POSCO hopes the team will be able to fully invest in training and perform to the best of their ability at the upcoming games.

The Rise of the Korean National Para Ice Hockey Team

While the Korean National Para Ice Hockey Team is now receiving more funding and exposure, their journey was not always smooth-sailing. As seen in the 2014 Korean documentary Parallel, the Korean para ice hockey athletes have faced many difficulties along the way. But, in facing their adversity with hard work, perseverance, and determination, they have found success as they prepare for the upcoming 2018 Winter Games.  

2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada

Until 2010, sledge hockey at the Winter Games had been dominated by Canada, the U.S., Norway, and Sweden. Starting at the Winter Games in Vancouver in 2010, the world started to notice the potential of Korean para-athletes as they finished in 6th place in their first Winter Games. Following the Vancouver Winter Games, the team continued their success from 2011-2013 at multiple international tournaments. These wins helped add momentum and build expectations for the team as they prepared for the Winter Games in Sochi.

Korea defeated Sweden 4-2 in the 2013 Para Ice Hockey Qualification Tournament held in Torino, Italy (Courtesy of Svenska Parasportförbundet Sveriges Paralympiska Kommitté)

2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia

In 2014, Korea’s ice sledge hockey team returned to the Winter Games. In their first match, Team Korea defied expectations with a 3-2 defeat of the hometown team and ultimate silver medalist, Russia.  However, after that monumental win, multiple team members suffered a series of injuries that helped lead to subsequent losses to the US, Italy, and the Czech Republic. Although the team won their 7th place match 2-0 against Sweden, players could not hide their disappointment.

Dongshin Jang, who scored the final goal in the match against Sweden, cited the team’s many injuries as one of the reasons for defeat adding, “We tried our best to win the medals in order to be recognized and get the support we need. We did well considering our conditions, but I cannot hide my disappointment.”

2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang, Korea

In 2018, Team Korea will have a home rink advantage as the games come to PyeongChang. As they prepare to participate in the 2018 Winter Games, they have shown great progress. Just one year after their humbling defeat at Sochi, Team Korea defeated Poland 15-0 at the IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships, the most points ever scored in a World Championship game.

Korea’s ice sledge hockey team pose for a team photo at the 2013 Para Ice Hockey Games held in Torino, Italy. (Courtesy of Luc Percival)

Team Korea’s training is in full swing as they are aiming to be one of the top five teams in the 2017 World Championships A-Pool. Trials will be held in Gangneung, Korea, from April 11-20, 2017. If Team Korea takes one of the top five slots, it will directly qualify for the PyeongChang 2018.

POSCO is supporting Team Korea to allow them to focus on their training for 2018. Team Korea has already succeeded far beyond expectations and POSCO is honored to be supporting such a talented team.   

Skating on Steel Sledges

Para ice hockey began at a rehabilitation centre in Stockholm, Sweden, during the early 1960’s. It was started by a group of Swedes who wanted to continue playing hockey despite not being able to skate anymore. Para ice hockey made its official debut on the world stage during the 1994 Lillehammer games.

Sledges for para ice hockey, made of steel, are set on two blades usually made of tempered steel. (Courtesy of Randykwapis)

Instead of skates, players use double-blade sledges that are typically made of steel. They are 0.6m to 1.2m in length with a curved front end and a seat for the athletes. The sledge was modified to be set on two 3 mm blades, which are usually made of tempered steel that allows the puck to pass underneath the sledge. Players use two sticks to propel the sledge over the ice and to hit the puck. The design, weight, and strength of the player’s equipment are critical. The ability for the sledge to withstand the weight of the players and strong impacts is critical. The steel used in the sledge can make a crucial difference to their performance as it impacts control on the ice and the durability of the blades.  

The beautiful fireworks at these events light up the sky in all shapes and colors, mesmerizing onlookers of all ages. However, there’s a whole lot more to pyrotechnic displays than their eye-catching aesthetics.

An Age-Old Tradition

Fireworks originated in ancient China in the form of firecrackers—explosives that were created by burning black powder inside bamboo stalks. Since then, firecrackers have become cultural symbols and are believed to be capable of warding off evil spirits thanks to their explosive sounds.

However, the colorful aerial firework we are most familiar with comes from Italy. Italian pyrotechnicians were the first to blend metal colorants and pyrotechnical mechanisms together, creating both visual and auditory entertainment for spectators.

Making Sparks Fly

There are at least five essential ingredients needed to produce pyrotechnical displays: metal colorants to produce various colors, fuel to detonate, an oxidizing agent to provide oxygen for fuel combustion, a chlorine compound to enhance colors and a binding agent to hold the compounds together.

Among its parts, the aerial shell in particular contains black powder and “stars” that are comprised of metal salt colorants. The ancient Chinese black powder formula used as fuel consists of potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulfur. When this formula ignites, it releases hot gases that have enough power to launch the firework and detonate the colorful stars high in the sky.

A Metal for Every Color

The beautiful colors that aerial fireworks paint across the sky vary depending on their composition. Made of up finely ground metals, these compounds, also called pyrotechnic colorants, determine the color, brightness and intensity of the light produced.

The colorants in fireworks are essentially metal salts that burn and release energy in the form of light. Each metal element corresponds to a particular wavelength of light when it burns, which is what humans see as visible electromagnetic light. These metal elements each emit specific amounts of energy that is characteristic of the element.

For example, a copper compound creates a burst of blue while calcium emits an orange tone. The chart below shows which metal element is used to produce each color of firework.

To obtain the most vivid display of color, the firework ingredients must be fresh and well put together. It is also essential for the final concoction to be carefully formulated, as the colors are extremely sensitive, even to trace amounts of impurities.

So, whether you’re celebrating Canada Day or have front row seats at the Sumida River Firework Festival, impress your friends and family with the color science of these amazing pyrotechnical displays. And don’t forget to enjoy the show!

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Our first interviewee is Associate Mijung Kim from the Stainless Steel Marketing Dept. in the Stainless Automotive and Home Appliance Steel Sales Group. Let’s listen to Kim’s marketing story, including what she considers the most important in marketing as a person involved in the export of stainless steel!

Can you introduce yourself please?

Hello, I’m Mijung Kim, an associate at POSCO’s Stainless Steel Marketing Dept. since February 2012. I have been responsible for the export of stainless steel since I first started working for POSCO. From my two years in marketing, I was not only able to learn a lot about stainless steel but was also able to gain the ability to lead business with a client. I initially found it challenging to adjust to POSCO’s environment as I was unfamiliar with corporate life, professional vocabulary and methods of work but I was able to adapt quickly with the help of passionate leaders and friendly colleagues.

What does POSCO’s Stainless Steel Marketing Dept. do?

Stainless steel thermoses, cups and spoons are familiar steel products that can be seen in our daily lives. Stainless steel are high-value added products that have a well-polished surface and resistance to corrosion. However, stainless steel suffer from severe price fluctuations because the majority of their raw material is nickel. In addition, there is a large range of clients, which makes the marketing of stainless steel a more difficult task compared to the marketing of other products. Despite the difficulties, sales managers are constantly working to establish effective conclusions of contracts and manage meticulous client relationship by developing smooth communication with purchasing and technical managers from client companies.

Currently, the Stainless Steel Marketing Dept. exports products made at POSCO’s overseas producer corporations and manufacturing centers in countries such as China, Vietnam, Thailand, Turkey and Italy. Considering the global marketing environments, POSCO keeps track of the fluctuations in the prices of raw materials, the characteristics of steel that clients demand as well as the business conditions of producer corporations to ultimately apply acquired knowledge in POSCO’s sales planning.

What do you consider to be the most important in POSCO’s marketing?

I believe that communication is the key to everything. During my time at POSCO, I realized the importance of communication as I worked with clients and producer corporations from Taiwan and South-East Asia. Once, I faced difficulties in fulfilling a contract due to extreme price fluctuations of raw materials during the contract period. Another time, I had to solve problems regarding a client claim, together with technical and purchasing managers. While overcoming such difficulties, I learned that sales managers should always listen carefully to and actively communicate with clients as the faintest client voice could suddenly influence contract and deals. I came to believe that good communication at times of difficulties can in fact draw more clients, and ultimately increase the sales of products.

POSCO’s Stainless Steel Marketing Goes Global

POSCO’s stainless steel are exported worldwide to countries such as China, Vietnam, Thailand, Turkey and Italy after being made in various producer corporations and manufacturing. Sales managers advertise POSCO’s products by visiting clients from diverse nationalities in real life. Every time I see some of the client companies’ poor production situations, I become even more determined to provide better stainless steel and services to clients.

Can you catch a glimpse of the bright future of POSCO’s stainless steel marketing from all the POSCO-pride and preemptive marketing strategies? We hope you felt the passion and hard work coming from Mijung, who is only on her second year in the marketing industry. At the beginning of August 2013, POSCO restructured its Stainless Steel Marketing Dept. to be industry-based in order to strengthen customer service. In the future, POSCO Stainless Steel Marketing will continue to provide technology, product and service tailored to industry demands, so stay tuned!

On August 15, POSCO held a completion ceremony for a cold-rolled stainless steel plant called “POSCO Assan TST” in Izmit, Turkey. POSCO Assan TST, which will become the first stainless steel plant in the country, has an annual production capacity of 200,000 tons. With the completion, POSCO has now secured a production base at the west front of ‘U-Belt,’ a part of POSCO’s global UI development strategy across newly rising countries in Asia.

Turkey is a strategic point for entering the markets of Europe, Middle East, Russia, North Africa and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Recently, the nation has also been going through a rapid industrial drive from light industry to heavy industry basis. Renault, Fiat, Ford, Nissan, Honda and other major car manufacturers are operating businesses in Turkey and the local market itself is often referred as one of Europe’s top three home appliance consumer markets along with Germany and Italy. The demands for high quality cold-rolled stainless products are high due to these factors in Turkey.

POSCO Assan TST holds a significant meaning because, despite of such soaring demands for stainless products, Turkey did not have any stainless plant within the country and experts had previously suggested that a supply shortage reaching 1 million tons could occur by 2015. With the completion, POSCO will be able to take the advantageous position first in the Turkish market, and also react swiftly for the demands from the neighboring areas. Once the ITPC, an Italian stainless processing center starts operating next month, the two facilities will work together to create a sales synergy in the near future.

About 300 guests attended the ceremony to celebrate the completion of POSCO Assan TST, including CEO and Chairman of POSCO Chung Joon-yang, Turkey’s Minister of Science, Industry and Technology Nihat Ergun, Minister of Economy Zafer Caglayan and other VIPs from the Turkish government and POSCO’s partners. During his remarks, Chairman Chung said, “POSCO Assan TST is the essence of the long relationship between Turkey and Korea. I hope POSCO continues to be loved by Turkey and to grow in line with the local market for mutual prosperity.” While speaking with the Turkish government ministers, the Chairman also requested continuous supports for the cold-rolled stainless plant in Turkey, and in response, Minister Ergun and Minister Caglayan said the government will provide its full support for the plant.

POSCO Assan TST in Turkey is expected to be the key manufacturing plant for global production and sales network across China, Southeast Asia and Turkey, making POSCO be the leading stainless maker in the world.