POSCO CEO Kwon Ohjoon is seen firing up Pohang Blast Furnace No. 3 at the ceremony held on June 6 in Pohang, Korea

Renovations for the blast furnace began on February 24 when POSCO added automated monitoring technology to control the internal state of the blast furnace, a measure expected to help forecast and extend its lifespan. This led POSCO to develop an infrastructure that utilizes artificial intelligence and collect big data from early stages of operation, bringing it one step closer to becoming a “smart blast furnace.”  

Distinguished guests, including POSCO CEO Kwon Ohjoon, are seen powering on the blower switch in the operating room of Pohang Blast Furnace No. 3

In addition to incorporating smart technology, the internal volume of Pohang Blast Furnace No. 3 was expanded from 4350㎥ to 5600㎥, making it the 5th largest in the world, with a capacity to produce 15,000 tons of molten steel in a single day. POSCO now operates 5 of the 14 super-sized blast furnaces in the world, including the world’s largest Gwangyang Blast Furnace No. 1 (6000㎥), Pohang Blast Furnaces No. 3 and 4 (5600㎥) and Gwangyang Blast Furnaces No. 4 and 5 (5500㎥). The remaining blast furnaces are in Japan (four), China (three), Russia (one), and Germany (one).

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The FINEX® Process

The FINEX® Process was jointly developed by POSCO in Korea and Primetals Technologies in Austria. FINEX® (along with COREX® – another smelting process developed by Primetals) is the only commercial proven alternative steelmaking process to the blast furnace (BF) route.

FINEX® is based on the direct use of iron ore fines and non-coking coal while eliminating the coke-making and sintering processes, which are most critical to the conventional blast furnace process. Combining these two decisive advantages leads to lower production costs and the reduction of environmental emissions in comparison with the conventional blast furnace route.

The FINEX® Process combines cooking plant, sinter plant, and blast furnace into a single iron making unit.

Advantages of the FINEX® Process

There are several key advantages to and differences in using the FINEX Process:

• Non-coking coal can be used directly as a reducing agent and energy source
• 100% fine ore can be directly charged to the process; no sintering or pelletising is required
• Pure oxygen can be used instead of nitrogen-rich hot blast

In addition, the FINEX® Process offers several key advantages over alternative BF methods.

• Economic benefits – low investment and operational costs due to the elimination of coking and sinter plants
• Ecological benefits – lowest process-related emission rates
• Product quality – hot metal quality suitable for ecological steel applications
• CO2 mitigation potential – pure oxygen is used
• Resource preserving – directly uses a wide range of iron ores and non-coking coals
• Beneficial by-products – generation of highly valuable export gas for various purposes (electric power generation, DRI production, or natural gas substitution)
• The FINEX® Process combines coking plant, sinter plant and blast furnace into a single iron making unit.

Creating The FINEX® Process

Starting in December 1992, POSCO and Primetals Technologies signed a cooperation agreement for the joint development of the FINEX® Process. Following initial laboratory, bench scale and pilot plant tests, the FINEX® F-0.6M Demonstration Plant, with a nominal capacity of 2,000 tons per day, was built in Pohang, Korea, and started up in May 2003. On the basis of successful results and optimization of equipment and process parameters over the past few years, POSCO developed their own independently designed program in February 2017. Designed to carry out overseas FINEX projects without relying on Primetals Technologies or other external resources, the program can be used to calculate core equipment specifications and raw material conditions. In particular, the development of the FINEX Process Design Program, one of the subprograms, has made it possible for the “heat & mass balance” to be automatically calculated when raw & fuel material conditions change.

[clickToTweet tweet=”The FINEX® Process is a cost-effective, more eco-friendly, and efficient way to make steel. ” quote=”The FINEX® Process is a cost-effective, more eco-friendly, and efficient way to make steel. ” theme=”style6″]

Efficiencies of the FINEX® Process

The FINEX® smelting reduction process is one of the most exciting iron making technologies on the market. It is distinguished by the production of high-quality liquid hot metal, on the basis of directly charged iron ore fines, and coal as the reductant and energy source. A key feature of the FINEX® Process is that iron production is carried out in two separate process steps. In a series of fluidized-bed reactors, the fine iron ore is reduced to direct reduced iron, compacted (HCI), and then transported to a melter-gasifier. Coal and coal briquettes charged to the melter-gasifier are gasified, providing the necessary energy for melting in addition to the reduction gas.

The FINEX® Process is Environmentally Friendly

The FINEX® Process and the blast furnace route are coal-based processes reducing iron ore to iron, which is subsequently melted into hot metal. In both processes, the same product is generated out of almost the same raw material. A question that arises – and not only from an economic point of view – is “how do these production routes deal with unwanted impurities?”

A certain amount of environmentally harmful substances is inevitable based on the raw material mix. Hence, the objective of a sustainable steelmaking process is to discharge these substances in an environmentally compatible condition or destroy them during the process itself. Since the FINEX® Process captures most of the pollutants in an inert state in the slag, and the released hydrocarbons are destroyed in the dome of the melter gasifier, no additional investment or operational costs are incurred for a complex gas or disproportional waste water conditioning plant.

Comparing the traditional blast furnace with the FINEX Process shows the improvements that POSCO was able to achieve to be more
environmentally friendly.

Future-Proof Emissions Figures

To bring blast furnaces in line with current and expected environmental standards, plants require significant investment. This can already be seen in the case of blast furnace dust emissions that are efficient, but costly filter systems must be installed in the sinter and coking plant. The FINEX® Process values are already far better than expected future standards. Moreover, the full development potential of the FINEX® Process has not yet been realized with respect to a further reduction of emissions.

Moving Forward with Greater Potential

Because the FINEX® Process is still being optimized, additional economic and technological benefits are anticipated. Major developments are continuously being carried out to increase efficiency. The latest achievements include breakthroughs in the field of heat recovery, dry dedusting, and outstanding performance improvements. Based on the well-proven plant concept, new process features, the highly competitive production costs, and environmental features, Primetals Technologies and POSCO are confident that the FINEX® Process will account for an increasing share of future investments in iron making facilities.

*Cover image courtesy of the World Steel Association

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It all started 49 years ago in a small fishing village on the East coast of Korea and has grown to be the fourth-largest steel producer in the world.

A Small Fishing Village with 39 Employees

To help rebuild the country after the end of the Korean War, President Park Chung-hee made steel production and heavy industry the centerpiece of his Second Five Year Plan (1967-1971). Despite there being no steel industry in Korea, President Park wanted to be able to manufacture steel domestically without relying on imports and foreign technology.

Opening of POSCO in April 1968

In 1965, President Park visited Pittsburgh, PA, where he gained insight into the steel industry and what would be required if Korea were to develop its own independent production facilities. One year later, Korea International Steel Associates (KISA) was formed. KISA included a consortium of eight companies from five different countries whose goal was to help Korea start its own integrated steelmaking facility. By 1967, the government approved a plan from KISA that included a basic agreement on technology & funding.

Pohang, a small fishing village on Korea’s eastern coast, was chosen as the official site of the steel mill. POSCO was officially incorporated on April 1, 1968, as a joint public-private venture with just 39 employees. Park Tae-joon came on board to serve as CEO and by May 1968, construction of POSCO’s headquarters had begun.

In May 1968 the POSCO headquarters construction had begun

Setbacks to Success  

Despite the steps taken to move Korea’s steel industry forward, there were many setbacks along the way. First, overshadowing each step of its development was the skepticism coming from both foreign and domestic fronts. Foreign investors could not understand why Korea would expand into industries it had no history with. And local leaders doubted their ability to overcome all of the technological, economic, and infrastructural hurdles facing them. To make matters worse, KISA was disbanded in September 1969 – leaving plans for POSCO up in the air.

Korean President Park Chung-hee was instrumental in getting POSCO off of the ground. Here he is at one of the blast furnaces at Pohang Works. (1976)

Determined to complete the project, President Park began negotiations with Japan who later provided the grants, loans, and technology for the construction of the initial plant. Construction of the steel mill started in 1970 and on June 9, 1973, at 7:30 am, the first steel came off of the line. By April 1974, they had decided to expand the capacity of the third furnace at Pohang Words to 5.5 million tons and the fourth furnace capacity was increased to 8.5 million tons.

Expansion

Because of POSCO’s early successes, the Korean government decided to build a second facility on the peninsula’s southern coast in Gwangyang. After the completion of the fourth phase of construction at Gwangyang, POSCO had a total of 20.8 million tons of crude steel production capacity. Of that total, Pohang was producing 9.4 million tons with Gwangyang producing 11.4 million tons. It earned the distinction of being the world’s largest steel mill and POSCO become one of the main driving forces behind the industrialization of Korea’s economy.

After its completion, Gwangyang Works was the largest integrated steel mill in the world. (1992)

In 1986, POSCO entered into a 50/50 joint venture with US Steel (UPI). Their partnership was set to develop a comprehensive modernization program that would upgrade the processes and equipment of the facility. Since the establishment of USS-POSCO Industries (UPI), POSCO has continued to branch out all over the globe. It has set up STS production plants at Zhangjiagang Pohang Stainless Steel (China) and POSCO Tai Knox (Thailand), and automotive steel plate production lines (CGL) in Mexico, India, and China. PT Krakatau POSCO was built in 2013 and was the first integrated steel mill in Southeast Asia.

POSCO Becomes the Most Competitive Steelmaker in the World

By 2014, production capacity had increased to 37.7 million tons. Pohang now has three heavy plate mills, four cold rolling mills, five blast furnaces, heavy plate mills, and four hot rolling mills. Beyond its scope and production capacities, POSCO is committed to developing advanced, high-quality World Premium Products. In addition, POSCO’s innovations in other industries, integration of smart factory technologies into the production process, and its commitment to local communities continue to push POSCO forward.

Advanced World Premium Products

With a focus on advanced steel solutions, POSCO has developed a wide range of products that can be customized to fit a customer’s unique needs. These World Premium Products are the reason POSCO has been listed as the most competitive steelmaker for seven years in a row. For example, PosMAC has been utilized in many different ways from floating solar cells to durable public art pieces. Also, POSCO’s award winning PosCozy floor plates provide soundproofing and heat insulation.

The hot rolling process at Gwangyang produces 3,400,000 tons per year

Lithium Extraction & Other Ventures

POSCO has also strengthened its global competitiveness by accelerating new businesses in the materials and energy industries. POSCO has developed a fuel cell plant that was completed in 2008, a Myanmar gas field that produces 500 million cubic feet of gas each day, and lithium extraction technology that is 10 times faster than previous methods.

Solution Marketing

In addition to manufacturing advanced, high-quality steel, POSCO’s Solution Marketing provides customers with added technology solutions and commercial support. Instead of just supplying products and stepping away from the customer, POSCO works with its customers to create customized solutions that ensure successful implementation. Partnering with manufacturers early on in the production process, POSCO has stepped beyond its role as a steel supplier and now serves as a solutions provider.

Smart Factory Technology

POSCO also incorporates cutting edge technology and innovations into its production processes. At its automotive steel plate factory in Gwangyang, POSCO introduced AI technology into its coating weight control system, improving quality and reducing waste. Also, POSCO CEO Ohjoon Kwon remains committed to developing more smart factory solutions and has been meeting with executives of other companies, such as GE and Siemens, to explore partnerships and best practices.

President Park Chung-hee comes to POSCO to celebrate the opening of Pohang Works

Someone seeing the successes of POSCO today might have a hard time understanding how it even started, much less how it was able to overcome the immense barriers it faced. POSCO continues to be a leader in the steel industry with its advanced, high-quality World Premium Products. Also, POSCO’s successes in its non-steel ventures show its commitment to remaining on the cutting edge of technological trends and industrial innovation. Watch the video below to see for yourself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq574Ivp7c0

For Master Shin, his success at POSCO over the past 34 years comes down to giving credit to his juniors, honoring his superiors and taking responsibility for his own actions. “I think the company is one group sharing a common destiny,” he says. “If you are in a position to lead others, you should try much harder with a community spirit in mind and lead by example.”

The title POSCO Master of Korea is reserved for the very best field technicians, those who have the highest levels of skill, along with helping with coworkers by sharing their knowhow and helping to make POSCO into a worldwide leader.

In this last installment of the series looking at the POSCO Masters of Korea for 2016, we profile Master Seungcheol Shin, to see how pride and the drive to improve underlie his stellar career.

A Lifetime of Constantly Challenging Himself

Born in 1963 to a family of modest means in the Korean countryside, Shin was encouraged to study hard from a young age. He earned a scholarship to Pocheol Technical High School, a school owned and operated by POSCO, and one of the most prestigious schools in Korea. Located in the city of Pohang, Pocheol was far from Shin’s home, but his parents were overjoyed at the opportunity.

At Pocheol, he continued to study hard and do well, graduating among the top of all the kids in his class. While his good grades gave him the opportunity to go to university, his family’s tight money situation forced him to go to work instead. But Master Shin embraced life at POSCO and never looked back.

Today, Master Shin has the passion and voice of a younger man. Shin has been at POSCO for 34 years, but his coworkers all agree that he truly enjoys his job and still likes to challenge himself.

By his third year at POSCO, Master Shin was working for the electrolytic cleaning line (ECL), removing any rolling oil, iron fines or grease that remain on the surface of a cold-rolled plate. Back then, technology controls were much simpler, and operators had to use their eyes to check the quality of coil annealing.

During night shifts, the inspection job was even tougher, and sometimes workers would nod off—only to be awoken by the jarring sound of heavy steel coil falling and hitting the ground. “We would get scolded by our section chief and manager,” Shin says, smiling at the memory. “But that was part of learning the job and my growing process.”

Taking Automotive Steel to the Next Level

Shortly after the year 2000, the steel market started to change, as cheap steel from China starting appearing around the world. POSCO’s response was to change direction and instead concentrate on producing World Premium steel products.

The Gwangyang plant was considered the world’s best automotive steel sheet manufacturing facility, so in 2009 it was tasked with developing a new, specialized steel product that only POSCO could produce. But with the aging equipment in that plant, the order to innovate was quite a challenge. Nonetheless, everyone on the automotive steel division pressed ahead.

“In order for us to achieve the objective of mass producing both high quality and continuous products, we needed work that was innovative, not just improvements,” Master Shin says.

So the continuous annealing line (CAL) system needed to be remodeled, constantly monitoring the results for quality. At every step of the way, Shin and his coworkers encountered challenges and troubles, but gradually they made progress. Finally, in February 2011, they achieved the level of quality demanded by their client.

Through challenges like that one, Shin and his colleagues learned that improvements do not happen by accident. Lowering defect rates and improving quality require relentless efforts, as well as truly understanding the technology of steel.

By improving data collection and awareness, Shin was responsible for lowering the dent defect incidence rate to 0 percent, even using equipment that is 27 years old. And by maintaining preconditioning strip whiteness index at over 90 percent and boosting the cleanliness of the furnace, he was able to prevent the insulator from being damaged even if the strip is bent or broken in the annealing furnace.

The Importance of Humility and Hard Work

Despite decades of leading impressive improvements to the automotive steel division, Master Shin is still driven to improve himself. “While I’m somewhat confident of my operational skills, I still want to study more,” he says. “I want to gain more engineering theory, including about process development, design and more. And I want to acquire my Professional Engineer Metal Materials certificate soon.”

He adds: “My dream is to become the best possible technician, with 34 years of operational experience, engineering theory, and an engineering certificate.”

If there is a core common theme that can be found among the three POSCO Masters of Korea for 2016, it is probably “humility.” For Chajin Kim of the blast furnace team and Sungnam Kim of the electrical installation team, just like Master Shin, they all recognize the importance of always pushing their limits and improving.

“You need to never stop training, never stop practicing,” says Master Shin. “We all need to have the attitude of continuously desiring to get better, practicing and challenging ourselves.”

For POSCO, we are proud of our three latest Masters, and think their knowledge and dedication represents the true spirit of our company.

Meet the Newest POSCO Masters of Korea

‘The Equipment Never Lies’: POSCO Master of Korea Chajin Kim

Always Remembering the Big Picture: POSCO Master of Korea Sungnam Kim

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Among the latest Masters was Chajin Kim, a man who has earned a legendary reputation for his work in the POSCO furnaces.

From Poverty to POSCO

Master Kim was born in 1958, at a time when Korea was still recovering from a devastating civil war. Growing up in the countryside near Gyeongju, in the southeast of Korea, his family often struggled just to put enough food on the table. His father had gone to Japan at the age of 19 to work in an iron works, and when he returned to Korea he had a hard time readjusting. To help the family out, Kim had to gather firewood when he was in fourth grade, carrying huge bundles of wood to sell during the day, then working late into the night on his school work.

Thanks to his great work ethic, though, Kim was able to go to Gyeongju Technical High School, which helped prepare him for a career where he could use his hands and his endless diligence. He soon began to take notice of one particularly enticing option – POSCO. Then called Pohang Iron & Steel, POSCO was located relatively close to his hometown, and back in the 1960s and ’70s it was one of Korea most prestigious and fast-growing companies.

Upon starting at POSCO, Kim was surprised at more than just the size of the company. The quality of the employee meals were a revelation, too, with plenty of high-quality rice and a rich array of dishes. “When I saw that, I wanted to spend my whole life at POSCO,” he recalls.

Hard Work, Big Machines

Repair and maintenance in a blast furnace can be tough work. It involves huge metal machines, and moving a piece just a few millimeters can require hitting them repeatedly with a big sledgehammer. But Kim was used to working hard from an early age, so he never complained; he just got to work.

Kim told a story that illustrated his focus on always putting 100 percent into his job. “We had a policy that you can get new safety shoes after a certain period of time, but you need to show your worn-out shoes to your supervisor to get approval,” he says. “However, my shoes kept wearing out so quickly, one day my supervisor told me that I was allowed to just change my shoes any time I wanted, without limit.”

That dedication also led to promotions. In fact, he earned so many promotions so much faster than usual, that a manager once had to go to his home during Chuseok (a major autumn holiday in Korea, like Thanksgiving). The manager was tasked with doing a thorough check on Kim, because he was supposed to be too young for that promotion.

Dedicated to Innovating

As Kim rose up the ranks and got better and better at his job, it sometimes led to friction, too. He wanted to make the machines as safe and efficient as possible, rather than just making the same repairs over and over again. For example, with the pig casting machines, the round bar on the safety gap equipment used to need replacing about once every four days because the heat would cause the bar to bend. But Kim got the idea of changing the round bar to a square one, which was about 20 times stronger. He also came up with an easier way of making the change. Kim’s innovation passed a stringent set of tests, and POSCO was so pleased that it sent Kim and his whole family on a special vacation.

Kim also has long been concerned with workplace safety. He used to see about 20 accidents each month at his worksite. But as a result of improving processes and machinery, that rate dropped to just one accident a month. Other proposals and patents earned him a series of awards and certifications. Between 2002 and 2006 along, he earned five third-class improvements and five patents.

“Even though the machinery is not alive, if you give it your love and attention, it gives you better results,” he says. “You can tell machines recognize the small and warmth of people because the devices that people take care of don’t break down. You may not believe it, but I do. I’m sure of one thing: the equipment never lies.”

Earning the Title ‘Master’

Despite earning the prestigious title of “Master,” Kim remains focused on modestly doing his job. “To be honest, I am not that smart or flexible,” he says. “What I am good at is limited – where I can add value to my job. That’s why I always need to be focused and at my best to perform well, even if that means getting less sleep.”

Kim finds joy in simple luxuries: buying a nice car for his mother, along with a little more farm land for his family. He has also lived in the same villa provided by POSCO for 26 years.

“I have become the POSCO Master of Korea thanks to the help of my coworkers and the equipment of the blast furnace plant. I was lucky to work here. I will keep working hard and never forget the moment I became a Master.”

Now that Chajin Kim is a POSCO Master of Korea, we look forward to learning from his lifetime of expertise. Master Kim’s know-how makes him a mentor that can help lead POSCO into an even brighter future.

Meet the Newest POSCO Masters of Korea

Always Remembering the Big Picture: POSCO Master of Korea Sungnam Kim

Never Afraid of Failure: POSCO Master of Korea Seungcheol Shin

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Each had to pass a difficult series of tests, including an in-depth cross-examination by the technology experts committee. But the rewards of being selection a master were significant – winners get a gift card for overseas travel and other rewards, but most importantly is the prestige that comes from having their expertise recognized by their peers. Masters become mentors for the next generation of engineers, helping to develop new technology and pass along their know-how to others.

The POSCO Master of Korea program was also created to improve POSCO’s organizational culture, providing realistic role models to other engineers. It is designed to raise competitiveness within the company by developing POSCO’s technology and technical expertise.

Emphasizing Training and Education

Because technology lies at the heart of nearly everything POSCO does, forming the heart of the company’s competitiveness, POSCO has long emphasized the technical training of its employees.

For instance, the company has five Technical Levels (TL), and every November engineers get the chance to take a level test and demonstrate their growing capacity. Departments also require mandatory certification to ensure their tasks are being properly implemented, and POSCO provides incentives to congratulate engineers after they acquire those certificates.

POSCO also offers personalized education programs, like e-learning modules, as well as incentives for technology development. In addition, POSCO maintains an apprentice system so junior engineers are always learning skills and know-how from the company’s top veterans.

The Original Masters

Four engineers were selected in the first year the POSCO Masters of Korea were selected. Byungrak Son in the Electric Motor Technology Department became an expert in electrical engineers after starting with POSCO in 1977.

Gildong Cho joined POSCO in 1982 in the Pohang 2 steel mill, and over the years contributed many advanced proposals and patents that improved POSCO’s products.

Youngguk Kwon is a two-time winner of the Steelmaking Technology Award, having been recognized for improving endless hot rolling and whole plant engineering.

And finally, Youngki Cho became a master for his work in the POSCO furnaces, improving productivity and technology. He also contributed to developing winnower surveillance technology, which was the first to use cameras.

All four engineers were excellent examples of the excellence POSCO has to offer, setting a high standard for future POSCO Masters of Korea to follow.

3 New Masters for 2016

For 2016, three POSCO employees earned the Master of Korea designation: Chajin Kim of the blast furnace team, Sungnam Kim of the electrical installation team, and Seungcheol Shin of the automotive steel division.

Chajin Kim started with POSCO in 1976 and has become an expert engineer for the core maintenance system of the blast furnace. He established cooling functions for the maintenance of old blast furnaces and upgraded the process of blast furnace management. Most notably, in 2012 he made major cost reductions to optimizing the investment plan for the Pohang 3 blast furnace. Kim used to work so hard that he kept wearing out his safety shoes in record time, until the head of maintenance decided Kim could just get an unlimited supply of new safety shoes any time he wanted.

Sungnam Kim says that the most important qualification for engineers is field experience, much more than theory. When problems arise, he believes they need to be approached with genuine curiosity, and a determination not to avoid any difficulties. “Field work needs technical theory, but the real important thing is getting experience,” Kim said. “My technological know-how isn’t just about the technology, but my 30 years of experience.”

For Seungcheol Shin, who works in the annealing furnace, he has helped grow POSCO into an automotive steel specialist by decreasing thermal processing defects, an important part of what decides the final quality and strength of the product.

To learn more about POSCO’s dedicated experts, be sure to keep your eye on the POSCO INSIDE, as each of these new Masters of Korea will be profiled in-depth in the near future.

‘The Equipment Never Lies’: POSCO Master of Korea Chajin Kim

Always Remembering the Big Picture: POSCO Master of Korea Sungnam Kim

Never Afraid of Failure: POSCO Master of Korea Seungcheol Shin

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CSP, located in Ceara, a northeastern state of Brazil, is a steelworks jointly established by POSCO (20% stake), Dongkuk Steel (30% stake) and Vale (50% stake). The world’s largest iron ore producer Vale supplies iron ore ingredients while POSCO provides technology and operational support. Dongkuk Steel is in charge of procurement, logistics and general affairs.

More specifically, CSP is located in the Export Processing Zone (ZPE) in the Pecém industrial and port complex (CIPP) in Ceara. This allows the plant to utilize infrastructure provided by the Ceara state government, as well as load and unload raw materials, products and shipments more conveniently.

The CSP Steelworks began its construction in July 2012 and has now become fully operational. The 3800 m³ blast furnace plans to extract 3 million tons of molten iron annually to produce slabs.

CSP Steelworks expects to increase slab production of Brazil by 48% and the state GDP of Ceara by 12%, and at the same time generate new 16,000 jobs. Among the new positions will be 2,800 for its own and 1,200 for outsourcing companies. It looks like CSP will not only contribute to boosting the country’s economy, but also help promote a friendlier relationship between Korea and Brazil.

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Some 200 guests attended the completion ceremony held on the same day to celebrate the occasion, where blast furnace No. 5 was lighted by POSCO chairman Ohjoon Kwon.

Once a blast furnace has been lighted, it does not cease operation. Instead, the firebricks of its inner wall gradually wear out.

When its lifespan eventually comes to an end, the fire inside a BF is extinguished. After that, either the main body is removed or the firebricks are replaced, while some parts of the facility are renewed. This is what we call “BF refurbishment.”

Through refurbishment, Gwangyang’s blast furnace No. 5 has increased its volume from 3,950 cubic meters to 5,500 cubic meters with an annual production capacity of 5 million tons of molten iron. As such, it has been reborn as the ninth largest in the world.

Additionally, its lifespan has been extended to more than 15 years, while conversely saving energy due to the installation of a facility that completely shuts off steam generated from the BF.

Further enhancements have also been made to the overall performance of the generator that produces electricity itself by using gas from the BF.

POSCO, through the safe and stable operation of the furnace, is committed to bringing it up to the standards of the world’s best in terms of quality and efficiency.

With the completed refurbishment of blast furnace No. 5, Gwangyang steelworks is now operating a total of three mega BFs, including the world’s largest—BF No. 1 with a volume of 6,000 cubic meters and BF No. 4 at 5,500 cubic meters—with a total annual production capacity of 21 million tons of molten iron.

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What does the iron making department do? Walk us through the role of manager!

The Iron making department is the core area of the first steelmaking process. The process of solidifying iron and coal is called sintering and coking, respectively. The pretreated iron and coal are stacked into layers in a 100m tall blast furnace. Then hot air at 1,200 degrees Celsius is blown into the furnace, causing the coal to burn which melts iron ore into molten iron.

I am currently working as an engineer for furnace 4. The furnace is the pressure vessel with high temperature and high pressure conditions. Therefore, it is usually not feasible to actually see the inside of the vessel. Therefore, it requires us to monitor the situation of inside the furnace through information obtained by numerous estimators and cameras. I am responsible for accurately determining the inside situation of the furnace and also optimizing the work efficiency so that the iron ore is produced and the related facilities are well operated. It sounds a bit difficult, right? To simplify, it is like putting the pieces of a puzzle together to create a beautiful drawing.

Pictured here: Jooyoung Cha at Pohang Works

What is the secret behind POSCO’s world-best iron-making department? 

 Pictured here: Jooyoung Cha working on site

I am more than confident to say that the iron ore making technology of POSCO is the best in the world. When POSCO established the steel mill on the wasteland in 1970 for the first time, they benchmarked facilities and technologies in Japan. However, the situation is different now. In the iron making field, a well-known steel making company named NSSMC in Japan tried to learn our outstanding technology.

In addition, many of former colleagues are currently serving as a consultant in foreign countries as more and more foreign entities are interested in recruiting them as technical advisors. Seeing the history of such outstanding technology, people at POSCO are not afraid of failure while pursuing something challenging or seeking creative solutions. We place priority on the ‘field’ and ‘performance,’ and are committed to improving the performance through cooperation. This is how POSCO became the top global leader in the field with the best technology.

What is so attractive about working at the iron making department?

Pictured here: Jooyoung Cha in her protective suit on site

Apparently I am the first female to work in Korea’s 1^st blast furnace in Pohang which started operating in 1973. Working as a female worker in a male dominated industry poses a challenge but is also exciting. My male colleagues have given me the nickname “Joan of Arc” after seeing me navigate the huge facilities. I was also given the nickname “Thatcher” after the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher. Quiet amusing, right? Pursuing a career where there are still few women is challenging, but I hope that I can inspire other young women to not be afraid and pursue challenges too

Pictured here: Jooyoung Cha overlooking Pohang Works

What are the core capabilities of the iron making department?

Pictured here: Jooyoung Cha having a discussion with her colleague

This is one of the questions I am asked the most. Every time I am asked the same question, I would compare it with caring for a baby. The iron making department is where we must manage and operate the blast furnace. The furnace can be comparable to a baby that requires care of parents at all times. This applies to furnaces as well. Employees at the iron making department take care of it to produce high quality materials by adding high quality iron ore or coke. Those working at the iron making department should be capable of accurately determining the situation and making decisions. Lastly, the work here requires a team effort rather than individual work. Therefore, interpersonal relationships and communication is crucial.

What was the toughest moment at work for you?

 Pictured here: Jooyoung Cha during work hours

When I first started working in the iron department, I had to stay awake for several nights because I need to figure out the problem source for poor gas flow of iron ore inside of the furnace. I realized that experience was very important. I was lucky to have experienced colleagues help me navigate the situation. I am now much more experienced in the field so that I can now help younger members of our team.

Tell us about your future aspirations. Any advice for those preparing to work in your field of work?

Pictured here: Jooyoung Cha monitoring the furnace

One word of advice I still keep close to me is: “We are workers. Facilities live with our sweat and effort.” My dream is to be a true worker. As a specialist in the field of iron making, I would like to have the ability to pay attention to details but also see the big picture. I hope that I can be a good mentor for those who are considering a career in engineering in the steel industry. Many assume that getting hired is the end to worries, but actually that is just the beginning!

For all the women who may be hesitant to pursue a male dominated career, we hope this Q&A session with POSCO’s Jooyoung was inspiring.