POSCO-America TSC (Technical Service Center) is strengthening its technical services and solution-based marketing support for its US and Mexican clients. The company opened last year with two offices in Mexico City, the capital and largest city in Mexico; and Birmingham, Alabama. Past January, it opened one more place of business in Houston, Texas. Based in these three cities, POSCO-America TSC is engaging in technical services and EVI (Early Vendor Involvement) activities for its clients in North and Central America, in which automotive and energy steel products are in high demand. Mexico is a global automotive industry hub. World’s top-notch automakers such as Nissan, GM and Volkswagen have active business operations in the country.

POSCO-America TSC Mexico City is currently focusing on automotive industry, providing technical services while working hard to develop new clients. It is also pursuing a certificate in automotive steel products. In an effort to increase the sales of steel products produced by POSCO and its local sales unit, POSCO-Mexico, the company is exchanging information with local processing centers and distribution corporations. POSCO-America TSC is scheduled to open a new business operation in Detroit, Michigan, within this year. Many global automobile manufacturers have headquarters and R&D centers in the city. Once it is opened, the Detroit office will dedicate itself to providing technical services for car companies in North America, as POSCO-America TSC Birmingham does.

Houston along with Scotland’s Aberdeen are two of the global energy industry hubs.  Located in Houston are companies from various sectors of the energy industry, such as Exxon Mobil, Shell, EPC (Engineering, Procurement & Construction) corporations and equipment fabricators. For this reason, POSCO-America TSC Houston is striving to get information about new business opportunities, by engaging closely with its key clients. As a result of all these efforts, POSCO-America TSC successfully signed a contract to supply GI (galvanized steel) products to a major US truck maker. Upon hearing that the GI materials the truck maker had been supplied were often flawed, POSCO-America TSC proposed a solution, in an effort to win trust from the company (and it worked perfectly!). The employees of POSCO-America TSC Mexico City demonstrate a high level of satisfaction with their everyday lives, due much to mild climate and friendly locals.

In addition, they take a great pride in representing POSCO’s automotive and energy steel business in the country with great growth potential. Living up to the motto, ‘POSCO the Great’, all the employees of POSCO-America TSC will enhance its efforts to provide its clients with upgraded technical services and solution-based marketing support. In addition to pursuing a certificate in automotive steel products, POSCO-America TSC will seek to strengthen partnership with key clients through more frequent contact with them. The company also plans to form a consultative group with local manufacturers, to improve the quality of its products.

It is rightly said that winning teams don’t just form overnight.

Organizations invest a huge amount of time and money into their employees to develop teams with high potential by hosting continuous training programs and skill-building activities. Organizations competing in the global marketplace often implement strategic human resources programs, innovative employee engagement activities and reward and recognition practices. In today’s world, the main reason why companies implement such initiatives is to develop the core competencies of their employees at various levels. Companies do this by encouraging interpersonal and cultural sensitivity, developing individuals, managing skills and increasing the motivation of team members, which in turn enables managers to communicate with team members constructively and effectively.

Considering this scenario and the need for development, POSCO-India, a fully owned subsidiary of POSCO, in partnership with Korea and representatives of POSCO’s family companies in India, took its first initiative in October 2014 to develop an education structure for employees based on their hierarchy and levels in POSCO family companies.

The structure was designed after conducting a thorough analysis for 45 days through various face-to-face interviews, surveys and interactions with employees from eight POSCO family companies. The survey outcome was further discussed with POSCO Group University in Korea to develop a Common Education Structure for POSCO family companies in India that will also align with POSCO’s global education structure. POSCO-India identified three categories of training based on improving business performance, competency-based learning, developing leadership skills and aligning with POSCO’s core values.

The following were the three different categories and courses:

a. Leadership Course
Team Leader Course, Labor Management, Effective Coaching
b. Common Course
POSCO Values sharing, Business Etiquettes, Basic Discipline
c. Job Course
Technical Training, Negotiation Skills, Time Management

For any organization to evolve and sustain in the long run, team leaders and managers need to be aligned with their roles and responsibilities, ethics and values, and people management skills at different levels. POSCO-India realized this opportunity and introduced its first leadership competence course for POSCO family team leaders in December 2014. The course was held at Pune for three days from Dec. 14 to 17, enabling participants to gain an in-depth understanding of a team leader’s role in POSCO and educating them on how POSCO leaders handle critical situations. Thirty-three team leaders from eight POSCO family companies participated in this course.

This overall course emphasized an in-depth understanding over five topics:

1. POSCO Management Philosophy & Core values
2. Appreciation Culture
3. Role & Responsibility of a POSCO Leader
4. Personality assessment profiling
5. Situational Leadership, Emotional intelligence & Handling Conflicts.

Participants who attended the course were given a completion certificate duly signed by POSCO-India’s chairman and managing director. The three-day course was concluded with a group photo and a ceremony to thank the participants.

Subsequent to the successful completion of the team leader course in December, POSCO-India launched its second leadership competence course for managers on the topic of “Labor Management and Industrial Relations” at POSCO-IDPC in Bawal, Haryana in January. Labor management and relations is one of the most sensitive topics and is a major area of focus for organizations dealing with a variety of people. Taking the overall initiative forward, various courses from all three categories will be introduced for employees in the coming months. POSCO-India is collecting nominations for employees for the next six months from all the family companies who will participate in the courses throughout the financial year. This will give employees an opportunity to participate in each course and also gives a chance to team leaders to nominate their team members depending on the current training needs and their development areas.

With POSCO-India’s firm belief in human resource development and as representative of POSCO family companies in India, we hope to successfully move forward with our vision to develop a strong education structure and promote leadership, which will lead to more successful stories for POSCO globally.

I’m pleased to greet the new year in 2014 with a bright heart together with all POSCO Family employees.

One and all, I would like to express my love and appreciation for you and all you do! I wish you all the best in the New Year.

I want to thank our whole Family of employees for their commitment in coming together and achieve great results despite the current difficult management environment. We have undergone a period of great difficulty including severe cold, but marked a milestone in building a global POSCO with the completion of our first integrated overseas steelworks, and advancing in various investment projects to evolve as an overall materials and energy company, attaining great results through flawless preparation despite the difficulties.

All this has been thanks to the drive and commitment that everyone brought together. Once again, Thank you.

The core message for our New Year’s presentation hosted in honor of 2014 is, “Focus on attaining premium global competitiveness and profitability!” It may be an overwhelming on the first day of the New Year, as it tasks us with moving forward full steam ahead, but objectively accepting such a situation also reflects confidence.

I have no doubt that we will successfully implement our fatefully given tasks as they come, amidst both the crises and opportunities, with determined confidence and a tradition of accomplishment as a Family.

The core 2014 Family tasks are defined in five areas, all of equal importance. POSCO’s future will be determined according to whether or not we accomplish these tasks.

Succeeding amidst difficulty is said to reflect true ability. I believe this will be a year where all our Family employees show the deep resources that hold within their hearts, to implement our core tasks with dedication.

Dear POSCO Family employees, let us make this year one in which we show forth our true abilities.

And, finally, may there always be health and joy for all of you and your families. I wish you all happiness.

My love and appreciation extend to you all.

2014. 1. 2.

CEO Chung Joonyang