, POSCO opened its PosLX (POSCO Lithium Extraction) plant with an annual capacity of 2,500 tons. The plant is the first plant in Korea capable of commercial lithium production. The technology took 7 years to perfect, but it was well worth it. The production process for high purity lithium now takes just 3 months, compared to the previous 12 to 18 months.

POSCO is making lithium extraction more efficient and sustainable. (Source: Mining)

In the past, Korean manufacturers imported the entire quantity of lithium they needed. With POSCO’s PosLX plant, partners now have access to a local supply of lithium. Moreover, POSCO plans to use lithium phosphate extracted from wasted secondary batteries as raw materials, in keeping with the company’s sustainability standards.

POSCO will continue building on a successful 2017 in the new year, by tackling new challenges and continuing to provide its partners with customized and optimal solutions in all business areas.

Cover photo courtesy of Hitech Building Solutions.

In its October 2016 “Nerve of Steel” report, the Carbon Disclosure Project, or CDP, found that steel companies had quite a ways to go in order to meet targets set by the Paris Agreement – the industry as a whole would need to reduce emissions by 70% by 2050. While their report found that most companies were not doing enough to meet these targets, some companies, like POSCO, have been forging ahead with new technologies for more sustainable production.

Why are Reductions in Carbon Emissions Important?

In 2015, nations around the world met at the United Nations Climate Change Conference to negotiate the Paris Agreement. The goals of the Paris Agreement were to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius while also calling for zero net GHG emissions in the second half of the 21st century.

A 2-degree increase in global temperature is generally agreed upon by scientists to be the tipping point at which numerous problems arise including droughts, floods, and reductions in crop yields. However, many scientists also believe that if carbon emissions are not curbed quickly, and drastically, temperatures could rise by almost 6 degrees Celsius this century.

Due to the increasing urgency of curbing emissions, governments, businesses, and policymakers around the globe are working to find ways to cut GHG. To help inform this process, CDP transforms environmental performance data from cities, states, and businesses into detailed analysis on critical environmental risks, opportunities and impacts.

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Their “Nerves of Steel” report on the steel industry’s work to cut GHG emissions found few bright spots. The industry as a whole continues to be the main contributor of global carbon emissions with only a few companies, like POSCO, stepping forward to create more sustainable steel production technologies.    

Objectives and Findings of the CDP Report

CDP’s “Nerves of Steel” report found that overall progress in reducing emissions and energy use was limited and uneven across the industry. They found that in the past seven years more companies had increased their emissions intensity and energy intensity than had reduced them. Because of this lack of progress, they found that the steel industry was responsible for between 6-7% of total global emissions. Also, in order to meet Paris Agreement objectives, the industry as a whole would need to reduce emissions by a staggering 70% by 2050.  

Drew Fryer, a Senior Analyst at Investor Research at CDP noted that “The steel industry will have to play a huge part in achieving the 2-degree scenario laid out in the Paris Agreement. However, there has been no progress in reducing its emissions over the past decade. Steelmakers need to prioritize funding of a technology transformation to reduce emissions in order to ensure targets are met.”

Despite the grim outlook on the industry as a whole, CDP did highlight several companies that were working hard toward creating more sustainable steel production technology – among those top performers were POSCO, SSAB, ThyssenKrupp, and Hyundai Steel. See the table below for a full listing of CPD’s rankings.

How POSCO is Leading the Steel Industry in Sustainable Steel Production

CDP ranked POSCO first among all steelmakers for its work to produce steel through more sustainable processes. They noted that POSCO performed strongly across most key areas with below average emissions intensity. Also, unlike several other steelmakers, POSCO demonstrated an ability to reduce its emissions intensity significantly in recent years.

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While the report placed a strong focus on the industry not focusing on targets to limit global warming (six out of the 14 companies did not even publish targets beyond 2016), CDP noted that POSCO’s targets remain consistent with the goal to cut emissions significantly enough to reach the Paris Agreement objectives.

In particular, CDP highlighted POSCO’s FINEX technology that was developed and commercialized to provide incremental emissions reductions from steelmaking by eliminating sintering and coke oven processes. They also noted that the technology has the potential to be combined with carbon capture & storage (CCS) due to high concentrations of CO2 in waste gases, POSCO’s other active projects to separate and capture CO2, and their early stage work on carbon capture & use (CCU) and hydrogen-based steelmaking.

POSCO’s technological advancements in sustainable steel production have helped it reduce emissions while becoming more competitive.

In addition to these developments, POSCO continues its work to make its factories run smarter and more efficiently. AI and IIoT technology are helping to improve product quality for POSCO’s customers while also reducing waste and pollution. In addition, to be recognized by CDP as a leader in the steel industry, POSCO’s efforts have also been recognized by the Corporate Knights’ Global 100 list (#1 in Metals and Mining), and they have also been listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for 12 straight years.

As the world works toward hitting emission reduction targets, governments, policymakers, and industry leaders must step forward to lead. POSCO’s work to limit emissions has proven that more sustainable production can also be more competitive.

*Cover image courtesy of the World Steel Association

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