Steel and Skyscrapers: A Brief History

The history of skyscrapers dates back to the second half of the 19th century when steel became a cornerstone of the world’s industrial economy. Steel framing and steel reinforced concrete made “curtain-wall” architecture possible, which led to the world’s first skyscrapers. Steel further evolved the capabilities of skyscrapers, allowing them to reach new heights. From the humble beginnings of the first skyscraper, the Home Insurance Building, built in Chicago in 1895 and standing 42m, skyscrapers now reach extraordinary heights.

Here are the four tallest skyscrapers in four of the regions of the world today. 

Burj Khalifa, Dubai, Middle East

Rising to 829.8m over the gulf city of Dubai, the Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world. Designed by Skidmore Owings and Merill (SOM), the Burj Khalifa used a bundled tube design and a composite of steel and concrete to reach its record height. The Burj Khalifa employed a bundled tube system which is a system of construction that uses an interconnected frame of steel tubes. Thirty-nine thousand tons of steel rebar was needed for the construction. The Burj Khalifa houses a mix of residential, corporate and retail space.

Shanghai Tower, Shanghai, Asia

Standing 632m, the 128-story Shanghai Tower is located in Shanghai’s financial district of Lujiazui, Pudong in China. Though currently still under construction, following its topping out in 2013, the Shanghai Tower is the tallest building in China and the second-tallest building in the world, surpassed only by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. The Shanghai Tower is the tallest of a group of three adjacent supertall buildings in Pudong and is composed of three important design strategies, the asymmetry of the tower’s shape, its tapering profile and its rounded corners, all of which will allow it to withstand typhoon wind forces common in Shanghai. 

One World Trade Center, New York, North America

Designed by the same firm that designed the Burj Khalifa, the 104-story One World Trade Center reaches a height of 417m. Including the spire, its total height is 541m (1,776 ft.), a tribute to 1776, the year the U.S. won its independence. Surpassing the Willis Tower (formerly Sear’s Tower) in Chicago, the One World Trade Center is the tallest building in the U.S. The tower’s structure is designed around a strong, but lightweight, steel frame made of beams and columns. The lighter structures enabled savings in greenhouse gases and a 30 percent decrease in carbon emissions during construction. There are 70 elevators and nine escalators in the One World Trade Center. (Image: http://bit.ly/1DsqmBK)

The Shard, London, European Union

The Shard is a 72-story glass pyramid tower, rising above the city of London. It was completed in 2012, and stands 245m. The design uses an intelligent combination of steel and concrete. Steel structures were used from the ground floor to the 40th floor. From there to the 69th floor, concrete replaces the framing material, before the design reverts back to steel. Construction required 12,000 tons of steel.

As the world continues to grow and urbanize the ability to adapt building structures and materials will continue to evolve. Steel will continue to be essential in helping the world’s buildings reach new heights.

The infographic below shows how each of these four gravity-defying structures compare. See how each stack up in height and the amount of steel necessary to make each possible. (Image: http://bit.ly/1eUAFTc)

Preemptive actions to client demands with steel industry know-how

With the know-hows gleaned from Korean steel industry, the foreign branches of POSCO had successfully stabilized the production process in their beginning stage abroad. Ever since their initial launch, they have been establishing their quality control system. As a result, they are now capable of providing preemptive responses to client demands, leading them to receive positive assessment.

POSCO-Mexico focuses on quality stabilization activities

Established to secure automobile companies in North America where automotive steel demand is increasing in a rapid pace, POSCO-Mexico has been concentrating on quality stabilization ever since its launch in November 2013. As POSCO-Mexico was successful in equalizing the quality of their products, they were able to further improve the efficiency in machining operations. Also, they were able to earn a positive reputation from North American automobile companies by actively providing the products and technology information that client are in need of.

POSCO Guangzhou branch enhances operation stability and production costs

Ever since their initial operation, POSCO Guangzhou branch has been putting their full effort on enhancing their automotive steel sheet quality, packaging layers and more. This endeavor brought improvements in operation stability and production costs. As POSCO Guangzhou branch continues to reinforce technology through dynamic collaboration with TSC staffs in China, they will contribute to further augmentation of POSCO’s global power.

US-UPI, successful management innovation through various improvement activities

UPI in the United States is an excellent example of successful innovative management achieved by all employees working together as a unity. With harmony between labor and management, the employees of UPI conducted a variety of improvement activities such as receiving external consulting for an effective restructure process. As they work on reinforcing their production efficiency, sales of high-quality steel and major reorganization, the current management structure of UPI is in the normalization process and such lucrative experience instilled a sense of pride to the UPI employees.

Krakatau POSCO‘s effort on management stabilization, POSCO-Maharashtra’s activities on production stabilization

In addition, due to the initial nature of the device industry, it is inevitable for Krakatau POSCO, POSCO-Maharashtra and some other branches to face deficits but it is expected that their management will be stabilized in short time. Actually, Krakatau POSCO has stabilized their production system as they reached the normal activity point in last May and they are now planning on expanding their sales structure until this upcoming December. POSCO-Maharashtra will also continue to engage in aggressive approaches toward their goal by the fourth quarter of this year.

Distinctive strategy with active client care activities

The foreign branches’ active client care is a distinctive strength of POSCO. POSCO has been establishing foreign branches and practicing consistent marketing strategies in the areas with steel industry growth potentials such as China, Southeast Asia and more. Not only stably providing products of excellent qualities, but also they have been emphasizing their differences by maintaining a total service system, including technology and logistics that clients ask for.

POSCO-CCPC’s sales manager, Tae-min Huh said, “As a sales manager, it feels most rewarding when I successfully make a new business relationships after constantly meeting local clients such as DFSK and convincing them to sign a new contract with us. Especially, when I hear from our client companies that our material supply and quality stability have improved further, I feel very satisfied. As our marketing strategy strictly focuses on the perspectives of the clients and listen to their stories with attention, we were able to create good relationships with the Chinese clients”.

Excellent global human resource is the driving force of POSCO

POSCO’s outstanding global human resource is another driving force of foreign branches that bring positive outcomes. In terms of overseas investment, POSCO commands a strict localization strategy.

POSCO provides professional training that includes leadership and organizational management to global employees those who are selected from each branch every year. Employees dispatched to the branches from the head quarter put extra efforts to learn the local culture and working method for effective processing. Also, as the foreign branches process their business under POSCO’s global standards, the foreign branches in various parts of the world maintains a global reputation for their work methods.

Tabata Yuki, who has been working as a sales director in POSCO-JEPC for five years, said, “At the beginning, I felt unfamiliar with the Korean working style and organization culture. However, by utilizing my given authority and abilities that I learned from the company, I believe that I was able to make an outcome in new client development despite of my relatively short career history”. Also, he added “In my opinion, POSCO’s differentiating factor with competing companies’ sales manager comes from actively sharing their global mindsets and knowledge through constant communication”.

Anish Aora, working in India POSCO-IDPC for seven years now said, “When I first joined the company, I faced a number of troubles processing the work due to the cultural differences between Korea and India. However, now I understand Korea and POSCO through constant communication with employees, career education and several visits to Korea”. Also, he added that POSCO’s good performances among the foreign factors are contributed by aggressive business mind toward their goal and standardized work process that applies equally in every foreign branch around the world.

Enhance relationship with the local community with Institution·Facility Support

Outstanding business performances by POSCO’s overseas subsidiaries stem from the formation of fond relationship with the local community. With their thriving business, POSCO’s overseas subsidiaries not only create new job opportunities, but also contribute to growth of local economy. Besides the economic boosts, POSCO has been actively supporting and constructing institutions and facilities in need to develop close relationship with the local community.

For example, China Qingdao Stainless Steel Co., Ltd., has been making generous contributions in the local community by supporting poor local families, nursing centers, scholarships and donations. In July 2014, the local news station extensively covered the company’s contributions. Similarly, POSCO was awarded grand prize in Korean Corporation CSR Award for its Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province Development Project.

POSCO’s overseas subsidiaries have resolved common difficulties in production, quality, and sales that often occur in the initial phase of the production and are currently being stabilized. These subsidiaries aim to promote win-win strategy for all parties involved and develop the local community.

“How should we deliver gripping stories from POSCO’s international offices around the globe in a timely fashion?”

The idea of Global Storyteller was initiated with this simple question. From today, thanks to our first Global Storytellers, ‘Hello, POSCO’ can deliver more various stories in real time from all over the world. Global Storytellers will be sharing and promoting tales of POSCO’s major accomplishments and other up-to-date news through our global blog. We just can’t wait to hear what POSCO Global Storytellers are going to talk about works, lives and inspirations happening in their international offices. This is our first Global Storyteller blogging, starting from now.

Q. How did you get selected as a ‘Global Storyteller’?

[dropcap style=”3″ size=”4″]A[/dropcap]part from my role in training, I am also in-charge of organizing various events. My job requires me to get involved in numerous corporate activities as well. Perhaps these are the reasons why I was picked to join this project.

Q. Do you have any unique stories to share with POSCO Blog about POSCO – South Asia or its employees?

[dropcap style=”3″ size=”4″]P[/dropcap]OSCO-South Asia consists of its head office in Bangkok and 7 other branches in the South Asian region. As a result, it is a great and multicultural place for everyone to work across cultures and become one big family. Here at
POSCO-South Asia, we promote cross-cultural communication, trust, and sharing. We are very much looking forward to sharing good stories and moments with people all around the world.

Q. South Asia is famous for attracting tourists from all over the world. Do you recommend any secret place to visit in your country?

[dropcap style=”3″ size=”4″]“K[/dropcap]oh Lipe” is perfect for a secret hideaway. In Thai, “Koh” literally means island. So, you can imagine a small tropical island in the Southern part of Thailand where you can enjoy crystal clear sea water, diving, beautiful beaches, and the relaxing atmosphere. If you are so lucky, you may even get a chance to see fluorescent plankton lighting up the bay at night. It will make you feel like you are in heaven on earth.

Q. How did you get selected as ‘Global Storyteller’?

[dropcap style=”3″ size=”4″]D[/dropcap]uring 2012, I was on a dispatch service to POSCO headquarters in Korea. While I was staying there, many colleagues asked me how things were going around in POSCO America. When I heard ‘Hello, POSCO’ was looking for Global Storytellers, it appeared to me as a great opportunity to share my story of POSCO America with other POSCO colleagues around the world. This is why I applied for the project.

Q. Do you have any unique stories to share with ‘Hello, POSCO’ about POSCO America or its employees?

[dropcap style=”3″ size=”4″]M[/dropcap]ost of employees working at POSCO America speak good Korean and many of them are 1.5 or 2nd generation Korean-Americans with deep knowledge of Korean culture. Some colleagues are not quite used to our custom but they are trying to make an adjustment to the culture. This is kind of story I want to tell as a Global Storyteller.

Q. North America is a highly popular place amongst tourists. Is there any hidden spot you may want to share with us?

[dropcap style=”3″ size=”4″]T[/dropcap]here is a river called Delaware in Pennsylvania and it’s about two hours away by car from New York. I can tell you the scenery around Delaware River is absolutely magnificent. If you have time for canoeing or kayaking down the river, the experience will blow your mind. I strongly recommend the place for those who want to enjoy the nature and relaxation, away from busy schedule of city tourism.

Q. How do you feel for being selected as Global Storyteller?

[dropcap style=”3″ size=”4″]S[/dropcap]ince 2009, POSCO China has been publishing online monthly journals to deliver various social activities the firm is engaging with. My daily routine is to release corporate news for the journal to both public and POSCO China’s employees. I gather interesting stories from across the country and edit them into four columns; POSCO Family News, Vocational Guidance, Social Focus and Lifestyle. From the experience with the monthly journal, I learned further about the importance of corporate’s contribution towards socially vulnerable groups. Also, my team leaders and colleagues at all level continuously support me at POSCO China. Love and great energy from all these activities and people inspired me to let others know about POSCO China’s enthusiasm. I’d like to thank ‘Hello, POSCO’ for providing me opportunities to share our stories and make new friends globally.

Q. Do you have any unique stories to share with ‘Hello, POSCO’ about POSCO China or its employees?

[dropcap style=”3″ size=”4″]I[/dropcap]’ve been eyeing POSCO China’s social activities since I had heard that ‘Hello, POSCO’ was officially launched because it could be a great channel to deliver our story at global level. Recently, POSCO China is preparing for planting trees in the second half of April. I would like to pick this story as my first article posted on ‘Hello, POSCO’.

Q. You majored in mass communication which could come in quite handy when telling stories. Do you have any past experience of writing essays or contributing to newspapers?

[dropcap style=”3″ size=”4″]W[/dropcap]hile I was studying the subject, mass media’s various features with a wide focus on different means of expression caught my attention. Personally, I prefer adding images alongside with texts I write. That’s why I always carry my camera with me to capture images. Images can be utilized to generate appealing and authentic reports.

For my career as a journalist, I was an intern journalist at CCTV during the Beijing Olympics. We worked closely with volunteers to televise the event nationwide. It still remains as a marvelous memory.

Q. How did you get selected as ‘Global Storyteller’?

[dropcap style=”3″ size=”4″]A[/dropcap]ctually, I am a dispatched employee from POSCO headquarters in Seoul. I joined POSCO in February 2010 and was working at the Steel Business Department in Seoul. In August 2011, I was dispatched to POSCO India as a global agent along with other Korean colleagues of my Indian project team. When POSCO India received the idea of “Global Storyteller”, one of my seniors approached me and said that the management had decided to put up my name since I am Indian and also have living and working experience in Korea.

Q. Do you have any unique stories to share through POSCO Blog about POSCO India or its employees?

[dropcap style=”3″ size=”4″]I[/dropcap]t is difficult for me to say yet as it would be my first time to write for blogs. But I am very excited for this responsibility and believe that I will be able to share unique and interesting stories with our global POSCO Family members.

Q. We will be hearing a lot about POSCO India and its surrounding environment from you. Are there any cultural conventions or social backdrops of India that we might need to be aware of before listening to your stories?

[dropcap style=”3″ size=”4″]O[/dropcap]f Course there are. India has always fascinated foreigners as a unique example of achieving national unity with diverse social groups. It has always been a melting pot of stupendous paradoxes, extremes, diverse-cultures, religions, languages, food and ways of living. Therefore, I feel that there is a plenty of interesting issues to talk about.

Q. How did you get selected as ‘Global Storyteller’?

[dropcap style=”3″ size=”4″]I[/dropcap]’m in charge of translating relevant articles or documents and upload them to POSCO Vietnam’s English website (http://poscovietnam.com). I also have an experience of teaching English to POSCO Vietnam employees for a long time. I guess these are the reasons why I was selected as POSCO Vietnam’s Global Storyteller.

Q. Do you have any unique stories to share with ‘Hello, POSCO’ about POSCO Vietnam or its employees?

[dropcap style=”3″ size=”4″]I[/dropcap]’m afraid we haven’t engaged with any special activities or events as it’s still quite early in 2013. However, I’ll do my upmost to keep ‘Hello, POSCO’ posted with our fabulous stories.

Q. We heard you are a fluent English speaker and very popular amongst colleagues. What’s the secret?

[dropcap style=”3″ size=”4″]I[/dropcap]majored in English so when my colleagues ask for helps in terms of language, I’m more than pleased to assist their needs. Some other secrets regarding my popularity? I won’t tell you.:)

Q. How did you get selected as ‘Global Storyteller’?

[dropcap style=”3″ size=”4″]T[/dropcap]he nature of my work here involves building business partnerships with various local people working in diverse industries. I thought it could be a great asset to develop interesting stories with ‘Hello, POSCO’ as a Global Storyteller.

Q. I heard Indonesian cuisines are similar to Vietnamese or Thai, but with its own unique taste. Can you introduce your favorite local dish?

[dropcap style=”3″ size=”4″]I[/dropcap]ndonesia is a multicultural nation formed by about 360 different tribes. Therefore, each province has their own distinctive food but I would say it’s quite similar to Korean as there are dishes cooked with rice and fermented beans. ‘Cabe’ is a local chili breed, much spicier than Korean red pepper. Once you taste Cabe, it could be quite addictive. My favorite ingredient is ‘Sambal’, a chili based sauce like Korean red pepper paste. Sambal tastes fantastic if you have it with vegetables. If you are in Indonesia, try out local cuisines and their traditional food culture.

Q. How did you get selected as ‘Global Storyteller’?

[dropcap style=”3″ size=”4″]A[/dropcap]lthough it hasn’t been a while since I joined POSCO Japan, I can speak fluent Korean and understand Korean culture well. That’s the reason how I got picked up by the project.

Q. Do you have any unique stories to share with ‘Hello, POSCO’ about POSCO Japan or its employees?

[dropcap style=”3″ size=”4″]I[/dropcap]’d like to introduce POSCO Japan’s role and its operations. Also, I want to let people know about Japan.

Q. I heard your Korean language skill is extraordinary. Was there any motive or background behind your fluency?

[dropcap style=”3″ size=”4″]M[/dropcap]y mother is Korean so I was raised to speak both Korean and Japanese when I was a kid. On the top of that, I earned my undergraduate degree in Korea and learned a lot about the language. But, I wouldn’t say my Korean is that good. It’s just slightly better than other Japanese.

Q. How did you get selected as ‘Global Storyteller’?

[dropcap style=”3″ size=”4″]I[/dropcap]’d like to make a contribution for breaking the wall between Chinese and Korean cultures through sharing stories about China’s local innovation case studies and POSCO QPSS’ labor-management culture.

Q. Do you have any unique stories to share with ‘Hello, POSCO’ about POSCO QPSS or its employees?

[dropcap style=”3″ size=”4″]I[/dropcap] have the same name as the Head of POSCO QPSS in China. As you can probably guess, there have been tons of funny stories around this. Also, I’d like to honestly share the stories of the corporate’s innovative activities, social contributions, community groups and the employees’ thoughts.
Q. You must be looking forward to your position as the Global Storyteller. How will you engage into the project?

[dropcap style=”3″ size=”4″]I[/dropcap] want to be a passionate Global Storyteller delivering the news, filled with love and our warm sentiments from Qingdao.

With the Global Storytellers, POSCO’s way of global communication will be faster, wider and more amusing. If you have been following our tracks with ‘Hello, POSCO’, you must be aware that POSCO is continuously working on reaching every corner of the globe. So, keep your wondering eyes on our first Global Storytellers as they will keep us posted with the intriguing stories exceeding anyone’s expectations.