Together With POSCO is a brand that was created with the goal of co-existence with the local communities by enhancing the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises and creating social value and also aims to create symbiotic value through ESG activities. Together With POSCO operates POSCO’s programs under the three directions which are “Fair Together,” “Value Together” and “Care Together”.

Let’s take a closer look at the main programs among various shared growth activities and sustainable purchasing activities through the spread of ESG activities in the supply chain one by one.

I Open sourcing

The first shared growth program to be introduced is ‘Open sourcing’. Let’s suppose that there is a small and medium-sized enterprise that has just started. In the past, even if they tried to do business with POSCO, they could not easily access it without knowing anyone inside the company. POSCO has been struggling to solve this problem and finally created an e-Catalog.

▲ e-Catalog homepage.

e-Catalog, an online marketplace that encourages fair competition among small and medium-sized enterprises, is a platform where any company can freely register and promote its products. It was created with the purpose of establishing a transparent purchasing environment while optimizing product specifications by providing fair supply opportunities to material suppliers by preparing a platform to introduce their products, and also by discovering and introducing excellent new products and alternatives to the material use department.

The e-Catalog system was developed to allow material suppliers to promote their products without visiting POSCO Use Department in person, and to make it easier to source alternative goods at the Purchase Department.

l Fair and Timely Payment

In 2018, POSCO abolished the lowest bidder system for the first time among private enterprises and replaced it with those focused on fair trade, including the lower price limit bidding system and the TCO bidding system.

Also in 2019, POSCO first introduced the ‘subcontract win-win payment system’ to prevent unpaid or delayed payments between primary and secondary partner companies, which resulted in a total of 107.6 billion won in payments by the end of last year through this system.

Besides, it also operates a ‘preferential purchase system for socially friendly enterprises’ to expand bidding transactions and give incentives to the companies with disabilities, social enterprises, etc.

l Benefit Sharing

Benefit Sharing (BS), which has been implemented by POSCO for the first in Korea since 2004, is a program that jointly conducts improvement activities and shares the benefits with business partners. It is a representative activity that is faithful to the corporate citizenship management philosophy in terms of introducing the concept of creating symbiotic value beyond the simple cost reduction level.

Since the implementation of the system in 2004, 5,163 cumulative tasks have been carried out by the first half of 2021, and performance compensation worth 632.4 billion won was achieved.

Benefit Sharing is expected to play an important role in strengthening the capabilities of not only POSCO but also the entire industrial ecosystem. POSCO will expand BS to safety, environment, logistics, marketing, and new business areas, and will do its best to establish itself as a longevity program for shared growth by sharing the achievements to enhance the practical satisfaction and capabilities of participating companies.

l POSCO Productivity Innovation

POSCO Productivity Innovation Program is a program that delivers smart factory technologies successfully built by POSCO and QSS(Quick Six Sigma) which is POSCO’s unique manufacturing innovation technology, to small and medium-sized enterprises.

‘People’-oriented productivity innovation, which changes the company’s constitution by first improving the way of working and supports the long-lasting effects of innovation by building smart factories based on change, is the key point of the POSCO Productivity Innovation program. Through these programs, POSCO will continue to expand in the direction of not only improving its manufacturing process but also resolving the issues related to energy, environment, and safety.

POSCO is also supporting energy-saving consulting for desired companies in connection with smartification competency strengthening consulting. It is an activity that identifies the current status of energy use through heat and electricity diagnosis, discovers loss factors, and suggests ways to improve energy savings. Last year, 35 companies have participated, saving an average of 17 million won. This has the same effect as saving 1,590 tons of CO₂ when converted into carbon emissions.

l Shared Growth Support Group

Shared Growth Support Group is an employee-participatory shared growth activity that utilizes the capabilities, infrastructure, and know-how held by employees of each department of POSCO to support the growth of their partner companies.

It is a concept of encompassing the support activities that were previously classified as Innovation Growth Support Group, including the shared growth support group of Plant, Equipment and Materials Procurement Office that supports consulting in the ESG field, Facility solutions from the Facility Technology department to inspect and improve facilities of Small and medium-sized enterprises, Techno-partnership of the Technology Research Institute by supporting research manpower and experimental equipment, and also includes safety, energy, QSS innovation and more.

The Shared Growth Support Group supports small and medium-sized enterprises to identify problems from the ground up and to derive practical solutions based on them.

There are four key directions for support: △Establishing a Smart Factory △ Resolving ESG Issues △Enhancing energy and equipment efficiency △ Introducing New Technologies. A total of 14 companies will be eligible for the support this year, and consulting will be conducted on seven companies in the second half of the year.

l POSCO Youth Dream Job Matching

POSCO uses its excellent education and training infrastructure to provide education and training to young job seekers who want to work at partner companies and other small and medium-sized enterprises, and also to link them with job placement. A total of 126 young talents were employed by POSCO trading partner companies last year through the program which has the effect of securing excellent human resources while solving job problems in the local community.

▲ Job applicants (left) receiving Youth Dream job training and the graduates taking commemorative photos with CEO Jeong-Woo Choi after completing the training.

l Corporate Citizenship Friends

Corporate Citizenship Friends is a social contribution program launched in 2019 by employees of POSCO and POSCO’s partner companies to solve various social problems and take the lead in creating a warm community.

▲ Employees of POSCO and its partner companies at the Corporate Citizenship Friends Forest Creation event.

Last year, 4,000 hand sanitizers were delivered to public facilities, traditional markets, daycare centers, and welfare facilities in Pohang and Gwangyang to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the local community. Through the good advance payment campaign, it has received great acclaim by revitalizing local businesses that have been depressed because of COVID-19. This year, considering social issues, POSCO plans to select ‘carbon neutrality’ and ‘resolving local community issues’ as the main themes and carry out activities.

▲ Corporate Citizenship Friends Volunteer Group (right) visiting Jungma Market in Gwangyang City to participate good advance payment campaign in 2020 and POSCO and its suppliers’ employees taking photos of advance payment campaign event at the Yeonil Market in Nam-gu, Pohang City, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province.

l POSCO ESG Purchase System

POSCO has newly established the POSCO ESG Purchase System to actively implement ESG management from the purchasing stage in line with the growing social demand for ESG management.

POSCO has established a vision of ‘becoming a leading global sustainable purchasing company’ and three action plans to achieve it.

①Selecting supplier from ESG perspective
For suppliers who wish to make new transactions, POSCO will give them entry qualifications after examining the basic ESG-related qualifications such as compliance with environmental and human rights regulations, and ethical management. For the existing suppliers, POSCO will strengthen the evaluation level of environmental certification or ESG-related activities to induce improvement and to limit supply if the evaluation is not satisfactory.

②Enhancing eco-friendly purchase
It plans to double the number of eco-friendly purchases to $2 billion by 2025 with the use of goods from a 3R perspective which is expanding recycling of waste resources(Recycle), reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution by purchasing energy-efficient and eco-friendly certificates(Reduce), and minimizing waste of resources by the reuse of materials(Reuse).

③Supporting suppliers’ ESG settlement activities
It operates a curriculum on ESG understanding and purchasing policy for small and medium-sized enterprises’ suppliers who still have a low understanding of ESG. It also added ESG compliance requirements to the ‘Supplier Code of Conduct’, which stipulates basic matters that suppliers should follow. In addition, the company is operating a ‘Shared Growth Support Group’ and an ‘Eco-friendly Consulting Support Group’ to provide support for suppliers to improve ESG-related issues, and will strengthen management to ensure suppliers comply with the *responsible mineral policy.

In addition, we plan to actively take the lead in implementing the management philosophy through POSCO’s ESG purchasing system in the future, such as holding the ‘Group company ESG purchasing council’ so that the group companies can practice ESG purchasing at the same level as POSCO.

l INNOVILT

INNOVILT, a combination of innovation, value, and built of building, is an integrated construction steel brand launched in November 2019 to promote steel premiumization in the earnest.

Among the steel building material customers’ products in which POSCO steel is 100% used, they are finally certified as INNOVILT products by comprehensively judging technology skills and marketability, and the company that manufactures INNOVILT certified products is called the INNOVILT Alliance. In other words, INNOVILT is a win-win platform that POSCO, along with steel construction companies, creates new values for the construction industry and grows together.

l GEM Matching Fund

It is the first global matching fund established between the mining and steel industries and GEM means ‘Go Extra Mile’, which embodies POSCO’s Corporate Citizenship philosophy, and also has the dictionary meaning of ‘jewel’.

The two companies contribute $100,000 annually in a 1:1 matching method to discover beneficiaries within the supplier’s nation and Korea, creating meaningful social values within the mining-steel industry value chain for two years at the intersection of the two countries. It is differentiated from simple donations, providing selective support for mine-linked scholarships, forest restoration projects in areas damaged by forest fires, and the use of education in cooperative companies and local communities where mines are located.

POSCO has expanded its support for both community environment and education projects by creating GEM matching funds with a total of seven raw material suppliers in Australia, the United States, and Brazil since it established its first fund (Opal) with Australian coal supplier Yancoal in 2019.

Representatively, POSCO is boosting symbiotic social values by contributing to carbon emission and fine dust reduction through forest restoration activities in areas damaged by forest fires in Gangwon-do and also by creating the classroom forests in elementary schools in downtown Seoul, while supporting Australian job training and mine employment. It plans to continue to create social and environmental values from the ESG perspective by expanding the GEM matching fund programs with global raw material suppliers.

So far, we have looked at the Together With POSCO brand and shared growth program. Lastly, let’s solve the remaining questions by listening to the stories of those in charge of taking the lead in promoting the brand and enhancing the shared growth program.

POSCO’s dream of creating social value with partner companies and co-prosperity with local communities will come true with the Five POSCO corporate citizenship Brands. Please look forward to the next episode of Challenge With POSCO brand.

As “e-commerce” through online and mobile has become a trend due to Covid-19, warehouses are naturally increasing rapidly. In particular, the number of warehouses is increasing in the populous metropolitan area. I visited them myself because I heard that there are special warehouses.

As I left the Yangji IC in Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, saw a large building with purple and blue colors in the distance. From a distance, it looked no different from the other warehouses, but when I saw it up close, I could see the uniqueness of this warehouse.

My my oh my! The building, which I thought had only two colors from afar, was emitting a variety of colors, such as yellow, green, blue, and purple like a chameleon depending on the viewing angle and sunlight.

Yongin/ Yangji Distribution Center with ‘Chameleon Diamond Panel’ of M Steel LLC selected by the 3rd INNOVILT Brand Committee in 2020. M Steel’s chameleon diamond panel has a distinct feature that shows off many colors and is made of POSCO’s ternary alloy coated steel, PosMAC, with high corrosion resistance. The two distribution centers’ ordering company is Wonjin Logistics and the constructor is Seyoung Construction.

I wonder why a construction company Seyoung Construction adopted the ‘Chameleon Diamond Panel’ as its building material, and what the client, Wonjin Logistics thinks it’s good from the user’s point of view.

l Why ‘Chameleon Diamond Panel’?

Constructors who dig the ground, lay the foundation, and build the building should consider various aspects, including specialized design, quality, construct-ability, workers’ safety, and more.

The constructor Seyoung Construction, a construction company specialized in building warehouses, not only considered the cost and construction period as top priorities for all material choices, but also considered maintenance as an essential factor, choosing materials cautiously.

Yongin/Yangji Distribution Center located in Yongin-si was ordered in turn-key base contract, whereas the contractor is responsible for both designing and building. It is a large distribution center that has cold-storage facilities, making 50 billion won scaled orders, unlike in the past when orders were about 10 billion won.

As demand for warehouses has increased recently, it has emerged as an asset that even considers leasing and operation in the long run, and the industry is also changing to the structure of preoccupying the location and use of warehouses in advance by institutions or large trust companies. As the value of assets is standing out, more and more people are trying to supplement their functions by using good materials rather than constructing only based on cost alone and have special characteristics of buildings for investors.

▲Director Jong-Mun Lim of Seyoung Construction

Jong-Mun Lim, director of Seyoung Construction explained, “If you look at other distribution centers around, there are a few buildings that have already begun to look faded and rusted 5 to 6 years after construction. The chameleon diamond panel is said to be resistant to corrosion by coloring the PosMAC, and guarantees 20 years of durability and even discoloration. That’s the reason why I chose it as an exterior building material.

It has become a definite differentiation by applying chameleon diamond panels to the exterior, improving durability with no wave phenomenon, and giving a solid appearance with various color changes.

However, like two sides of the same coin, there are some bad things behind good things, the time for architectural review. Cities with a population of more than 1 million shall follow the colors set considering the aesthetics of the city under the Landscape Act.

Director Lim said, ”Since industrial districts in large cities usually prefer achromatic colors, it would have been okay if it were a general material but the reviewers and civil servants were embarrassed because it was metal color that was not well handled by them,” Lim said. “It could have been easier if a player with high recognition or high public confidence had moved, but we visited several times and kept explaining about the material to get an approval of using this material ” he explained the difficulty of the material approval process.

So far, more than 200 buildings have been applied with M Steel’s chameleon diamond panels, including warehouses, hotels, and coffee shops.

Gil-Soo Han, CEO of M Steel said, “Right now, our wish is to apply chameleon diamond panels to large warehouses in the northern port of Incheon, which are about to be built. It is particularly suitable for coastal characteristics (humidity, salinity, wind pressure, etc.).” “We plan to continue to apply chameleon diamond panels to the exterior of various buildings to make them new landmarks in each region,” he added.

l Build a distinctive identity with a differentiated appearance

Wonjin Logistics, the ordering company, had a thirst for a warehouse filled with their own distinction and identity while doing the logistics business and the moment they saw M Steel’s chameleon diamond panel, they thought, “This is it!”

Wonjin Logistics, a client who wanted a different characteristic from the existing standardized distribution center, used diamond chameleon panels instead of regular panels as exterior finishing materials and gave the distribution center an identity.

Wonjin Logistics said, “M Steel’s chameleon diamond panel’s color changing depending on light and angle of view was very eye-catching and we decided it after hearing that it was an INOVILT’s product that was officially proved to be excellent in POSCO’s raw materials.” “Thanks to its special appearance, it was born as a building where everyone looked back on, and we like it very much because it has an identity that reminds people of “Wonjin Logistics” when they think of that building even when they go down the street,” he said.

The result is complete satisfaction. Both distribution centers, which already have both large retailers, are successful in terms of operation and function, but they can also expect an increase in asset value as well.

Wonjin Logistics plans to additionally utilize the ‘Chameleon Diamond Panel’ as remodeling material for existing warehouses in order to have an identity of ‘Wonjin Logistics Warehouse’.

This M Steel episode is the result of INNOVILT Alliance’s efforts to pursue premium, the owner’s need to find identity, and the constructor’s need to make the drawing real.

‘Nae-Don-Nae-San’ reviews on INNOVILT will continue next time~~~

Today, POSCO Newsroom will be discussing “little” things. Have you heard of angles? They are L-shaped materials smaller than a palm but used to hold the walls of a building — the strongest L there is. The INNOVILT product to be introduced today is “Super Angle for Stone Building Construction” and POSCO Newsroom presents to you the story of a POSCO researcher who developed the product together with POSCO’s client, WOONHYUNG CO., LTD.

l Non-Visible Doesn’t Mean You Can Use Anything

I’m Kyung-Yun Yeau, a senior researcher at the POSCO Steel Solution Research Group. My task is to study the application technology of construction materials using POSCO steel. I usually handle large-scale construction materials and structural solutions, but what I’m going to talk about today is the small yet strong “angle”. Angle is used to supporting the stone material on the exterior wall of a building. In general, 1,500 to 2,000 angles are used in a five-story building, and annual domestic usage reaches over 30,000 tons.

Most large construction companies designate using STS304^* for angles since STS304 has excellent durability and corrosion resistance. However, angles aren’t exposed outside, making it difficult to check. And owing to this, some sites use imported STS200 series or STS410, which are relatively inexpensive. There are even cases where aluminum and general carbon steel are applied.

Since angles aren’t visible, is it ok to use anything? We thought no. Rather, we believe that more reliable materials should be adopted because we can’t see them. Recognizing the current situation, our research group immediately set on an R&D project of a new angle for stone building construction that applied POSCO steel. The mission was to attain both price competitiveness and safety by securing the strength while being cheaper than STS304. Another additional goal was to make the angles easily applicable on sites.

l Developing “Anchor Plus,” the Solution to Conventional Angle!

First, 293 patents for stone building construction angles in Korea, Japan, the U.S., and Europe were analyzed to grasp the conventional angle technology. As a result, we concluded that coming up with simple construction technology and implementing optimized structural performance was as important as securing price competitiveness. For this reason, the “anchor tightening method” was chosen. In this method, the angle is placed between the wall and the stone, and it fixes the stone material with its angle, control plate, plug tip, and bolts. Since it is installed with some distance between the wall and the stone material apart, there is no whitening, which causes white spots due to the inflow of rainwater. It also shortens the construction period while being relatively light.

However, the anchor tightening method also had some areas for improvement. First, since the angle is constructed without considering the concrete condition of the wall, the anchor bolt support may or may not be sufficient. Even if the anchor bolt support is satisfied when installed in solid concrete, it may be reduced due to unexpected wall cracking. Also, if weight is applied to the angle constantly, a creep may occur, which means that the material will continue to deform over time. The resulting angle bending and cracks in the stone material are also chronic issues.

However, there were other tasks to be solved as well. We had to point out cases where plug tips (locking pins on the outer wall stone) were intentionally omitted. The plug tip is a pin that fixes the angle and the exterior stone and is often omitted mainly because of two reasons: 1) it is constructed at a period in construction when management is insufficient, and 2) it is hard to check once it is installed. Another problem was that in fixing, there were cases where only epoxy was used and not a proper plug tip. Resolving these issues was also our job.

We decided to start with solving the bending caused by creep deformation. First of all, I thought of using high-strength steel that could reduce the weight of the anchor while securing the overall strength. And POSCO Super Ductile Duplex (PossSD), a corrosion-resistant high-strength duplex stainless steel completed with POSCO’s new technology crossed my mind. PossSD has high strength, excellent workability, and corrosion resistance. Hence, it can be applied to a wide range, such as architectural exterior materials, railway train parts, tableware, pipes, and evacuation ladders.

What if we applied PossSD and added structural reinforcement? While the conventional angle is bent only once in an L shape, our product was made stronger by adding bent wings on both sides of the material. With this improvement, the previously 5mm to 8mm thick angle made with conventional STS304 could be thinned to 3mm, while enhancing the resistance to creep at the same time.

After two years of R&D, the new angle for stone building construction obtained a patent under the brand name of “Anchor Plus” in 2017. Compared to conventional angle for stone building construction, the thickness was reduced by more than 40%, securing economic efficiency. Also, having been verified by a structural engineer for generated stress, working stress, generated bending, and permitted bending, the new material satisfies all conditions and can be put to use immediately at the sites.

l Anchor Plus, Not the End

There was one more task to be solved before the full-scale application of the newly developed product. Finding a manufacturer to help develop the demand for Anchor Plus. At the time, Woonhyung Co., Ltd., a manufacturer specializing in stainless steel angle, caught our eyes. Woonhyung Co., Ltd. supplied angles made of STS304 to Samsung C&T Bok-Sik Jang, CEO of Woonhyung, also recognized the potential of the angle for stone building construction, a combination of new materials and design improvements, and decided to cooperate with us. So, as a result of the joint marketing efforts of the two companies, more than 120,000 Anchor Plus products were applied to the site of “The Sharp Central City,” a multi-purpose complex consisting of 2,610 apartment units and 238 studios, in Songdo.

▲ Actual application of Anchor Plus

Anchor Plus was sold in large quantities, showing its excellence even in the conservative construction market. However, a problem occurred out of sudden. In 2018, the process line producing PossSD was decided to be closed, and so there would no longer be material to make Anchor Plus. As PossSD had shown high strength and corrosion resistance at a reasonable cost in Anchor Plus, we seemed to be in great trouble. Will Anchor Plus be discontinued? We couldn’t let that happen! We set out to find a substitute for PossSD.

l POSCO World Top Premium, PossHN0 to the Rescue!

When all hope seemed to be lost, POSCO World Top Premium (WTP) steel POSCO stainless High Nitrogen 0 (PossHN0) came to the rescue. PossHN0 is a new stainless steel product that is economical and stronger with reduced nickel content and increased nitrogen content than conventional stainless steel products. When I asked about the product to other co-workers, they said that its durability was comparable to STS304, meaning it could replace PossSD!

We started the structural review again, this time with PossHN0. Unfortunately, however, we concluded that it wasn’t enough to apply in angles compared to conventional PossSD. However, we couldn’t stop here. I decided to reinforce the strength through structural change. The idea was to apply an embossing rail to disperse the load!

Embossing rails are protruding railings that stand out. The problem in the conventional angles was that the load was concentrated on the curved part of the angle. To solve this issue, we attached an embossing rail to our product to disperse the load weight, as seen in the picture above. By applying the embossing rail, the angle could withstand heavier weights. Also, since the control plate and the angle are held tight, the overall work became more convenient, and the connection also became stronger than before.

Thanks to the embossing rail, the angle itself could secure enough strength, so the wing parts on both sides that were attached to prevent creep deformation in the conventional PossSD angle could be eliminated. Also, to solve the previously mentioned problem of plug tips, the plug tips were painted and added to the control plate as a whole so that there wouldn’t be any loss in the first place.

R&D can only be complete after performance verification. In other words, we had to check whether the PossHN0 angle is superior in price competitiveness as well as performance compared to the conventional STS304 angle! We conducted testing to measure the load by attaching actual stone panels to the conventional and newly developed products. As a result, the STS304 angle for stone building construction could withstand up to 22kg, while PossHN0 showed an outstanding performance of bearing up to 35kg.

It shows that even though the PossHN0 angle is lighter than the conventional STS304, it proved to demonstrate better performance. And this was confirmed again through a test report issued from the Korea Testing & Research Institute (KTR) and a structural review by the Structural Technology Office. Following these verification results, the new angle for stone building construction was released into the market in 2019.

l Small But Great, INNOVILT Super Angle for Stone Building Construction

With the birth of the new angle, Woonhyung spurred marketing activities, and POSCO also showed full support for our client. As a result, the angle was applied to multiple large-scale construction sites, including Samsung apartments, Daewoo apartments, and POSCO E&C apartments. And in 2019, it was finally selected as an outstanding product by the Korea Land & Housing Corporation, laying the foundation for its expansion in the future. It also received KS certification. In October 2020, the product was certified in the 4th batch of INNOVILT products under certification under the product name “Super Angle for stone building construction”.

Some features of the INNOVILT Super Angle found on site were delivered to us. First, the workers who have used this product were surprised by the workability. The PossHN0 angle is 3.2mm thick, 36% thinner than the 5mm of conventional STS304. As the thickness decreased, the weight became lighter as well. Also, since the control plate moves only back and forth along the rail, there is no extra work needed to be done to straighten the product in case of side swinging. This was one of the reasons that actual workers regarded this product as convenient.

There is another reason why INNOVILT angles were chosen. And that is because of its economic feasibility. The INNOVILT angle adopts high-strength steel so it can withstand at least the same or more weight than the conventional angle though being much thinner. Naturally, material cost can be reduced by a whopping 15%. The fact that PossHN0 contains less nickel, a relatively pricey material, compared to STS304 also contributed to its economic advantage.

But the bottom line is this — no matter how convenient and economical the angle is, it can’t be used if its safety is not guaranteed. The INNOVILT angle plays its role in full in that regard. It even further ensures safety since the plug tip is integrated into the control plate so that it is possible to check whether the plug tip is installed during site supervision.

LIVING KITCHEN CO., LTD. is situated in Yesan, Chungcheongnam-do, about a two-hour drive away from Seoul. There might be some wondering why POSCO Newsroom chose LIVING KITCHEN CO., LTD, a kitchen sink bowl producer, for the last story of the INNOVILT Alliance Journal. And the reason is as follows.

In October 2020, POSCO had unveiled its 4th INNOVILT certified product. A total of 30 products acquired the INNOVILT certification, and amongst the many unfamiliar names of construction material products stood a rather familiar product — a kitchen sink bowl. A sink bowl? It was new to see an everyday item receive the INNOVILT certification. This made us curious about the production process of the INNOVILT sink bowl as well as the company that, for the first time in consumer products, succeeded in attaining the INNOVILT certification. Join POSCO Newsroom as it unveils the details.

l What Makes the INNOVILT Sink Bowl of LIVING KITCHEN CO., LTD. So Special?

▲ Sung-Wook Hong, Representative Director of LIVING KITCHEN CO., LTD., is explaining about the Quadra and Jumbo sink bowls

Established in 1999, LIVING KITCHEN mainly produces various stainless steel kitchen furniture and specializes in kitchen sink bowls. Everyone knows that stainless steel is an indispensable material when it comes to sink bowls. So, what makes the sink bowls of LIVING KITCHEN more special? Sung-Wook Hong, Representative Director of LIVING KITCHEN CO., LTD., said, “We make sink bowls with 100% POSCO stainless steel STS304.” According to Hong, sink bowls in Korea do not go under additional processing on the surface from the raw material stage to the end product. And so, this makes the surface condition of the raw material important. LIVING KITCHEN had previously received materials from other companies as well as POSCO. However, since three years ago, it has been using only POSCO stainless steel.

Since most companies appearing in the INNOVILT Alliance Journal adopted 100% POSCO materials, we wanted to know if any other reasons set aside the INNOVILT sink bowls from other products. Executive Director Sung-Wook Hong replied, “The steel grade that we use is not the conventional STS304. It is a new type of STS304 for sink bowl application that we researched and developed with POSCO. And this was the material used in the LIVING KITCHEN Quadra and Jumbo sink bowl series.”

In-Sik Lee of POSCO Stainless Steel Marketing Office added, “STS304^* is the most widely used steel grade among POSCO stainless steel products. The STS304, currently provided to LIVING KITCHEN, is a renovated product specialized for application on sink bowls. It was developed by adjusting ingredients and materials at POSCO R&D Center. Compared to products of other companies, there is a distinct difference in quality. While conventional stainless steel has a milky color, the sink material supplied to LIVING KITCHEN has a mirror-like surface. Shaping has also become easier.”

▲ STS304 that POSCO provides for sink bowl application is laid out in front of LIVING KITCHEN CO., LTD.

l POSCO & LIVING KITCHEN CO., LTD: More Research for a Better Product

▲ Executive Director Sung-Wook Hong and POSCO’s In-Sik Lee in a conversation

LIVING KITCHEN is not just a company that produces sink bowls. It possesses all capabilities from product and mold design to actual production. The company develops more than five new products each year and brings them to the market. Then, how did the company come up with the INNOVILT-certified Quadra and Jumbo kitchen sink bowl series?

Executive Director Sung-Wook Hong said, “The latest trend in sink bowls is reducing unnecessary space around it. More and more consumers are looking for a simple yet “efficient” sink bowl. So recently, demands are much higher for right-angled sink bowls rather than round ones.” The “efficient” feature of the sink bowl refers to how wide and deep space can be used within the two-dimensional plane. In other words, it’s about maximizing the application of the three-dimensional space. A typical sink bowl has an internal angle of 100R^* and a depth of 190mm. LIVING KITCHEN set on developing products with 220mm deep and an internal angle of 20R or less. ^*R stands for radius, and the lower the number, the closer it is to a right angle.

Some might think that making a sink bowl is easy since it just looks like stainless steel bent a little. However, the development process was like a rough mountain to climb. Hong briefly recalled the long period of collaboration with POSCO. He said, “At first, we started a sample test with POSCO’s conventional STS304. We developed a new mold (cast) in line with the recent trend and repeatedly improved the equipment. However, despite repeated tests, the sample product kept bursting open.”

To make a wide and deep sink bowl, reducing the internal angle is essential. However, if the internal angle is reduced in the molding stage, the desired depth cannot be attained. Representative Director Hong said, “Steel materials have a mechanical property of breaking when a force exceeding a certain strength is applied. The limit differs for each steel material, and we concluded that it would be difficult to adopt the conventional STS304 to our product. We needed a new solution from the material stage.” Representative Director Sung-Wook Hong decided to take on the challenge with POSCO and go beyond the limits.

LIVING KITCHEN asked POSCO for advice, and POSCO Steel Solution Research Center and POSCO SPS, a steel processing company, stepped in to help. POSCO’s In-Sik Lee explained the collaboration process. “With the samples made at LIVING KITCHEN, POSCO researchers examined whether defects occurred because of the material or the mechanics. Based on the test results of the researchers, we succeeded in realizing the current quality by improving the conventional STS304 so that it can be suitable for the sink bowls of LIVING KITCHEN.”

Director Hong added, “POSCO was really quick to respond. Actually, the speed of response is important when it comes to collaboration between a steel company and its manufacturers. There are even times when the release of a new product is delayed by a month or two due to the late response. However, POSCO’s response was so fast that we were able to introduce the new products of high quality quickly.”

The cooperation between the two companies was not limited to the development of materials and product shapes. When you look closely at some sink bowls, you can see a pattern engraved on them, and this pattern is what makes the scratches on the sink bowl less noticeable. Therefore, many manufacturers opt to place a pattern on their sink bowls. Interestingly, the same pattern is used by all domestic sink bowl manufacturers. This is probably because developing a new pattern demands considerable cost and time. However, LIVING KITCHEN did not settle for this option. It knocked on the doors of POSCO once again to develop a unique pattern that is narrower than the conventional pattern. LIVING KITCHEN designed the pattern, POSCO’s technical team inspected it, and POSCO SPS developed a mold that enables it to be engraved on raw materials. The result was a huge success! LIVING KITCHEN came up with a narrower pattern compared to the conventional one and successfully applied a patent for it.

l First INNOVILT Certified Sink Bowl in Korea, Quadra & Jumbo

The sink bowl created by the collaboration between the two companies is Korea’s first INNOVILT sink bowl Quadra and Jumbo series. The Quadra series is a square sink bowl with a depth of 220mm and the inner angle reduced to 20~25R. It is made of STS304 for sinks developed with POSCO using a one-touch mold method and features a deep and spacious washing space and a neat design. The Jumbo series, a more popular type of sink bowl, also adopts STS304 for sinks. It eliminated unnecessary parts on the side, leading to an increase of about 13% in volume compared to conventional sink bowls of similar shape. Representative Director Hong said with confidence, “There are other companies that produce products of 20~25R inner angle. However, only our products have a depth of 215mm or more at the same inner angle.”

Why are wide and deep sink bowls preferred? The first reason that comes to mind would be that if sink bowls are wide, it becomes easier to wash large amounts of dishes, or that if the sink bowls are deep, less water will splatter on clothes or floors. However, Representative Director Hong mentioned something unexpected, “eco-friendliness”. Hong said, “The wider the sink bowl, the less water it requires. If the volume increases, you can finish washing dishes at once, which otherwise needs to be done twice. In that sense, I can say with confidence that LIVING KITCHEN’s INNOVILT sink bowl is a resource-efficient product.”

Another question arose. Wouldn’t it be easy to make a sink bowl with an internal angle of 90 degrees to the desired depth and size by welding the steel plate? Why were the products produced using a one-touch mold method rather than welding? Hong replied, “Producing square welding sink bowls is pricey because it requires a lot of manual work during welding. Mass production is also difficult. Besides, the weld parts portray scales and stains well, so even though the size and depth can be freely controlled, mass-producing welding sink bowls are difficult.”

LIVING KITCHEN is striving to secure sustainable production by adopting a one-touch mold method instead of a welding method, which causes greenhouse gas emissions. With the one-touch method, the company could reduce processing stages and increase productivity, thereby reducing carbon dioxide emissions from equipment use.

l INNOVILT Sink Bowls: How Are They Made?

Now for the highlight of the INNOVILT Alliance trip — taking a look at the production process. As we arrived at the factory, we found that the scene looked quite different from the previous INNOVILT Alliance trips. It was the first time to see so many employees in the factory and robotic arms moving as if they were one. POSCO’s STS304 coils for sinks stacked at the entrance were transformed into sink bowls with a human touch in each process, starting with uncoiling and flattening out the coil, shaping the product with a mold, trimming, washing, and packaging. Something impressive was noticed. After each step of the process, the employees rotated the product around and inspected the quality thoroughly. We didn’t guess so much effort was put into making a sink bowl! See the video below to see the manufacturing process of the INNOVILT sink bowl.

The manufactured sink bowl is then delivered in large quantities to construction companies or sold in the wholesale and retail markets. Although in small proportion, it is also exported overseas. In the case of the INNOVILT sink bowl Quadra and Jumbo series, it has successfully landed contracts of about 120,000 households annually with major companies.

l The Stability of Becoming An INNOVILT Alliance

▲ The INNOVILT Alliance mark placed on the wall of LIVING KITCHEN CO., LTD.

The INNOVILT Alliance mark was placed on the sidewall of the office. As we were taking a picture of it, Representative Director Sung-Wook Hong smiled, saying, “We even had a ceremony to hang this a while ago.” This made sense because we had visited the company less than two months after being selected as an INNOVILT alliance. Hong added, “LIVING KITCHEN Quadra and Jumbo series products are certified by POSCO and are made of POSCO materials, so we can do business with more confidence. We can better persuade clients to trust and use our products. I believe that the INNOVILT certification will not only enhance the trust of clients but also increase the confidence of our employees in the front line of development, production, and sales.”

POSCO’s In-Sik Lee also said, “I am very pleased to hear that the INNOVILT Alliance is also a merit to customers using our materials. Together as an INNOVILT Alliance, POSCO will utilize its infrastructure to provide sufficient business assistance so that we can share growth.”

The INNOVILT product to be introduced today is “POSCO Lightweight Soundproof Tunnel (PosLST)”. POSCO Newsroom presents to you the story of a POSCO researcher who developed the product together with POSCO’s clients, Tech Square and Yujin Steel Industry Co., Ltd.

l A Solution to Traffic Noise: Soundproof Tunnel!

It has become a challenge to enjoy calmness in the city, even up the mountain, since the traffic noise from far away is heard so well. The same also goes to labs where the windows are tightly closed. The loud sounds of horning and the engine of heavy trucks are more than enough to disturb work.

Before some explanation, let me introduce myself. I am Myung-Hyun Roh, a Senior Researcher at POSCO Steel Structure Research Group. And the reason my ears are so sensitive to traffic noise is that I am currently researching new soundproof tunnels that reduce noise.

Complaints for road traffic noise received by the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission over the past three years have steadily increased — 39,326 in 2017, 63,011 in 2018, and 113,073 in 2019. And about 98% of these complaints are from residents living near the roads. Residents complain that the inconvenience caused by noise is so great that it is difficult to live with the windows open.

But getting rid of all cars on the road can’t be a solution. And because of this, soundproof walls were built in various places. However, these walls couldn’t be the fundamental solution and turned out to be dissatisfactory, since they didn’t reduce noise significantly in high-rise buildings, reflected sunlight causing the indoor temperature to rise, and harmed the view of the residents on lower floors of the apartment buildings.

With these matters, the “soundproof tunnel” emerged as an alternative to such soundproof walls. And this is what we will be discussing today. Since the soundproof tunnel directly blocks the generated noise from reaching high, the soundproofing effect is excellent for high-rise buildings. Also, since it minimizes reflected noise, previously found in the case of conventional soundproof walls, the soundproof tunnel has received the spotlight as a representative technology that can be effective in reducing traffic noise on urban roads.

▲ Soundproof tunnel installed in the downtown area

However, the soundproof tunnel has many factors for improvement as it has not been sufficiently reviewed in various aspects, including safety, usability, economic feasibility, and aesthetics. There isn’t any standardized design method, so the design is made uniformly, in simple forms that do not harmonize with the surroundings. In complex urban areas, soundproof tunnels must be installed on existing structures such as bridges and overpasses. In this case, the excessive weight and additional loads caused by wind could exceed the design load, which becomes a critical problem.

This is the reason why our Steel Structure Research Group started to develop soundproof tunnels. With optimal design from POSCO steel to lighten the structure and objective performance evaluation, we thought of developing a reliable soundproof tunnel product and construction method, which could eventually help reduce traffic noise drastically. Since POSCO already has high-strength premium steel products, there was no reason not to do so. That’s how the R&D for new soundproof tunnels began.

l Our Best Partners in the Making

An outstanding R&D is accomplished through collaboration. So for the project, a client company with expertise in the field joined as a partner to support R&D. The company is none other than Tech Square Co., Ltd., which has excellent experience and capability and also holds a patent in the field of lightweight soundproof tunnels. In 2013, Tech Square proposed a “truss roof-type soundproof tunnel construction method,” which featured several steel pipes arranged in a triangular shape instead of H-shaped steel, the structural material of conventional soundproof tunnels.

The uniform frame structure of the H-shaped steel method caused excessive bending in soundproof tunnels when installed on wide roads. Increasing the size of the H-shaped steel could help solve the bending. However, this increased the product weight, which led to a rise in construction cost. Tech Square’s idea was to secure lightweight, economic feasibility, and safety with a truss structure using high-strength steel pipes instead of H-shaped steel. Since POSCO does not produce section steel, the idea of replacing them with steel pipes sounded promising.

Along with Tech Square, there was another client partner who joined the project — Yujin Steel Industry Co., Ltd., a specialized manufacturer of steel pipe. To replace H-shaped steel with steel pipes, it was necessary to find a company that could process high-strength steel plates into steel pipes. And Yujin Steel Industry, which had abundant experience in manufacturing pipes, decided to take over this role. Now that the dream team was complete, we could set on operation! Our goal was to reduce weight and costs compared to the conventional H-shaped steel method. And, in January 2014, we finally started full-scale R&D.

l The Journey to Develop a Light & Strong Soundproof Tunnel

There is one certain feature that a soundproof tunnel must meet: excellent noise reduction performance. For this, soundproofing panels are installed within soundproof tunnels, and they can be divided into “Sound-absorbing Panels (opaque),” which absorbs noise, and “Reflecting Panels (transparent or opaque),” which reflect the path of the noise. Most soundproof tunnels have opaque sound-absorbing panels installed on the side, and since noise is loud at their entrance and exit, the soundproof tunnel extends beyond the required section, or additional soundproof walls are installed at the entrance and exit. However, this causes other issues regarding cost and aesthetics. How can POSCO’s technology resolve these issues?

We decided to install sound-absorbing panels inside the steel pipe truss on the roof of the tunnel. The opaque sound-absorbing panels, which were originally installed to the sides, were put into the truss of the roof, and it was expected to help drivers secure their field of vision as well as to improve aesthetics. To verify the function of the sound-absorbing panels, we analyzed the result of a program dedicated to noise analysis. And the tunnel we designed was evaluated to reduce noise by an average of 1.0 dB due to the sound-absorbing panels inserted inside the steel pipe.

The second feature for the soundproof tunnel that we aimed for was that it should be light. As explained above, since the soundproof tunnel acts as an additional fixed load on existing structures, secure structural safety becomes challenging if it is heavy. Also, since soundproof tunnels must be constructed on roads that are being used, it is important to construct them quickly compared to other structures because longer road construction causes great inconvenience to users. So as a solution for this, we adopted POSCO high strength steel SHT460 (Structural High Strength Tube 460, a hot-rolled coil of tensile strength 590 MPa Grade) and PosH690 (POSCO High strength 690, a hot-rolled coil of tensile strength 690 MPa Grade) as the material for steel pipes.

he last feature is that the structure must be strong. This is because a soundproof tunnel has to withstand an external force, such as snow and rain, as well as the weight of the soundproof tunnel frame and the soundproof panels. Taking this into consideration in the design process, the safety of the structure was confirmed through various experiments. One of the experiments was the “load experiment”. We made a test specimen to see how many times the design load it can withstand. As a result, it could endure “wind load” up to three times the design load, and in the case of the “snow load,” more than five times the design load could be endured.

Focusing on the three features mentioned above, experiments and verification were repeated for 17 months of research. We obtained results showing the new product to be superior to conventional tunnels in all areas of noise reduction, weight reduction, and structural safety. Finally, we completed the new lightweight soundproof tunnel technology using POSCO materials. The new product was named POSCO Lightweight Soundproof Tunnel (PosLST)!

l Mission: Obtain New Excellent Technology!

Our mission didn’t end with just technology development. Once, a technician at a client company mentioned that outstanding technology objectively verified will someday show its value even if it does not employ expedient marketing. At the moment, I thought that it would be nice if the technology we developed could receive objective certification. So we embarked on a new task: Getting the New Excellent Technology^* certification!

Looking back, the task was quite challenging. It was not because of the low certification rate or the high level of judging, but because the effort and time spent on the entire NET screening process, from applying to being certified and notified, is never easy. We devoted ourselves nine months to the NET process, including on-site application and quality verification. And finally, on September 12, 2016, PosLST was proudly designated as New Excellent Technology No. 795 (Tunnel-type soundproof facility using truss pipes with transverse and detachable side soundproof panels and lateral sound-absorbing panels) from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport. It was the first soundproof tunnel construction technology in Korea to receive official verification.

The conservative industrial atmosphere makes the initial acceptance of new construction methods and products rather difficult. So, at first, I was worried that the market response would be insignificant.

Fortunately, such anxiety was nothing more than an overwhelming concern. In 2017, it was initially applied to the soundproof tunnel construction of the 2nd Gyeongin Anyang-Seongnam Private Expressway. Since then, it has also been applied to nine other projects, including the North Road Soundproof Tunnel in Wirye City and the Yongin Urban Planning Road Construction. And the PosLST Lightweight Soundproof Tunnel construction technology has been recognized for its excellence.

▲ A soundproof tunnel that applied the new steel pipe truss type construction method on the Anyang-Seongnam Expressway

l PosLST: Lightweight, Economical, and Aesthetic

So, what are the advantages of PosLST evaluated in the field?

The first advantage of PosLST is, of course, noise reduction. The sound-absorbing panels installed in the steel pipe truss on the roof of the soundproof tunnel are excellent in reducing the noise generated at the entrance and exit of the tunnel. Also, by placing the opaque sound-absorbing panels, originally installed on the sidewall of the tunnel, on the tunnel roof, the visibility of drivers has improved along with better lighting.

The next advantage would be the tunnel’s lightweight. Since PosLST tunnel is made of POSCO’s high-strength steel products, SHT460 and PosH690, it minimizes the overall pressure on the structure. Compared to conventional H-shaped steel adopted soundproof tunnel frames, the weight can be reduced by about 53%, satisfying the design load and achieving both lightweight and economic feasibility. Besides, the truss structure is effective in preventing bending by improving the structural strongness of the tunnel.

The third advantage is excellent constructability and economic feasibility. As mentioned earlier, in PosLST soundproof tunnels, the sound-absorbing panels, which are key functional material, are inserted into the steel pipe truss on the roof side. So, for the side of the tunnels, transparent boards can be installed instead of the opaque sound-absorbing panels. Also, it is manufactured in a detachable manner, so in case of damages, those parts can be partially replaced. In conventional soundproof tunnels, replacing the side sound-absorbing panel is difficult. Thus, maintenance costs are high. Previously, since the soundproof panels on the roof were installed on H-shaped steel, it was necessary to install a separate frame to support four sides but, with PosLST, the panels are installed on a round steel pipe, so you don’t need a frame — you only need to fasten bolts using angles! Thanks to this, if the optimal design is based on POSCO high-performance steel, construction costs can be reduced by about 15% compared to the existing construction technology, and maintenance costs required for replacing damaged sound-absorbing panels can be reduced by 31%.

Another thing that cannot be left out is “aesthetics”. The design of PosLST is superior compared to conventional tunnels since it applies artistic circular steel pipes. A variety of atypical structures can be implemented, enabling harmonious designs that are fit for the urban landscape.

The industry is also showing favorable responses to PosLST. Officials of the construction company in charge of the production and installation of soundproof tunnels say, “Since the material is made of POSCO steel, PosLST is lighter and requires fewer bolting parts. So the construction period is shortened, and the process is easier than when using conventional materials. Once installation is complete, it also boasts outstanding aesthetics features, so POSCO’s new technology is expected to spread widely in the future.”

In construction sites, many tasks require working on a scaffolding installed in mid-air. This means that field workers are always at risk of falling. In fact, statistics show that 60% of fatal accidents at construction sites last year were caused by falling.

Experts focused on the “scaffolding system” as a way to reduce falls on construction sites. They explained that with the scaffolding system properly installed, the frequency of fatal accidents can be reduced greatly. The Korean government is also striving to spread this scaffolding system with the “Clean Workplace Support Project,” which supports the costs of scaffolding system installation in SME construction companies.

So what makes the scaffolding system so important? On hearing that Eucho Industrial, which manufactures and leases scaffolding systems, has become an INNOVILT Alliance with POSCO, POSCO Newsroom decided to pay the company a visit. Let’s dive into the details about the scaffolding system!

l Scaffolding System: In Charge of the Safety On Construction Sites

Eucho Industrial’s material center is located two and a half hours drive away from Seoul. In the spacious yard, long round steel pillars were neatly stacked. As we were looking around the company, Eucho Industrial’s CEO Byeong-Gi Jeong came to greet us. “Welcome to Eucho Industrial. You’re looking at the scaffolding system manufactured at the plant just now. Are you curious about where and how these pillars are used? Let me share the details inside.”

The “INNOVILT Alliance” mark was the first thing that caught the eye, on visiting CEO Jeong’s office. Here we could meet Eucho Industrial’s Meong-Gon Kim and Young-Soon Chang, and also POSCO’s Min-Seok Lee who would be explaining to us about the scaffolding system.

First, we heard what a scaffolding is. Scaffolding is a temporary structure that makes work in high areas possible. It is a kind of a walk plate that enables workers to transport and move materials.

Such scaffolding is largely divided into steel pipe scaffolding and scaffolding systems. Steel pipe scaffolding is made by assembling steel pipes in a checkerboard shape and tightening them with bolts and nuts. Safety can be secured to a certain extent by using standardized materials and installing them tightly. However, in some small construction sites, the scaffolding is installed only in some places, or there are cases where the clamp is not properly tightened. These are considered as the major causes of fall accidents. The scaffolding system compensates for these shortcomings of steel pipe scaffolding. The walk plates, passage, and safety railing are fabricated beforehand at factories and installed in a batch. Unlike steel pipe scaffolding, which can be installed arbitrarily, the scaffolding system is much safer in that it is modularized by calculating its structure.

l Eucho Industrial: The First Company to Introduce the Scaffolding System in Korea

Eucho Industrial specializes in making and leasing temporary materials such as the scaffolding system. In 1995, the company started the first temporary material rental business in Korea, and in the same year introduced the scaffolding system for the first time in Korea, thus opening the era of the scaffolding system at construction sites. In 2009, Eucho Industrial also started to develop its own products.

▲ Eucho Industrial’s CEO Beong-Gi Jeong

“The conventional scaffolding system applied in the past was manufactured with overseas (France, Japan) technology, so it often didn’t fit the conditions of Korea. For example, as the height of workers of each country was different, Japanese products were too low for domestic workers while the case was the opposite in European products. Also, the price was too costly, making it difficult to apply to all sites.” This was why Eucho Industrial stepped up to develop a scaffolding system that was suitable for domestic construction sites.

l Ultralight High Strength Steel Pipe Made with POSCO Steel

Securing lightness in weight was what Eucho Industrial paid attention to when developing the scaffolding system. Because, in the case of conventional scaffolding, the heavyweight posed a burden on the workers at the sites. So, the new scaffolding system required steel pipes that are light and able to withstand the weight of the workers. And that was when Eucho Industrial encountered UL700 (Ultra Light 700), a steel pipe product made of POSCO’s high strength steel PosH690 (POSCO High strength 690). The ultra-light steel pipe was 25% lighter in weight and 40% higher in tensile strength than existing products — the perfect material that Eucho Industrial was seeking.

Eucho Industrial’s Myeong-Gon Kim said, “The more we reviewed the performance of UL700, the more we became certain that it was most appropriate for our new product. On the one hand, of course, there were skeptical views. It was because the product was new to be adopted, so there were issues regarding its supply and demand and machinability. However, we put our faith in it since it was made of POSCO steel.” POSCO’s Min-Seok Lee responded, “We also had confidence in the technology that the Eucho Industrial has had in the field of construction safety. We believed that we could create great synergy with Eucho Industrial which recognized the importance of construction safety earlier and pioneered the temporary material sector.”

In 2010, the cooperation between the two companies finally yielded prominent results. A full-scale mass production system was established for ES700 (Eucho System 700), the ultralight and high-strength scaffolding system adopting UL700. It was the result of endless doubts and concerns about product performance and repeated experiments and tests to solve them. “The product was sent to a related institute to check how strong it is, and the product passed the test. However, due to the nature of rental products, there were opinions that the quality couldn’t be verified by testing only new products. So we threw the product on the roof of the factory over and over again to damage it. I remember that everyone was pleased with the result that the quality was the same as the new product even after use.”

▲ Eucho Industrial’s CEO Byeong-Gi Jeong and POSCO’s Min-Seok Lee looking at ES700, the ultralight high-strength scaffolding system

Eucho Industrial’s Young-Soon Chang also thanked POSCO, who worked with Eucho Industrial the entire process, from material selection to mass production. “There were times when I wondered whether our product was truly competitive. However, since we are an SME, we lacked the infrastructure to conduct test performance. At that time, POSCO suggested experimenting to see if Eucho Industrial products were indeed strong. As a result, we carried out structural performance tests on ES700 and products of other companies at POSCO R&D Center in Songdo. All three tests showed that our products possessed better strength. It was a reassuring moment to have a partner with whom we could share and solve problems together.”

l ES700: Equipped with All Functions Required On Sites

Eucho Industrial explained that the ES700 Ultralight Scaffolding System has three main advantages. First of all, the biggest advantage is its lightweight. The thickness of the ES700 is 1.92mm for the vertical material and 1.8mm for the horizontal material. Both the vertical and horizontal materials have become 15% thinner than conventional steel pipe scaffolding, which is 2.3mm thick. The weight was also reduced by 25%, compared to the existing product, which demonstrates that the weight of 4 to 5 materials of other companies equals the weight of 6 to 8 ES700s. It also reduces transportation costs as it becomes lighter, enabling the transportation of more quantities at once. Eucho Industrial CEO Jeong went on to explain, “This isn’t all. Because it is easy to transport and handle, the constriction time is also shortened, and construction efficiency is increased. It is also effective in preventing musculoskeletal diseases of workers on the site who are carrying the materials.”

But doesn’t reducing the thickness weaken the product’s strength to withstand the load? Wouldn’t the safety also be reduced along with its weight? POSCO Min-Seok Lee stepped in to explain the strength of ES700.

“ES700 is made of CGH690 and PosH690, a POSCO World Premium Product (WTP) high-strength steel with a tensile strength of 690MPa and higher. Most of the products of other companies have a tensile strength of 400MPa. I think I need not explain which one is safer. Since it is made of high-strength steel, the damage rate is much lower than that of conventional products.”

“The elongation, which is the rate at which the steel does not break and stretches, is also excellent.” Myeong-Gon Kim added an explanation, “If a steel product is just strong without being able to be stretched, it will break easily even with a small impact. On the other hand, steel products with strong flexibility — high percent elongation — are excellent in shock absorption, so they are quick to recover even when hit hard. Increasing both strength and elongation is difficult to implement in steel products. But POSCO technology made it happen.”

The second advantage is compatibility. ES700 can be applied to any existing scaffolding. This is differentiated from existing products that must be purchased as a full set. Myeong-Gon Kim added, “The walk plates for the scaffolding system is more expensive than conventional scaffolding. With the ES700, it can be used together with any other walk plates, thus reducing the cost of purchasing and managing scaffoldings. It’s much economical.”

The last advantage is simplicity. Thanks to the simple shape of the product, it can be installed quickly and easily. Unlike conventional steel pipe scaffolding, which requires scaffolding installation experts, with ES700, you have to simply insert the wedge pin of the horizontal material into the bracket of the vertical material, and it’s all done! Once the horizontal level is well aligned, anyone — even a worker with no experience — can install it easily and safely. Does the easy installation make it less safe? The answer is no. The structural safety of the product is also excellent due to the high friction area between the vertical and horizontal materials. It is also easy to disassemble as it doesn’t require any separate process to remove the pins. The overall cost is also estimated to be reduced with the cost saved in material construction and labor.

Ik-Won Choi, CEO of construction company GMT, said, “Experts specializing in installation and construction acknowledge how good ES700 is. It is light enough that a single person can carry up to 10 products, and the labor cost for installation and disassembly is more than 15% efficient than other products. When organizing and logistics costs are added, the difference is up to 20%. The workers also prefer construction sites where Eucho Industrial products are applied. Since it is such a competitive product, we have no choice but to increase the stock of ES700 products.”

l ES700: How Are They Made?

“Now you know what the ES700 is. But aren’t you curious about how it is made?” said CEO Jeong after his explanation. We quickly put on our safety caps and headed to the factory.

First, POSCO high-strength steel (PosH690, CGH690) is shaped into 48.6mm-wide (for vertical materials) and 42.7mm-wide (for horizontal materials) steel pipes (UL700) and delivered to Eucho Industrial. The pipes then undergo five stages to become the ES700. The first is the cutting process, where the steel pipes are cut according to the five different modular lengths of horizontal and vertical materials. Holes are drilled for connecting pins in the steel pipes for vertical materials, and a “C”-shaped groove is made in the steel pipes for horizontal materials. This process is called the punching and notching process.

▲ Steel pipes that have undergone the punching process (left) and the notching process (right)

Once the vertical and horizontal materials have completed the punching and notching process, brackets and wedge pins are welded to the steel pipes. The vertical materials are then shipped to the plating plant where they go under a separate hot-dip galvanizing process to increase corrosion resistance as they have to withstand the load directly. The horizontal materials also undergo a rust prevention process through zinc treatment on the welding parts. Finally, impurities are removed from the surfaces of both materials, and the ES700 Ultralight Scaffolding System is complete.

l ES700: Acknowledged by Workers on Sites

Eucho Industrial’s Young-soon Chang said with confidence, “The response in the field is great. They say that it is light and easy to install, so it speeds up the work. Recently, reorder requests are coming in from sites where the products have already been used. Isn’t that proof that our products satisfy them?”

However, ES700 was not well received in the beginning. It was because the price is 20 to 30% higher than other products. Since temporary materials are perceived to be materials that are used for a short time anyway, many try to reduce costs by utilizing cheap materials imported from overseas. However, since ES700 is made with POSCO premium steel, its price wasn’t competitive. So what was the strategy of both companies to overcome this issue?

POSCO’s Min-Seok Lee replied, “We appealed to the price competitiveness of the ES700 in terms of overall cost, not just the initial purchasing cost. ES700 is lightweight and easy to install and disassemble, reducing transportation, storage, and labor costs. The initial purchasing cost may seem pricey, but in terms of overall cost, the products are much cheaper than conventional products.”

CEO Jeong also added, “If you make the product with imported materials, you can, of course, sell it at a lot cheaper price. However, there is an incomparable difference between the quality of POSCO steel and cheap imported steel. When the material is folded, cheap imported materials show multiple cracks. This is a problem that does not occur at all in POSCO Steel. From the user’s point of view, products made with imported steel may seem good at first because of the cheap price, but they cause additional costs since they have to be repaired for damages later on. Since ES700 is made of high-strength steel, it is more durable than conventional products and has a longer life. In the long run, the durable ES700 is much more economical.”

Eucho Industrial has never thought of utilizing steel from overseas, whose safety is uncertified. With this belief, ES700 has been recognized for its excellence and was applied to major construction projects, such as the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Samsung Electronics R5 in Suwon, and POSCO Incubating Center. It has gradually expanded its market share, and currently, it is also being used at the construction site of Section 10 of the Hamyang-Changnyeong Expressway.

The ES700 Ultralight Scaffolding System listed its name as an INNOVILT product last year. Eucho Industrial’s Young-Soon Chang said, “Since the product is certified as premium steel for construction material by POSCO, we are filled with confidence and pride when meeting clients. I believe that the influence INNOVILT Alliance creates will be strong.”

The two companies are also preparing to leap further with the INNOVILT certification. They are planning to expand the use of ES700 by improving its value chain and accelerate market share. There are already responses from the sites saying that they will only use ES700 in the future. With this momentum, POSCO and Eucho Industrial will also work together to foster installation companies specializing in INNOVILT products”.

At the end of the interview, CEO Jeong said, “Innovation is only possible with differentiated technology and know-how, and with persistence and passion to keep going. We are pleased to have POSCO as such a reliable partner. We will continue to pioneer the development of products that can lead the construction market with outstanding materials.”

The INNOVILT product to be introduced today is “UL700 Steel-Aluminum Hybrid Jack Support”. POSCO Newsroom presents to you the story of a POSCO researcher who developed the product together with POSCO’s client, Daehan Scaffolding.

l Temporary Materials? Safety Materials!

I am Tae-Hyu Ha, a senior researcher at POSCO Steel Structure Research Group. I am working on developing construction materials using POSCO steel, and today I am going to tell you the development story of “temporary materials“.

Let’s picture the construction of a building. Laying down the base work, building a framework, installing floors and ceilings, applying interior and exterior materials, and decorating the interior — these might probably be the construction processes that come to mind. However, there is one crucial process missing here. It is none other than “temporary work”.

Temporary work is the phase where temporary and basic structures necessary for construction are installed. It includes bringing in electricity for the construction tools, installing water facilities for drinking and sanitizing, and establishing safety facilities to prevent accidents. And “temporary materials” are essential in this temporary work. Temporary materials include walk plates and passages installed to enable work at high areas, supports that temporarily hold the building framework, and a double-deck that allows vehicles and pedestrians to walk above the construction section. Put differently, proceeding with construction is impossible without temporary materials.

Temporary materials are especially important in that they directly affect the quality of construction and the safety of workers on site. However, in most cases, they aren’t paid much attention because they are demolished once the construction is complete. Since temporary materials are perceived to be materials that are used for a short time anyway, many try to shorten the construction period by setting them up quickly and reduce costs by utilizing cheap materials imported from overseas.

▲ High-strength system scaffolding installed on sites

In this situation, POSCO set to pioneer the temporary material market using premium steel materials with its clients from 2009 as a measure to secure the safety of construction sites. The goal was to bring about a change in perception that temporary materials are not just temporary but are safety-related materials that are directly connected to the safety of workers. As a result, POSCO developed the premium steel tube “UL700 (Ultra Light 700)” for “scaffolding”. POSCO’s high-strength steel PosH690 was applied as the material for UL700.

What is scaffolding? Well, when passing a remodeling site or a construction site, you might have seen a structure where narrow steel pipes are woven together vertically and horizontally as if they were wrapping the building. This is called scaffolding, and it is a kind of a walk plate that enables workers to safely climb up and down in the construction of high-rise buildings. Scaffolding made with UL700 adopts POSCO premium steel and has a tensile strength of 700 MPa, replacing conventional scaffolding that mainly uses general steel pipe of 400 MPa tensile strength.

In the beginning, expanding high-strength premium products in the price-oriented steel pipe market was not easy. However, after receiving positive feedback from construction sites and being recognized for its economic feasibility and safety, demands for the products began to expand gradually.

l Making the Temporary Column “Jack Support” as Premium

As recognition for UL700 with its safety and high strength performance grew, product inquiries rushed in not only about scaffolding but about various other temporary materials. Then one day in February 2016, Min-Young Jeong, CEO of Daehan Scaffolding, visited the POSCO R&D Center in Songdo and shared his story with us.

“We are a company that manufactures and supplies a product called Jack Support. Jack Support is used to distribute the load of the upper part of a building. When concrete is poured on the floor, its strength increases as the concrete hardens, but it usually takes more than a week for the concrete strength to become sufficient. So, to proceed with construction on the upper floor, temporary support must be installed under the floor plate while the concrete is hardening and the temporary support used here is Jack Support.”

▲ Jack Support applied on construction sites

He went on, “However, we have a problem. For places with high ceilings, such as the lobby and public space on the first floor, a Jack Support of at least 5m is required, but the problem is that as the product length increases, the weight increases as well. Manufacturing and supplying aren’t a problem but installing a product weighing over 100kg is a definite issue. Imagine that workers have to lift, move, and install a material that weighs over 100kg. So, that’s why we need to develop a Jack Support that is light yet long enough. I heard that there is a steel pipe for scaffolding called UL700, and I wondered what if we apply such high-strength steel to Jack Support as well.”

Jeong’s suggestion was plausible, but I was not too sure. I could not help but think, “Oh, length issues. Again”. It was because I knew from my experience that when high-strength steel is applied to a long material, the performance does not come out properly due to “buckling”. Buckling is a phenomenon where a material, which has a long length compared to its cross-section, suddenly bends when the load is applied above the limit it can hold up. In the case of short types, high-strength steel can withstand much heavier loads without bending, but with the length increasing, even high-strength steel bends under similar loads as ordinary steels due to this buckling effect.

I said, “CEO Jeong, Since buckling occurs in long materials, it is highly likely that the results might be indifferent even in the case of high-strength steel. So, let’s design products by length using high-strength steel first, and then conduct performance tests with the prototypes. Detailed directions can be discussed later.”

First, as CEO Jeong suggested, I set on designing a standard-type Jack Support (with a height of 3 to 4m) and a high ceiling-type Jack Support (6 to 10m). The idea was to make four prototypes, two for each type — one with normal steel SS40 and the other with high-strength steel PosH690 — and check the maximum load each product can support. The design details were sent to Daehan Scaffolding and they were produced accordingly. Two months later, we met again at the Songdo R&D Center to evaluate the performance. After inspecting the completed prototype, we carefully started the testing. The results turned out as expected. The standard-type Jack Support adopting high-strength steel exhibited similar performance to conventional products while reducing the overall weight. However, in the case of the high ceiling-type Jack Support, both the high-strength prototype and the normal prototype didn’t meet the required performance, which is a maximum load of 30 tons.

Things didn’t work out as CEO Jeong had expected, and it was a little disappointing for us as well. We couldn’t attain the desired results, but we couldn’t stop there. We carefully made a new proposal.

“Developing a high ceiling-type Jack Support is difficult right now. How about applying high-strength steel to the standard-type Jack Support instead? As you could see in the testing, if high-strength steel is applied on the standard-type Jack Support, the product weight can be drastically reduced. It could enhance the price competitiveness of the product as well.” CEO Jeong considered our offer for a while and replied, “The product is widely applied, and the market is much larger, so it would be worth a shot. Let’s do it!” After that, we set on several detailed design and performance tests, and we finally launched a high-strength Jack Support with a maximum length of 3.8m.

It wasn’t a product of the initial plan, but the response from the market was hot! The secret was its lightweight, which is about half the weight of conventional products. It was an opportunity to capture the need for lightweight Jack Supports in the market. In construction sites, time and labor force are important, so the demand for high-strength lightweight products gradually increased, and the client company producing and supplying these products became busier than ever.

l Steel & Aluminum Together! The Advent of a Hybrid Jack Support

In November 2018, almost three years later, Daehan Scaffolding CEO Min-Young Jeong contacted us for another visit to the research center. Since the commercialization of the high-strength Jack Support, we hadn’t received any direct communication, so CEO Jeong’s contact was quite a surprise. Was there any problem? The story of CEO Jeong was as follows.

“Currently, our product is the lightest among domestic steel Jack Support products. The market has also expanded. But recently, more and more companies are making Jack Supports with aluminum. Aluminum is supposed to be expensive, but the price of these products aren’t very different from our products as well. So, I would like to take a chance to upgrade our products once again.”

There were two things that Daehan Scaffolding desired. The first was expanding the maximum length of use from 3.8m to 5m. CEO Jeong explained that the length of the product had to be increased than the present to respond to various demands on the field. The second was extending the range of length adjustment. The adjustment range of current products is only 30cm, and so to meet the length requirements of each construction site, the products have to be manufactured accordingly, resulting in over 10 different types of products, which is too many. CEO Jeong wanted to extend the adjustment range to 70cm with a single product that could be applied to more sites.

Listening to him, I realized that it was similar to what we had worked on three years ago. As I was going to say, “Let’s try a new method since it’s difficult to do that with high-strength steel.” CEO Jeong proposed an idea, “We designed a product where the length can be adjusted by inserting an aluminum inner tube into a UL700 steel pipe.”

Combining aluminum and steel? At first, it sounded like a non-realistic plan. I thought, ‘This product can be made with steel alone. Why should we apply aluminum here?’ But my thoughts soon changed as I saw the prototype sample. Since the aluminum inner tube allows precise machinability, it became easy to secure the straightness of the product, and the strength of the product was also steady thanks to the application of high-strength steel. Making the outer tube, which must withstand the load, with high-strength steel, while making the inner tube for length adjustment with aluminum to reduce the overall weight — it seemed like a workable idea.

We decided to come up with an optimal design based on the client’s prototype. First, we worked on finding the coefficient for the complex aluminum section design. Next, we calculated the buckling load of the steel pipe by length and improved the thickness of the steel pipe and the shape of the aluminum section accordingly.

Four types of test specimens were produced by different lengths, and load testing was conducted for each. The commercial product lineup was also complete taking into account the test results and the most required height at construction sites. Considering the buckling strength and field workability of the inner tube, the length of the aluminum inner tube was set to 1m, and it was produced in four different sizes. After a year of research and testing, we finally launched a high-strength hybrid Jack Support with aluminum inner tube in July 2019. It was such an achievement in 4 years since the first meeting with Daehan Scaffolding in 2016.

l Safety for Workers, Economics for Contractors

The collaboration of steel and aluminum — the two different competing materials — was embodied into this Hybrid Jack Support. And within a year of its introduction to the market, it has been applied to more than 30 apartment construction sites of leading domestic construction companies, such as Hyundai E&C, Daewoo E&C, and POSCO E&C.

▲ The UL700-Al Hybrid Jack Support applied on site

CEO Jeong said, “The product is really good because it’s light — this is what I hear a lot when supplying the products.” We started with the application of high-strength steel to temporary construction materials, which led to the development of ultra-lightweight, high-strength Jack Supports, and, finally, here we were with Hybrid Jack Supports.

Compared to the conventional 5-inch product, the Hybrid Jack Support has the same strength but is 50% lighter. It also weighs about 80% of an aluminum product. Since UL700 is high strength steel, it is possible to reduce the outer cross-sectional area to one-third of that of aluminum, which results in remarkable weight reduction. Supposing that the conventional Jack Support is 60kg, an aluminum product is 35kg and the Hybrid product is merely 29kg. Other than the fact that it can be handled more safely by the workers, what meanings do this ‘lightweight’ feature have on sites?

The most crucial fact is that it can be installed quickly due to its weight reduction. 29kg is a weight that a single worker can easily handle. Also, unlike conventional products, the length can be adjusted up to 70cm without bolts, so it allows quick and convenient work.See how a worker installs a Hybrid Jack Support on site in just 35 seconds!

The simple and quick installation enables a reduction in labor costs and shortens the construction period. In fact, there was a case where labor costs were reduced by more than 30% as the time required to install and disassemble products was shortened. Also, since a more number of products can be loaded on the trucks to carry them, transportation costs are reduced by about 30%.

However, there may be doubts like, “Wouldn’t there be a problem with durability if it becomes so light?” There might be concerns about the inner tube made of aluminum being damaged on sites. But the product we aimed to manufacture was a ‘light yet strong temporary material’ — not just a light one. Unlike conventional products, the Hybrid Jack Support is designed to be separated by parts, so there is less risk of damage, and even if it is damaged, the damaged part can easily be replaced, so the maintenance cost is also low. The exterior of the Hybrid Jack Support is made of POSCO UL700, which makes it much more durable.

Four years have passed since developing Jack Supports using high-strength steel and improving them to meet the needs of the market. The market looks stagnant, but its trend is changing fast. That’s why we can’t just sit still in the lab and make an experiment to develop products.

In that sense, the Hybrid Jack Support is the result of POSCO and its client going back and forth between the lab and the field, constantly thinking about ideas to overcome the weaknesses of the product. In the second quarter of this year, it was listed as one of the INNOVILT certified products as well.

The temporary materials market is a place with unclear quality standards and a high temptation of low-cost goods. However, it is our mission to change this perception and eliminate the blind spots for the safety of workers with our products and technologies. At the same time, we should create solutions that can bring substantial benefits to the constructors as well. This is the reason why, even today, INNOVILT Lab is busy developing new solutions.

Finishing materials are used to complete the exterior part of a building. They serve to enhance the aesthetic features of the building as well as protect the surface from external impacts. The materials are categorized into interior and exterior material, roofing material, etc., according to their usage. Since finishing materials are exposed — thus visible and touchable — unlike structural materials, the context of a building can vary depending on which finishing material is used.

Jooshin Co., Ltd. specializes in producing and selling finishing materials optimized for various purposes, such as for exterior walls of buildings, interior, roofs, and so on. Founded in 2001, the company has worked on product development continuously and, as a result, grown into a small giant with more than 40 patents today. Behind the impressive performance, CEO Myeong-Woo Yoo’s management philosophy, change and innovation, lies.

▲ CEO Myeong-Woo Yoo explaining the management philosophy of Jooshin Co., Ltd.

“Jooshin does not develop a product unless a patent is a prerequisite. It means that we focus only on high value-added products that go beyond conventional products with new non-existent ideas. The conditions in the market change from day to day and demands from clients are becoming more challenging. That is why Jooshin aims to create new trends by grasping and responding to market changes.”

The persistent efforts did bear fruits. Currently, Jooshin Co., Ltd. stands out as a company leading the top 1% of roof and exterior market in Korea. In 2016, the company developed roof and exterior materials that adopt POSCO steel plate and SUPER ALCOSTA, a highly corrosion and heat resistant aluminum plated steel plate, and participated in major public projects, such as the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Stadium and Incheon International Airport. At the beginning of this year, seven of the company’s products were selected as POSCO INNOVILT products. As a result, it has become a single company with the most INNOVILT products. Among them, ZintaMax, the main product of the company, is the subject today.

l ZintaMax, The Beauty Imposed by Variations of Straight Lines

ZintaMax is a block-shaped finishing material that stretches out in a straight line. It can be installed on the exterior and interior walls of the building, on the ceiling, and all other places, excluding the roof. Since each finishing material has different strengths and employs different construction methods depending on where it is adopted, there aren’t many products that can be used for multiple purposes. On the other hand, ZintaMax is highly versatile as it can be installed anywhere a finishing material is needed with high strength and simple construction method thanks to PosMAC, its raw material.

Then what about the design? At first glance, you might think that simple straight lines and curves are all about the product, but many different kinds of design can be created by using ZintaMax. Its sizing can be flexible to fit for various purposes. For example, if you drill a hole and install it with lighting, it transforms into a decent interior material.

And this is not all. By utilizing the color printed steel product, which is a trend in the market these days, it is also possible to produce ZintaMax in diverse colors and patterns, such as yellow, blue, wood, and marble. POSCO’s PosMAC, the raw material of ZintaMax, goes under surface treatment at POSCO C&C and is then sent to Jooshin to be fabricated into the product. POSCO’s Jin-Ah Kim explained, “The color printed steel of POSCO C&C embodies the features of other materials almost perfectly so there is little difference in appearance from actual wood or marble. It is an Sustainable material that can realize the interior and exterior desired by clients without damaging nature.”

Another thing, with POSCO C&C’s Multi-Color Steel Sheet, more diverse designs can be created. Multi-Color Steel Sheet is a color steel product where multiple colors can be expressed simultaneously on a single-coil, and POSCO C&C is the sole domestic manufacturer. POSCO’s Jin-Ah Kim said, “When ZintaMax is made with these Multi-Color Steel Sheets, all the colors of the convex and concave parts can be expressed differently. The distinct and specialized design can satisfy the diverse needs of clients.”

l Design, Safety, Durability: 3-in-1!

ZintaMax, an innovative item in the conventional metal finishing material market, was born through collaboration between Jooshin Co., Ltd., and POSCO. While carrying out a joint study in 2019 regarding steel construction materials, Jooshin Co., Ltd., POSCO, and POSCO C&C came together to develop a finishing material with a unique design. Jooshin invested in facilities for production, while POSCO and POSCO C&C developed new colors and designs for the products. “No matter how good silk is, it can not be called a garment without proper altering. The case is the same here. Excellent products like the multi-color steel sheet and PosMAC will truly be acknowledged only when there are practical technologies to apply to buildings. POSCO and Jooshin worked on the details together, and ZintaMax is the result.”

Finishing material should be safe as well as aesthetically pleasing. How strong is ZintaMax against external stimuli, such as fire or corrosion? CEO Yoo proudly explained, “ZintaMax does not burn in fire and also has aesthetic features as well. These days, the incombustibility of finishing materials, like the roof and exterior materials, is being emphasized due to a series of fires that broke out in warehouses. Relevant laws have also been revised, banning the use of flammable finishing materials in buildings above three floors. ZintaMax is safe to use because it is made of POSCO C&C incombustible colored steel that does not ignite at high temperatures and generate less smoke and harmful gases.”

Since it is made of POSCO steel, the finishing material is also highly resistant to corrosion. “PosMAC, the raw material of ZintaMax, has a stronger plating layer than conventional galvanized steel, so it is highly wear-resistant and scratch-resistant. Generally, the cutting surfaces or parts that are scratched during installation gather rust. However, PosMAC has an oxide layer called Simonkolleite made by plating zinc with magnesium and aluminum. This layer prevents the corrosion of the surface as well as the machined parts.”

l INNOVILT ZintaMax: How Are They Made?

The aesthetic yet safe and durable ZintaMax. How is it made? The entire process was walked along with an explanation from Jae-Wook Yoo. He said, “The manufacturing process of ZintaMax is largely divided into three stages. The large steel coil that you can see over there is color printed steel made of PosMAC. POSCO’s PosMAC is coated at POSCO C&C and delivered here to Jooshin in coil shapes. The coil-shaped steel sheets go under an Uncoiler to make them flat. Next, they pass through the forming roll where they are shaped into desired forms. When they are put into the roller, the bumpy shapes of the ZintaMax are complete.” The manufacturing process was as simple as its construction method. The shortened construction period could also help reduce cost.

What is unique is that most of these processes are performed directly on site. It is a differentiated part from general finishing materials that are transported to the construction site after making finished products at the factory. Director Yoo Jae-wook said, “Because we look at the building to be applied in the field and make it right away, it can be constructed without any length limitation.”

l You Can See ZintaMax Here!

Buildings adopting ZintaMax can easily be found around us. Starbucks, the mega-franchise coffee shop, is an example. The recent Starbucks coffee shop that opened in Gimhae adopted a wooden pattern ZintaMax to the front of its exterior wall. On the outside, it looks just like wood. “If the walls were made with real wood, the processing cost would have been high, and there must have been a fair amount of logging.” On the side and back walls of the coffee shop building, a dark-gray zinc pattern ZintaMax was applied. The entire building demonstrates the attractive features of the color printed steel sheets that can embody all materials and colors without any restrictions. The charms of ZintaMax can also be seen in other various buildings, including the Gwangyang POSCO Childcare Center and the Sharp Gallery in Seoul.

Export prospects also look bright. Jae-Wook Yoo said, “We have received positive responses from Southeast Asian clients for suggesting wooden patterned ZintaMax. ZintaMax, which has both the durability and design features of steel, will serve as a definite alternative in Southern Asia where the deformation of construction wood is frequent due to hot weather.” He also added, “Although all discussions have been temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we expect tangible results soon.”

l Jooshin & POSCO, “Standing Out by Working Together”

If there is a single word that binds Jooshin and POSCO, it would be “First Mover”. Jooshin has been expanding the use of not only PosMAC but also PosPVD, a next-generation surface-treated steel plate developed by POSCO, in the steel construction material market. Regarding the cooperation between the two companies, Jae-Wook Yoo stated, “Working with POSCO Group, I could feel the passion that the entire group has for developing new products. They are eager to lead the market and do not hesitate to try out different attempts. Just like a pioneering leader. Such features fit well with the identity of Jooshin, which is to pursue creativity and innovation.”

Jin-Ah Kim also responded, “Whenever we find clients who are worried about how to construct with colored steel, we show them ZintaMax. ZintaMax is proactively applied to projects of POSCO E&C, and so it is not an exaggeration to say that it is growing together with POSCO Group. Jooshin always stimulates us with new ideas making us wonder where else we can use POSCO products in such a variety of ways.”

With the INNOVILT Alliance, the synergy shown by the two companies is expected to expand further. Both companies are working together on the R&D of a louver^* with non-flammable performance. Conventional wooden louvers are flame-retardant, but not non-flammable, so if this collaboration is successful, a safer louver can be introduced to the market. ^*louver: interior wood material used to prevent glare.

CEO Myeong-Woo Yoo commented that INNOVILT Alliance is a strategy of going together. At the end of the interview, he said, ”I’m excited for POSCO’s challenge to create a new structure with partner companies. Though the way of going together might not be easy, I am looking forward to the future that Jooshin and POSCO will create together.”

※ This content was produced in compliance with the COVID-19 quarantine guidelines before ‘Social Distancing Step 2.5’ was imposed.

STEEL Talk presents to you interesting stories of Science, Technology, Energy, Environment, Life — and of course STEEL!

l Buildings: Standing Firm Like ‘Giants’

Bones are like solid columns supporting the entire human body. And the buildings that we see around us function similar to the human body. They are like ‘giants’ standing tall — a much bigger version of the human body. The columns of the building support the entire structure, just as bones support the human body, and this column is steel! The steel used here is called construction steel and it is applied to various structures such as buildings and bridges around us.

Just as the bones inside our body are invisible to the naked eye, the steel material for construction, the bones of the building, is also placed inside the building and cannot be seen easily. However, It is considered as the most important material because it is closely related to safety.

The tallest building in Seoul is the Lotte World Tower! A huge amount of POSCO steel plate and high-performance construction steel were applied in its construction. If you take an x-ray of this building, you might be able to see POSCO steel supporting it entirely, just like you can see the bones inside your body in an x-ray!

l Looks Matter Too!

Supposing a building is a human body, the skin would be its exterior wall. Architects struggle a lot to make a building aesthetically pleasing. That’s why the exterior walls of buildings are decorated with shiny glass or ornamental stone. Recently, steel is often used as well because of its strongness and artistic properties.

Do you remember Pengsoo House that POSCO had built for the EBS mascot Pengsoo? The exterior walls of Pengsoo House, where Pengsoo’s face is printed, are also made of steel. The steel plate applied here is POSCO Advanced Resolution printing Technology (PosART). PosART allows high-resolution inkjet print hence emulating the textures and patterns of various materials, including marble, wood, and fabric. As long as there is an image file, anything is printable. Last year, POSCO had launched INNOVILT, a premium brand of steel products for construction. PosART is one of these INNOVILT products, and it won the worldsteel Steelie Awards ‘Innovation of the Year’ in 2019.

Steel is used not only for exterior walls but also for roofs. The roof of Incheon International airport’s Terminal 2 was made with POSCO stainless steel fabricated with reduced reflectivity to prevent glare for aircraft pilots during takeoff and landing.

l Keeping the Building Alive!

Blood vessels of the human body serve as channels to deliver oxygen to every corner. Just as we have blood vessels and nerves, buildings also have invisible “blood vessels” and “nerves” that keep them alive — “pipes”.

Most of the pipes in the building are made of steel. If the pipe is rusted, water or gas may leak inside the building, which might trigger a big accident. Also, if water travels through the rusty pipes, it will be contaminated and harm the health of people. Therefore, corrosion-resistant stainless steel is appropriate in making the pipes of buildings.

POSCO Newsroom presents the story of premium construction material, INNOVILT, and today we will start with SP-CIP Pile(Smart(Steel) Pipe-Cast In Placed Pile)! Let’s take a peek at the note of POSCO’s researchers who developed the Steel pipe Pile together with clients — MS Pipe and Hankook Material.

l Bid Farewell to Heavy Rebar!

I am Dong-Wook Ahn, a senior researcher at POSCO Steel Structure Research Group. The field that I am interested in these days is ‘rebar’. You might wonder what rebar has got to do with POSCO since POSCO doesn’t manufacture rebar. Of course, I’m not talking about developing rebar. My goal is to develop a steel pipe that can replace rebar and make a premium construction material.

Rebar is the most commonly used material on construction sites. However, it has a major drawback: it is too heavy. Also, connecting the rebars by welding is impossible, so they should be tied together with wire, one by one making the rebar processing work highly dependent on manpower. Hence, the heavyweight of rebar causes great inconvenience to the workers at the site, and it is one of the main reasons why many construction workers suffer from musculoskeletal diseases.

All creation starts with a critical mind. The question of “Should it always have to be such heavy rebars?” led to the next question, “How about making a lighter yet stronger alternative to rebar?” How was this possible? With our very best steel technology! I soon started developing a lightweight steel pipe to replace rebar. With this lightweight steel pipe, my final goal was developing the construction material, ‘Steel Pipe-Cast In Placed Pile’.

A net pile made of rebar is commonly used for ground stabilization. It prevents cracks and degradation of the building. What if the rebar was replaced with steel pipes? It will become lighter and stronger, therefore, resolving the many problems mentioned earlier.

l Developing a High-Strength Steel Pipe with a Yield Strength of 800MPa!

The yield strength (YS) of rebars in the market is 400 MPa. This means that if a force of 400 MPa or more is applied to the rebar, it will deform and will not be restored. My task was to come up with a steel pipe that was at least equal or stronger compared to rebars. Considering that steel pipes are hollow in the middle, I decided to create steel pipes with a yield strength of 800MPa.

My team began research on POSCO’s high-strength steel, PosH690 (POSCO High strength 690). We made a steel pipe with this PosH690 at ‘MS Pipe’, our client company, to analyze yield strength caused by work hardening. Finally, we succeeded in deriving optimal production conditions.

With the steel pipe from MS Pipe, ‘Hankook Material’ produced the Steel Pile. (Hankook is another client company of POSCO.) The main rebar was replaced with a steel pipe, while the spiral rebar was used as it was, along with the wires used for tightening. Everything remained the same except for the main material. Test specimens — one where conventional rebar net pile was placed inside the concrete and the other Steel pipe pile inside the concrete — were made, and experiments were conducted to compare performances over and over again. The result turned out to be a huge success. The newly developed Steel pipe Pile showed similar performance to the rebar net pile. Finally, a Steel pipe Pile product using a steel pipe was all set!

▲ Testing of the flexural strength of piles

l Introducing the INNOVILT Steel Pipe-Cast In Placed Pile!

Hankook Material named the product Smart(Steel) Pipe-Cast In Placed Pile. The manufacturing process is a collaboration, and it is as follows: POSCO supplies PosH690 and MS Pipe produces steel pipes with it, and Hankook Material manufactures SP-CIP piles with the pipes.

Construction materials, especially those for ground construction, must be applied to the actual construction site and made sure that it is indeed as strong as the extracted research value. This means that research on construction materials does not end in the lab. Employees of MS Pipe, Hankook Material, and I carefully watched the construction process on site. It was also necessary to verify whether the product guarantees the desired performance after the construction was completed. After waiting for the concrete to harden for about a month, a dynamic load testing was conducted by striking a 10-ton hammer on the structure to measure the support force. A horizontal load testing was also carried out by pushing the structures away from each other to check seismic performance. Fortunately, both tests turned out to be satisfactory. The SP-CIP Pile went under two more on-site tests eventually proving that the product was indeed lighter, economical, and yet stable in strength compared to the use of conventional rebar pile.

l SP-CIP Pile with 100% POSCO Steel!

The weight of the product was dramatically reduced as intended, but there was one more task to be resolved — welding. As mentioned earlier, rebars cannot be welded because they do not secure chemical components. The steel pipe pile that we developed was woven with wire as well instead of welding. So we decided to go a step further and upgrade the product into a fully welded one. “Let’s make a steel pipe pile that can be welded with 100% POSCO steel!”

We considered using a steel wire rod that has two or more rows of bumps arranged on its surface, resembling the shape of rebar. Since the steel wire rod had already been qualified for the KS standard (KS D 3552), replacing spiral rebar with it became possible. Next, Hankook Material conducted welding tests on three types of products: 1) rebar & rebar, 2) steel pipe & rebar, and 3) steel pipe & steel wire. The results showed that the ‘steel pipe & steel wire’ product was the only one that could be welded with high quality.

We also acquired an official use certification from the Korean Construction Joints Association based on this test result. What started with the development of steel pipes to replace rebars eventually ended with producing Steel pipe Piles using 100% POSCO steel. It was an achievement that had taken four years.

▲ The automated welding facility of SP-CIP Pile at Hankook Material

l The Birth of SIP Pile: 3 Features in 1

In January, following joint marketing by POSCO and the client company, the product was finally applied to a construction site in Seoul for the first time. In the following six months, four additional sites adopted the product as well, and it succeeded in settling into the construction market. The response to the SP-CIP Pile is quite phenomenal, considering the conservative nature of the construction market. Here are some of the features that those who have used the SP-CIP Pile mention.

First of all, it is economical. Since the yield strength of the steel pipe is twice as high as conventional rebar, the sectional area required is reduced by half. Despite the unit price per ton being more expensive than that of rebar, the weight per meter is reduced by half, hence, the unit price per meter is also more economical than that of rebar.

Second, it is of stable quality. In the case of conventional rebar net piles, binding wires are used to bond the materials since welding is impossible. However, in the case of our products, they can be safely welded and supplied. Let’s skip the obvious explanation of which product is more stable.

Another feature is lightweight. It significantly reduces the labor intensity of workers on site. In fact, there was even a case that workers, who worked with steel pipes at the previous site, suggested changing the rebar to steel pipes at the new construction site.

One more thing. It is supplied through pre-production. SP-CIP Pile can be manufactured on site as well, but it is mostly pre-produced at factories and sent to the construction site.

In-Jeong Woo who was in charge of a construction site where SP-CIP Pile was applied said, “Since SP-CIP Pile is pre-produced in factories with excellent quality and only needs to be placed on site, it is especially convenient to handle in small-sized construction sites of downtown areas. The product is brought to the site in a complete form, so there isn’t any problem of handling the remaining rebars.” He also added, “Wire-connected rebar net pile is distorted when moved or placed for construction, but since Steel pipe Pile is produced by welding, the construction process becomes much safer.”

Hankook Material’s SP-CIP Pile was selected as an INNOVILT certified product in 1Q this year, and since then, it has been more actively applied at sites. Researchers at POSCO, including myself, are still working on technologies to expand the market. Our work will continue until the day comes where the steel technology required by clients is successfully realized into innovative products.