Fortune announces the top 500 global brands every year by selecting them based on performance in areas such as sales and operating profit from the previous year. POSCO ranked 161^st, 146^th, 167^th, 177^th, 162^nd each year since 2011, and 173^rd this year.

This is the result of the company furthering their technological developments and creating profits through cost reduction and innovation projects, all despite the global steel crisis that has continued for years.

Among the global steelmakers, ArcelorMittal ranked 123^rd, NSSMC 238^th, and Baoshan steel 275^th.

Meanwhile, U.S. company Walmart has been ranked number one for three consecutive years, with Exxon Mobil, Volkswagen, Toyota and Apple also being included in the top 10 list. Along with POSCO, a total of 15 Korean companies including Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motors were included in the 500 companies listed. The number of Chinese companies in the list has been steadily increasing from 95 in 2013 to 110 this year.

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POSCO named most competitive in Global steel information provider WSD’s assessment of 36 steelmakers around the world

POSCO has been named the world’s most competitive steelmaker for the 7th consecutive time during the past five years.

Global steel information service provider World Steel Dynamics (WSD) announced the World-Class Steelmaker Rankings during the 29^th Steel Success Strategies (SSS) forum on Tuesday, June 17 New York Time.

POSCO earned high points in technological innovation and human resource management

WSD gave the top mark of 7.91 points out of 10 to POSCO. It said POSCO received highest points in four segments, including technological innovation and human resource management.

As of June 2014, WSD made an assessment of 36 steelmakers around the world in 23 categories including production size, profitability, technological innovation, cost competitiveness, cost saving, financial stability, and procurement.

WSD gave credit for POSCO’s improvement on its core steel competitiveness

WSD also gave credit for POSCO’s effort to bolster stable growth and improve core corporate competitiveness by increasing sales of value-added high-end products and engaging in technology-based solution marketing. The company got higher points compared to the previous year on technological innovation, value-added rolled steel production and doing more to bolster downstream steel-related industries.

Following second was American mini-mill steelmaker Nucor Corp. which has enjoyed shale gas development privileges along with a recent recovery in the steel industry among developed nations. Japanese steelmakers NSSMC and JFE followed third and eighth with sales rising due to increased export competitiveness under Abenomics.

Meanwhile SAIL and Jindal, Indian companies that were among the top 10 last year, failed to remain in the list this year. Instead, Hyundai Steel, which secured 24 million tons for production, ranked ninth to join the top 10.

What does the iron making department do? Walk us through the role of manager!

The Iron making department is the core area of the first steelmaking process. The process of solidifying iron and coal is called sintering and coking, respectively. The pretreated iron and coal are stacked into layers in a 100m tall blast furnace. Then hot air at 1,200 degrees Celsius is blown into the furnace, causing the coal to burn which melts iron ore into molten iron.

I am currently working as an engineer for furnace 4. The furnace is the pressure vessel with high temperature and high pressure conditions. Therefore, it is usually not feasible to actually see the inside of the vessel. Therefore, it requires us to monitor the situation of inside the furnace through information obtained by numerous estimators and cameras. I am responsible for accurately determining the inside situation of the furnace and also optimizing the work efficiency so that the iron ore is produced and the related facilities are well operated. It sounds a bit difficult, right? To simplify, it is like putting the pieces of a puzzle together to create a beautiful drawing.

Pictured here: Jooyoung Cha at Pohang Works

What is the secret behind POSCO’s world-best iron-making department? 

 Pictured here: Jooyoung Cha working on site

I am more than confident to say that the iron ore making technology of POSCO is the best in the world. When POSCO established the steel mill on the wasteland in 1970 for the first time, they benchmarked facilities and technologies in Japan. However, the situation is different now. In the iron making field, a well-known steel making company named NSSMC in Japan tried to learn our outstanding technology.

In addition, many of former colleagues are currently serving as a consultant in foreign countries as more and more foreign entities are interested in recruiting them as technical advisors. Seeing the history of such outstanding technology, people at POSCO are not afraid of failure while pursuing something challenging or seeking creative solutions. We place priority on the ‘field’ and ‘performance,’ and are committed to improving the performance through cooperation. This is how POSCO became the top global leader in the field with the best technology.

What is so attractive about working at the iron making department?

Pictured here: Jooyoung Cha in her protective suit on site

Apparently I am the first female to work in Korea’s 1^st blast furnace in Pohang which started operating in 1973. Working as a female worker in a male dominated industry poses a challenge but is also exciting. My male colleagues have given me the nickname “Joan of Arc” after seeing me navigate the huge facilities. I was also given the nickname “Thatcher” after the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher. Quiet amusing, right? Pursuing a career where there are still few women is challenging, but I hope that I can inspire other young women to not be afraid and pursue challenges too

Pictured here: Jooyoung Cha overlooking Pohang Works

What are the core capabilities of the iron making department?

Pictured here: Jooyoung Cha having a discussion with her colleague

This is one of the questions I am asked the most. Every time I am asked the same question, I would compare it with caring for a baby. The iron making department is where we must manage and operate the blast furnace. The furnace can be comparable to a baby that requires care of parents at all times. This applies to furnaces as well. Employees at the iron making department take care of it to produce high quality materials by adding high quality iron ore or coke. Those working at the iron making department should be capable of accurately determining the situation and making decisions. Lastly, the work here requires a team effort rather than individual work. Therefore, interpersonal relationships and communication is crucial.

What was the toughest moment at work for you?

 Pictured here: Jooyoung Cha during work hours

When I first started working in the iron department, I had to stay awake for several nights because I need to figure out the problem source for poor gas flow of iron ore inside of the furnace. I realized that experience was very important. I was lucky to have experienced colleagues help me navigate the situation. I am now much more experienced in the field so that I can now help younger members of our team.

Tell us about your future aspirations. Any advice for those preparing to work in your field of work?

Pictured here: Jooyoung Cha monitoring the furnace

One word of advice I still keep close to me is: “We are workers. Facilities live with our sweat and effort.” My dream is to be a true worker. As a specialist in the field of iron making, I would like to have the ability to pay attention to details but also see the big picture. I hope that I can be a good mentor for those who are considering a career in engineering in the steel industry. Many assume that getting hired is the end to worries, but actually that is just the beginning!

For all the women who may be hesitant to pursue a male dominated career, we hope this Q&A session with POSCO’s Jooyoung was inspiring.