Just to name a few, Lebanon, Jordan and Tunisia repealed a law that exonerates rapists and allows them to avoid punishment if they marry their rape victims. In Saudi Arabia, women finally gained the right to hold driver’s licenses. In the U.S. and around the world, more than 5 million people took part in the Women’s March in January 2017, to advocate fairness and equality. Then, Iceland set an example for all when it became the first country in history to make it illegal for companies with 25 or more employees to pay men more than women for the same job.

This year, steelmaker POSCO added a big win for women’s empowerment.

POSCO Follows the (Women’s) Lead

POSCO recently welcomed their first female executive, Lee Yu-Kyung, as POSCO’s Chief of Plant, Equipment and Materials Procurement. In a male-dominated industry, Lee’s achievement is a rare sighting, but after taking a deeper look at Lee’s work history and overall attitude, it’s no surprise Lee is a woman who deserves to be at the top.

Lee Yu-Kyung, POSCO’s first female executive employee.

For Lee, POSCO is her second job. She was at her first job in 1990 at an IT company when she saw, spread across the front page of the daily paper, POSCO’s ad calling for female employees.

“When I saw the question on the ad that read, ‘WIll you join POSCO to work towards a promising future today?’ I just thought this is it. It sounds tacky today, but at the time, it was the opportunity I had been waiting for.”

And so began Lee’s 27 years (and still counting!) with POSCO. The first task she encountered was handling exports of cold-rolled steel to Southeast Asia, and she was off on her first business trip to Singapore just months into her job.

“It was a rare opportunity for a fresh rookie 1st year recruit to be able to go overseas. Looking back, I think it was opportunities like these, and the expectations that came with them that built me up professionally.”

Keeping Work Interesting

After her experience in the Export Department, she moved from department to department about once every 3 years, including Machinery Purchasing, Raw Materials Purchasing, Marketing at POSCO M-Tech and even completed a year-long MBA program at Ewha Womans University.

“POSCO has a work-rotation program for its employees, which just goes to show how invested the company is in the growth of individual employees. It’s a lot more cost-effective for POSCO to hire employees to specialize in one position, but instead, we rotate every 3 to 4 years to learn new tasks, gain insight and experience new working environments. This is probably the biggest reason I believe I made the right choice in working at POSCO.”

Vice President Lee was the brains behind POSCO’s Global Information Hub. (Source: 727406 Vimeo)

Lee’s continued learning within the company lead to some impressive results. She set up what is now known as the Global Information Hub (GIH), a process for gathering market information by utilizing the network of global trading companies. Lee was also the first person to apply the concept of total cost of ownership (TCO) to machinery purchasing so the company could make well-informed and comprehensive decisions.

Lee explained, “Whereas before, the price of machinery determined purchase decisions, TCO provides a more accurate cost based on the machinery’s performance and efficiency over its lifecycle.” As such, POSCO is still reaping the benefits of Lee’s hard work.

Lee’s professional achievements are impressive, but it’s not the only thing young professionals can learn from her.

A True Multi-tasker

“To be honest, I don’t recall too many moments where I encountered hardship at work. I just try to do all that I can in the given situation, and I know that’s enough. However, one of my greatest challenges came when I found out I was pregnant with my fourth child. Going through 3 pregnancies was tough enough, and I didn’t know if I could come back from a fourth. The thing I worried about most was what my coworkers would think if I took another maternity leave.”

“I’ll never forget what my boss at the time told me. He said, ‘I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for the company so far, and I know you will do well going forward. I know it’s hard right now, but this time is going to pass.’ Thanks to my boss I found the courage to come back after an 8-month maternity leave and get to where I am today.”

Advice for All Working Women

Just as her chief played a critical role in her career, Lee hopes to coach and foster other women employees at POSCO.

“I’m not going to say that being a working mom is easy. My third youngest once held onto a lamp post on the side of the street and cried all morning on our way to kindergarten. It breaks your heart, but those moments do pass, and then you’ll be glad you held on and fought through.”

Lee Yu-Kyung had plenty of advice for other working professional women.

Besides working through hard times, Lee shared other advice for working professionals.

“You gotta take care of yourself – during weekends, you have to get meaningful rest. You have to fit in time with your friends and enjoy the moments along the way.” Plus, for the past 10 years, Lee has fit in an hour of exercise every morning before work and can’t remember the last time she took a sick day. “Your body is just like the machinery in our factories. You have to take care of it, make sure nothing’s broken and maintain it over a long time.”

“Professionally, it’s important to try and see the bigger picture and work to your competitive advantage. Always watch what the seniors are doing, and be open and willing to learn.”

Going Forward as POSCO’s First Female Executive

When asked what her future plans were in her new role, she replied, “I believe purchasing goes beyond obtaining certain products. It’s about developing the supplier’s technology, business strategy and vision for mutual growth. That’s why we’ve always put an emphasis on fairness, transparency and cost-saving, but in the future, I would like to also work towards finding new technologies with suppliers to lead the market and gain further competitiveness. In order to achieve this, we plan to cut costs internally and continue to cooperate and co-create with our suppliers.”

During her 27 years at POSCO, Lee was able to turn every challenge into an opportunity to become the professional she is today as well as a role model for other women working in male-dominated industries. There is no doubt she will continue to progress and rise to meet new challenges at POSCO.

Cover photo courtesy of The Daily Beast

In June, 12 participants completed a two-week introduction course, where they got to learn about POSCO’s history, Korean culture and POSCO’s overall operations. Then, they were dispatched to each respective department for hands-on work experience.

In addition, participants can also integrate Korean language courses with work. As a result, most participants have already taken their TOPIK, a Korean language certification test, and received their certifications.

To close off the six-month program, GMP participants took part in a workshop on December 7, at the POSCO Center to share their results and discuss ways to improve the GMP.

Pedro, one of the participants from POSCO-Mexico said, “This has been an invaluable experience and my. I have a greater understanding of POSCO’s operations thanks to the GMP, and I have gained a totally new perspective on business. I will highly recommend this program to my colleagues.”

POSCO is currently in the process of selecting 30 GMP participants for 2018, a sharp increase in the numbers of participants compared to 21 employees this year so that P-level employees can participate in the program. POSCO will continue to train exemplary employees and strengthen the competitiveness of overseas affiliates through the GMP system.

According to research by McKinsey, approximately 51 percent of all job-related activities in the U.S. can be replaced by robots. Another recent research conducted by PwC shows that 40 percent of jobs in the U.S., 31 percent in the UK, 35 percent in Germany and 21 percent of the jobs in Tokyo are vulnerable to replacement by robotics or other artificial intelligence (AI).

An imagined image of an all-robot workforce (Source: Digital News Asia)

The figures are daunting, but in practice, companies have yet to realize a fully-automated system that matches human labor. The truth is, humans need robots to take over mundane and physically demanding tasks, while people take on creative and innovative roles in the workplace. What is more likely is a shift in workplace dynamics, not a decrease in the overall number of jobs available. Today, most companies have automated their systems to varying degrees, and robots are continually being upgraded.

The Human-Robot Collaboration

Last year, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published ISO/TS 15066, the safety standards for collaborative robots, or cobots that work in the same workplace as humans simultaneously. Before, it was common to find robots restrained in cages, or shut off while human workers loaded equipment onto the robots. Now, with enhanced sensors and diverse power settings, the safety risks of working with cobots are low. To add, many industries are embracing cobots over traditional industrial robots that work alone, because cobots are less expensive and require much less energy to operate.     

A welder gets help from a cobot

Not only are they a sustainable solution for companies, they increase workers’ productivity. According to Business World, Julie Shah and her team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology conducted a study looking at human-robot collaborations at a BMW plant. She found higher levels of productivity, efficiency and performance when humans and robots collaborate in comparison to all-human or all-robot systems. Collaboration also reduced human idle time by 85 percent. Many argue that this increase in productivity will lead to more business and eventually create more jobs that revolve around working with cobots.

The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) found that robot-driven productivity accounted for 10 percent of total GDP growth in OECD countries from 1993 to 2016, and that number will continue to grow in the coming years. The IFR predicts worldwide usage of industrial robots to reach 2.6 million by 2019. That’s one million more robots than in 2015.

Cobots are already making their way into factories and warehouses, and human workers are learning to work with their new counterparts.

Auto Industry

The automotive industry is one of the most common places to find cobots as major automakers were early movers in incorporating robotics into the workforce. That’s why it’s the perfect place to observe the changing dynamics of the workplace with cobots. At Ford’s new production facility, cobots work shoulder to shoulder with the production team in what they call a blended solution. Mostly, cobots have taken over repetitive tasks, physically demanding or dangerous tasks and freed up workers to focus on new innovations and creative projects. The facility runs 21 hours a day, 6 days a week thanks to around 550 cobots and robots.

Take a look at the new working dynamics at Ford below:

Food Industry

The food industry is another sector ripe for human-cobot collaboration, especially in the packaging sector. However, pizza restaurant Zume is changing the delivery pizza experience with automated technology. Cobots have taken over tasks such as spreading the sauce and lifting the pies into the oven. They will be implementing more robot technology to free up kitchen staff to work in their offices for business expansion. Another addition to come is a delivery truck equipped with 50 ovens that will start cooking the pizzas based on exactly calculated arrival times.

Watch the video below to find out more about what Zume is working on:

E-Commerce Industry   

Amazon is another early mover that introduced 15,000 cobots named Kiva to their warehouses in 2014. Two years prior in 2012, they bought Kiva Systems, a robotics company, for USD 775 million. Since then, the number of cobot employees has tripled.

Here’s how it works. Human employees scan items and place them into the shelf-like pods. Instantly, the scanned item is available to purchase online. Kiva’s software keeps track of where each item is so that it can easily be found at the picking station, where a human employee retrieves the product for shipping. Amazon managed to rapidly increase efficiency and speed up delivery times with Kiva. They continue to incorporate AI into their services, including their drone delivery system.

Take a look at Kiva in action in the video below:

Healthcare Industry

In the healthcare industry, cobots are being incorporated to assist doctors in surgery and lighten the burden of caregivers by taking over mundane tasks. Pairing cobots and their software technology with doctors has several benefits including minimized invasiveness, exactness and reduced mistakes in surgical procedures. To date, AI and cobots have allowed doctors to access new parts of the human body for surgery, and achieve breakthrough feats the way they examine, monitor and operate on patients.

Take a look at the most innovative cobots to date in the healthcare industry:

Steel Industry

POSCO is a leader in applying AI to the steel production systems. In 2015, they developed an exoskeleton cobot designed to enable workers strength beyond their own. The cobot is made of carbon fiber, aluminum and steel, and was first tested with Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, at their facility in Okpo-dong. The cobot enabled shipyard workers to easily lift heavy pieces of metal weighing around 70 pounds, and researchers are working to allow workers to lift up to 200 pounds effortlessly.

Watch the video to find out more:

Aside from cobots, POSCO also incorporates AI and IoT into their smart factory, the first smart steel factory in the world, and continues to research and develop smart solutions to optimize the production processes.

Continued automation and the incorporation of cobots in the workplace is inevitable, and governments and institutions will have to provide resources for people to fill jobs tailored to working with cobots or those that cannot be replaced in any way by robots and AI. What’s ahead is figuring out how to think of cobots as coworkers that will only enhance one’s work. Also, companies have to figure out how to fully realize the potential for increased economic productivity through this type of cobot co-work that will lead to the development of more innovations, technology and ultimately, new business ventures.

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Nam Tae-Gyu in his early days on site at a POSCO steel mill.

Nam’s Battle with the Sublance

Five years into his first job ever, Nam hit his first hurdle. The sublance used for detecting temperature and carbon levels of ingot iron in the converters kept breaking down. The brutal process for replacing the sublance probe took a physical toll on the workers and Nam remembers frequent nosebleeds and extreme fatigue vividly.

Nam explained, “Pure iron is converted into steel in a smelting process that requires 1700 °C of heat and oxygen incorporated into the ingot iron. When the process is 80 percent done, a sublance goes into the ingot iron inside the converter to take temperature and carbon measurements. Then, it sends the data to the operating room. With that data, the operator decides if the process should be continued or stopped. Afterwards, a sublance goes into the post-steelmaking converter again, measures the temperature and the amount of carbon, and then sends that data to the operator one last time. The data is used for the slab and bloom making processes as well. In a way, the sublance acts as an important key that decides the final quality of the steel. So if the sublance doesn’t work properly and sends the wrong data to the operator, there will be a tremendous loss.”

A sublance, which has to be inserted about 1 meter deep into the ingot iron, has a 2-meter probe with a sensor measuring the temperature and carbon and oxygen components. This disposable probe stays in the 1700 °C converter for 5 seconds and transmits the data to the monitor of the operating room through a cable inside the sublance pipe. The problem is that the travel distance of the sublance changes whenever a new probe is equipped. For that reason, facility managers must check the accurate position and adjust the length on every occasion. The sublance had to be adjusted at the top of a 7-story steel mill that is 20 meters higher than the top of the converter. To make it worse, technicians had to physically climb up and down dozens of times for 3 hours to alter the length manually if the lift didn’t work.

Liquid ingot iron in a steel mill during the smelting process

Nam’s First Masterpiece

Nam knew there had to be an easier way. After studying the sublance diagram and its instruction manual, he finally had an “aha moment.” He installed a digital location detector in an encoder form that could receive data to determine the travel distance of the sublance from a cambox instead of a touchbar that bred most of the errors in the previous system.

This allowed digital information on the travel distance of the sublance to be sent directly to the operator who in turn could locate the probe accordingly. This alone reduced errors in the data for every probe change. Furthermore, Nam even installed a detection system to eliminate all errors of the previous touch bar.

In the end, the improved sublance allowed 2 people to finish in 10 minutes what 3 people had to work on for 3 hours previously. The measurement success rate increased from 87 to 95 percent and lead to cost reductions and a shorter operation time overall for the smelting process.

Another Hurdle, Another Masterpiece

In 1997, Nam met his second and biggest challenge of his time at POSCO. A converter tilting device that could tilt and rotate a 1300-ton converter broke down. No one expected this machine to malfunction, as it was made with certified parts with advanced technology brought in from Japan. The Japanese supervisors kept the device’s technology a secret for copyright reasons, so the Korean technicians didn’t know the inner workings of the machine.

The complex device was composed of four motors, reducers, inverters and other parts. In order to run the motors, they had to use a magnetic contactor and high-voltage circuit breaker, both imported from Japan and extremely expensive since they had a short lifespan.

“One time, a large amount of electric current spilled on the converter tilting device. A severe arc was generated and melted the magnetic contactor, causing equipment failure and a KRW 200 million loss. I tried to replace the contactor with a domestic model to improve it, but in the process, the electric current flowed to the field motor, and the electric arc leaned causing molten steel to leak. We had to stop all operations for 14 hours and ended up with 15 tons of leaked steel.” Nam recalls.

A converter holding molten steel being tilted

It was a dark moment for Nam and POSCO, but it only prompted him to work harder towards a solution. After much research, trials and failures, he developed a vacuum magnetic contactor made of domestic parts and applied a vacuum breaker to the tilting device, thus localizing the core parts of the converter tilting device. Also with the new technology, temperatures could be monitored at the bend, cable crossing point and cable access point for a real-time monitoring system for accident prevention. Nam not only raised POSCO’s production quality to global standards, he helped reduce quality deviation and eliminate waste.

Working Philosophy/ Results

Looking over his achievements at POSCO, it is easy to see why Nam was named a 2017 POSCO Master. In the past 40 years, he accomplished 15 patents, 32 outstanding proposals, 1830 general proposals and 156 knowledge records. Nam received the highest award of job competence, the Steel Mill Proposal King award, this year’s Person of Pocheon award, Korea’s Quality Manager award and was named a POSCO Master in 2014.

Nam Tae-Gyu walks through the fire prevention system at POSCO’s Steel Mill 1 with executives and employees.

Nam’s working philosophy is simple. Achieving the best results in steelmaking and maintenance requires hard work and passion, much like how a good harvest requires the sweat and blood of the farmer. With this in mind, Nam’s curiosity is unending as he continues to look for improvements and leave behind a legacy of hard work and dedication.

POSCO values the contributions from its female workers and their role in its success. In the past, The Steel Wire has looked at women in the steel industry as well as a few of the women who have had a lasting impact at POSCO. Please check out the in-depth interviews with Yukyung Lee, Group Leader of Iron Ore Group of the Raw Materials Department; Mihwa Park, Head of the Information Planning Department; Young Choi, Vice President of PR at POSCO Daewoo; and Lee Yoon Hee, Vice President of POSRI.

Today, in honor of International Women’s Day, we want to take a moment to celebrate three women who broke barriers in their own male-dominated fields. Their hard work, perseverance, and dedication allowed the world to recognize and acknowledge the capabilities of women.

Alice Peurala, Woman of Steel Who Fought for Gender Parity in Steel Industry

Women have long been a minority in the metals and mining industries (Catalyst noted in 2015 it was at just 13.3% in the U.S.). However, thanks to the efforts of women like  Alice Peurala, many more rights and protections are afforded to them today.

Alice Peurala was the first and only female to head a steel unit (Source: Daily Kos)

Alice Peurala, the first woman to head a steel unit, played a vital role in the steel industry during WWII. Peurala was one of the first female steelworkers who entered Chicago’s South Works mill in 1953 when there were only a few women left in the field. Most of the women who had steel jobs as a result of WWII had been let go when the men returned home. Those who remained, including Alice Peurala, faced gender discrimination in hiring and promotion. Having been an activist in the civil rights movement, she was determined to transform the steel industry into a more comfortable workplace for female employees.

“I did not win as a woman. I campaigned as a candidate who would do something about conditions in the plant that affect 7500 people – men and women.” – Alice Peurala

When Peurala was denied a promotion from her job in the Metallurgical Division to a job in a product testing lab in 1967 because people thought she was ineligible for a job that required overtime and heavy lifting, she sued the mill at the recommendation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Due to her unwavering efforts, a compromise settlement was reached and in 1969, Peurala finally got her promotion. Her successful lawsuits against gender discrimination and the dictatorial control of the steel company owners were indeed a victory for all women in manufacturing. Alice eventually won the presidency of the Local 65 in 1979 and left an impressive legacy as a fighter for women’s rights.

Raye Montague, The First Person to Design Computerized Ships for Navy 

Raye Montague, the first female Program Manager of Ships in the U.S. Navy, not only shattered the glass ceiling as a black woman in the then male-dominated Navy but also the first person who single-handedly changed the way the U.S. Navy designed and used ships.

Growing up, she was often ridiculed for wanting to become a female engineer and was even denied entry into the University of Arkansas because the school did not allow minority enrollment at that time; however, she did not let gender or race barriers discourage her.

Raye Montague revolutionized the design process for all naval ships and submarines in under 19 hours in 1970. (Image courtesy of thv11.com)

She taught herself how computers worked and rose in the ranks for 14 years to become a computer systems analyst at the Naval Ship Engineering Center.  In 1970, she showed the world that women were just as capable as men in the male-dominated Navy by revolutionizing the design process for all naval ships and submarines – a task she famously completed under 19 hours even though she was given a month by her boss.

Montague retired in 1990 and entered the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame in 2013. After the award-winning film Hidden Figures was released, which tells the true story of three African-American women who helped the U.S. space program at NASA, Montague appeared on Good Morning America and sparked interest in her story as another true “hidden figure” during that same era, whose dedication and unwavering commitment became an inspiration to all women.

Billie Jean King, Breaking Records and Gender Barriers

Long a champion for social justice and gender equality, Billie Jean King is a 39 time Grand Slam winner and an American former world #1 professional tennis player. She transformed the world for not only female sports players but also for the LGBT community.

In 1973, King famously threatened to boycott the U.S. Open unless the winner of the ladies singles was awarded the same prize money as the men’s champion. Thanks to her efforts, the U.S. Open became the first major tournament to offer equal prize money to women and men.

That same year King famously defeated men’s former world No.1 Bobby Riggs in a match later dubbed “Battle of the Sexes” in the Houston Astrodome proving to the world that women could compete with men in any arena. In the most viewed U.S. tennis match of all time with more than 50 million Americans tuned in to watch, King beat Riggs, 6–4, 6–3, 6–3 for the USD 100,000 winner-take-all prize. More importantly, the match turned King into arguably the first superstar female athlete in the U.S. Later this year Emma Stone and Steve Carell will adapt this story for the big screen, helping to reignite the excitement of King’s win in 1973.

King also became the first prominent female athlete to come out as gay in 1981 and continued to advocate for gender equality and the LGBT community even after leaving tennis in 1983. In 1990 was named one of the “100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century” by Life Magazine and in 2009, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award for her massive contribution to improving gender equality on the tennis court.

King’s demands for equal treatment and equal pay helped pave the way for future stars such as Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, and Serena Williams, the latter who broke barriers of her own at the 2017 Australian Open by winning her 23rd Grand Slam singles title, the most of any player in the Open Era.

“It’s not about the money, it’s about the message we send. We are sending the equality message out that this is the right thing to do. Yes, the men are better than us in some ways. Yes, we’re better in some ways. It doesn’t matter. Don’t you want to share in this world? I do.” – Billie Jean King

Billie Jean King photographed by ©Lynn Gilbert 1978, New York. (Source: Lynn Gilbert)

On International Women’s Day, POSCO honors these three remarkable women who made major contributions in their fields at a time when female participation was incredibly difficult. The bravery and dedication of these women, along with so much more around us who have broken through barriers to ensure gender equality are, and will continue to be,  a source of inspiration for all.

Cover Image Courtesy of Alfred T. Palmer, U.S. Office of War Information.

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

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

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

A Lifetime of Constantly Challenging Himself

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

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

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

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

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

Taking Automotive Steel to the Next Level

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Importance of Humility and Hard Work

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

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

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

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

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

Meet the Newest POSCO Masters of Korea

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

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

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

From Poverty to POSCO

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

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

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

Hard Work, Big Machines

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

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

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

Dedicated to Innovating

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

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

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

Earning the Title ‘Master’

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

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

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

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

Meet the Newest POSCO Masters of Korea

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

Never Afraid of Failure: POSCO Master of Korea Seungcheol Shin

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Six employees from overseas affiliates of POSCO have set foot on Korean soil. They have come to take part in the Global Mobility Program (GMP), a job rotation program established by the POSCO headquarters in Korea.

As part of its effort to achieve an “Open & Collaborative Global HR,” POSCO started the GMP last year. The program is designed to train excellent local employees working in overseas affiliates. The P-grade employees, who are in leadership positions at their overseas affiliates and have high growth potential, were selected to learn more about POSCO’s unique working style through conducting projects assigned individually by each affiliate and carrying out actual work tasks in the Korean HQ for five months.

Through the GMP, POSCO expects to enhance work synergies by making use of the expertise and technologies specific to each country and affiliate. The overseas affiliates, in turn, will strengthen their business competitiveness by improving the professional competence of their local employees. They will also be able to access the working style of the HQ and develop their human network worldwide.

The participants for the first GMP in 2016 are six outstanding employees from five overseas affiliates: POSCO-China, POSCO-Mexico, POSCO-Maharashtra, POSCO-VHPC (Vietnam) and PT Krakatau POSCO (Indonesia). The two-week introductory training started July 4, and the program runs until the early December. POSCO has doubled the introductory period of the training, to better help the employees adapt to Korea quickly and improve the efficacy of the training.

During the first week of the training at POSCO Group University in Songdo, Incheon, they focused on learning the working style of POSCO HQ through assignments and studying the company’s history, the CEO’s philosophy, POSCO’s Enterprise Portal (EP), POSCO Total Innovation Methodology (POSTIM), report writing and gaining an understanding of the company’s different culture, all of which are required to settle quickly into their departments. In particular, the Korean language classes were well received, and the international employees appreciated learning useful terms and expressions for their jobs.

Participants received onsite training at Pohang Steelworks for five days starting on July 11.

Last year, it was just a field trip to the steelworks, but this year it was expanded into a training session to improve their understanding of the steel-making process and the site. In addition, theoretical lectures were also added to this year’s program, along with the field trip, so that participants can systematically learn the process of steel making. The onsite training provided the employees, who are neither production workers nor engineers, with an opportunity to experience the field beyond their own job role.

The GMP launched last year, evolving from POSCO’s Global Challenge, which operated from 2008 to 2011, to train and foster superior local employees. Through three sessions of the program last year, 23 overseas employees successfully learned the working style of the HQ in Korea.

POSCO plans to continue with the group-wide systematic HR training as part of achieving its concept of “POSCO the Great,” fostering future business leaders and experts who embody POSCO’s spirit.

The second session of the GMP will be held at the end of this year.

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Saudi Vision 2030 is a mid-long term national project established by the Saudi government last April in response to the rapidly changing energy market. It plans to reform industry regulations, establish economic strategies and decrease the country’s economic dependence on oil exports.

President Chankun Han said in an Arab News article published on June 23rd, “The main purpose of corporate partnerships in many cases is the possible revenue made from the said country after the project’s completion. However, we hope to make a mutually beneficial relationship with our partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF),”

“POSCO E&C will utilize its expertise in urban development to pass on advanced construction techniques and total solutions, as well as create more job opportunities. We will also contribute to the development of the construction industry of Saudi and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) through frequent mutual interactions,” Han added. This interview was also published in Al Eqtesadia, Saudi Arabia’s influential daily newspaper.

The POSCO E&C and Saudi PIF partnership allowed for a joint establishment of PECSA last December, the venture company POSCO E&C Saudi Arabia. PECSA, owned 38% by Saudi PIF, will actively participate in urban development, housing and infrastructure construction projects in Saudi Arabia.

POSCO E&C has already been involved in Saudi Vision 2030 by being a part of 17 projects including the ones already in progress. In particular, the Ghazlan Power Plant and hotel construction projects currently under negotiation with the Saudi government are considered mega construction projects that cost $2.92 billion in total.

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Over 2,300 employees in 60 overseas affiliates have received training by POSCO GTaLK

POSCO GTaLK was developed by POSCO Group University last year to provide systematic support and training materials for overseas employees to strengthen their Human Resource Development (HRD) competencies.

In July last year, POSCO Group University developed 18 essential subjects—including management philosophy, leadership, the steel-making process and product knowledge—required for all POSCO employees, and distributed them to 60 overseas affiliates in three languages, English, Chinese and Japanese.

POSCO Group University has trained 82 local in-house instructors who will teach POSCO GTaLK contents at overseas affiliates. While instructors learned POSCO’s management values and will help disseminate those ideas to each affiliate, employees of the regional Technical Service Centers (TSC) taught about various products to their neighboring affiliates. All told, over 2,300 overseas employees received training from POSCO GTaLK last year.

Marking the anniversary of POSCO’s founding, five new subjects were added to the POSCO GTaLK Program on April 1

The five new subjects added on April 1 were Founding Spirits, Ownership, Understanding Iron and Steel, Stainless Steel (STS) and Coated Steel Sheets.

Among those new additions, Founding Spirits and Ownership are especially notable. “Founding Spirits” is designed to help POSCO employees understand POSCO’s unique spirit and founding philosophy of contributing to national economic development by means of steel production. “Ownership” has customizable contents that reflect the training needs of the various overseas affiliates.

POSCO Group University plans to distribute the contents to each affiliate via email first and then upload on the HRD Portal later. Moreover, by June, an additional five leadership-related subjects will be developed and distributed to global affiliates, as a package along with teaching plans and instructor manuals. After the introduction of all these new units, POSCO GTaLK will consist of 28 subjects in three categories: POSCO values, product knowledge and leadership.

POSCO Group University is focused on spreading POSCO’s management philosophy by strengthening training programs at overseas affiliates. In addition, it plans on providing special training guides for local instructors to enable them to directly operate new employee and job training programs in regional affiliates.

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