POSCO introduced its advanced solution marketing campaign ranging from energy steel products to end products at OTC held in Houston, Texas, on April 30th.

POSCO decorated various technologies and solutions in the Main hall

The main purpose for the convention was maximizing promotion activity by POSCO’s unique solution program. Therefore, from the last year, POSCO set up the booth in the main hall (NRG Center) with the global major companies including Exxon, Siemens and GE. POSCO is the first domestic company that set the booth at NRG center.

Technologies from the fundamental materials to final products

POSCO has got huge attentions from by participants by presenting various unique solutions ranging from materials and end products, including 9% Ni steel LNG storage tanks and LNG fueled ship equipped with storage tanks made of high-manganese steel, large diameter thick wall welded steel pipe that POSCO’s high-strength panels applied and the Fitting, the joint between the pipe, the world’s leading wire rope that is made of ultra-high-strength for offshore construction, membrane for fuel storage of LNG carrier and tubes for energy mining.

Strengthen the relationship with global partners

In addition, POSCO and marine equipment manufacturers held a technical meeting with EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) companies to discuss and encourage new projects. POSCO also engaged in consultations with a range of companies, including potential clients located near Houston in order to penetrate a new market for World Premium steel products.

POSCO has been participated the OTC every year since 2008 and established strong network with major oil companies and global ETC companies and promote POSCO’s finest high manganese steel.

The opening of the POSCO America office in Atlanta was attended by more than 30 VIPs, including embassy dignitaries, POSCO executives, and customers.

Previously located in New Jersey, POSCO America’s move to Atlanta puts it in the center of the economic hub of the southeast region of the US and strategically close to the growing automobile and energy industries. The annual demand for steel in the southeast accounts for about 38% of the US’s total demand of 41 million tons. In addition, lower labor and logistics costs are helping the southeast revive the US manufacturing industry.

Many of POSCO’s customers are also concentrated in the southeast, including Hyundai, Kia, Kiswire, Caterpillar, GM, Honda, and other auto parts companies. Because Atlanta has become a transportation hub both regionally and nationally, it will be easier for POSCO to secure highly-skilled workers while also taking advantage of the inland transportation systems that provides easier access to key cities such as Houston, Mobile, New Orleans, Wilmington, and more.

POSCO America is laying the groundwork for an increase in demand for steel in the southeast region of the US. The office will act as a forward base for POSCO’s exports and contribute to the development of the region by creating demand for high-grade steel. Moreover, moving beyond the role of a basic steel provider, POSCO America will provide high-quality customer service in real time, becoming a “Total Solution Provider,” working closely with its sales offices in Detroit, Houston, and Mexico, as well as its regional technical service centers.

Since its establishment in 1984, POSCO America has been exporting its products to the Americas and managing local joint venture corporations. The office will act as the regional headquarters of POSCO America with over 40 employees working to support sales and technical teams for regional clients while also helping to support POSCO’s affiliates and subsidiaries in the US.

POSCO America represents 24 corporate investments, subsidiaries, and affiliates in the Americas. Major production and sales subsidiaries in the Americas include POSCO Canada which mines and sells coal from Canada; UPI, a joint venture between POSCO and US Steel; the Alabama Coil Production Center; POSCO Mexico, which produces and sells plated products; and CSP, an integrated steel mill jointly founded with Dongkuk Steel, which produces and sells slabs. As POSCO Group affiliates, POSCO Daewoo and POSCO E&C are active throughout many places in the Americas.

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POSCO-America is a subsidiary of South Korean steelmaker POSCO. It operates steel production and processing facilities as well as sales offices and technical service centers to better serve customers. It is also responsible for the execution of its growth strategy and management of existing subsidiaries and investments. POSCO-America is constantly creating remarkable value through high quality products and innovative solutions. Let’s get to know POSCO-America and take a look at some of its activities.

Representing Global Corporations

POSCO-America has been around for over thirty years since its establishment in 1984 and its role has expanded greatly from the initial management of its joint venture UPI (USS-POSCO Industries). Today, POSCO-America’s role includes sales development, technical solutions, customer servi
ces as well as management of POSCO group companies in the Americas.

Wonki Kim, president of POSCO-America said, “POSCO-America is striving to generates synergies amongst our various entities as POSCO’s representative company in the Americas.” POSCO is also committed to this objective. In fact, POSCO has invested a total of $1.9B in the Americas spread over 25 entities since POSCO- AMERICA’s establishment. POSCO has made various investments in steel production & processing facilities, sales offices and technical service centers to better serve customers in the Americas region.

In addition to its headquarters in New Jersey, POSCO- AMERICA’s footprint extends beyond the US to Mexico and South America.

Since its inauguration as the representative company in March of 2015, POSCO-America carries itself with a larger sense of responsibility. Kim stated, “Figuring out how to generate synergy projects amongst the various POSCO family companies in the Americas is what matters most.” POSCO- AMERICA is also focused on creating value for customers through Solution Marketing which incorporates application technology (technical solution), customer support (commercial solution), and heart-to-heart relationship (human solution).

Global One POSCO Opens Lines of Communication

Communication is often said to be the key to success and POSCO makes a great effort to maintain an open line of communication. In fact, the company shares all of its ideas through a Synergy Portal where members of each POSCO family company can join and suggest ideas as well as opinions at any time. Even results of each meetings are shared without omission through this system.

According to Young Jin Kim, CFO of POSCO- AMERICA, the Synergy Portal serves as an infrastructure in maximizing POSCO- AMERICA’s efficiency and competitiveness by allowing the free flow of ideas, information, opinions, questions, and suggestions.

Building Communities

POSCO- AMERICA makes great effort to create a sense of unity and solidarity among employees. One of the ways POSCO-America pursues this cooperative environment is by involving in a diverse range of community activities. These activities include repairing rundown houses, volunteering to distribute food for people in need, and tree planting.

POSCO-America also holds a monthly meeting where all employees discuss the overall performance of the company. Each department shares its performance, issues and plans. Through this activity Young Jin Kim hopes to “raise a sense of corporate belonging and pride as employees of POSCO.”

Different studies conducted around the world show that sharing a meal together can create and build a sense of community among colleagues. For this reason, POSCO- AMERICA incorporates a large and open multi-purpose area where employees can congregate and enjoy lunch together. Even in the workspace, POSCO-America employees can interact freely with each other due to this open space design.

And this is only the beginning. “We’re in the process of creating a mentoring program to increase employee satisfaction,” noted Young Jin Kim. “This program will match a supervisor or any manager with entry-level employees, and build an environment where mentors can provide useful tips to entry-level employees.”

POSCO-America has its future mapped out and the aim is to build a bond, not only within the company, but also the local community. POSCO is truly creating a sense of belonging for POSCO-America, its employees and the local people and has many more fun and engaging activities lined up for 2016.

 
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Yet, the quality standards for advanced steel used for drilling, producing, transporting, conserving and handling energy resources for oil and gas are becoming stricter so that steel can better endure the harsh drilling environments of the deep sea and polar areas, two domains on the radars of oil exploration geologists.

At this year’s Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), the world’s largest marine technology exhibition, which was held from May 4 to 7 in Houston, Texas, POSCO showcased its efforts on such developments. Included were its lineup of high-grade steel products, as well as the firm’s cross-department collaboration system between steel plants, laboratories and marketing departments, among others, to improve the development of functional, advanced steel.

Considered the leading forum for gathering and sharing offshore oil and gas information (as well as unveiling some impressive machinery), the goal of the conference, according to its website, is to “advance scientific and technical knowledge for the safe, environmentally friendly and sustainable development of offshore oil and gas resources.”

Despite recent low oil prices, the 2015 OTC attracted over 94,000 attendees, making it the sixth largest in its 47-year history. Additionally, approximately 2,700 major oil and global EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) companies from 37 countries participated.

Among these, POSCO represented South Korea, aiming to continue its solution marketing activities for advanced steel for energy, production and technology, as well as steel utilization techniques.

Introducing a variety of the company’s products and technologies, POSCO’s exhibition consisted of four zones: energy plants, energy pipes, shipbuilding, and manganese steel sectors. At the booth, a video on steel-making technology was presented to help attendees better understand steel products.

POSCO displayed its strength as a “total solution provider,” which has helped the firm to simultaneously strengthen its position in the steel market and discover new business opportunities.

Since it first participated in the OTC in 2008, POSCO has operated a booth annually as part of its demand development activities, which have led to the company’s increasing development of energy steel in a short period of time. Moreover, POSCO’s progressive product promotion and supplier certification activities have resulted in a successful long-term contract for the blanket supply of energy steel, and have solidified technical cooperation with clients.

As new advancements are made in offshore drilling technology, the utilization of steel in the industry will also evolve. POSCO will continue to adapt to such changes, and will work hard to manufacture sustainable, quality products to meet the demands of its clients.

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.