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

Today’s question is about the English saying, “Strike while the iron is hot.” The child who sent this question wants to know why we should strike iron. Let’s explore the science behind this saying with POSCO Newsroom.

First of all, let’s take a look at the process of how a blacksmith works to explain the reason why we should strike the iron while it’s hot. Have you seen blacksmiths on TV before? A blacksmith is a craftsman who makes tools and equipment by heating and hammering metals such as iron, copper, and tin. Sickles used for farming, as well as horse hooves and knives, were all born thanks to blacksmiths.

| Why Do Blacksmiths Heat the Iron?

Blacksmiths put solid hard iron into a forge and heat it at a temperature high enough to soften it. After the heated iron turns red, It is then pulled out with tongs and hammered to form a shape. The most important thing here is the timing.

If you miss the timing and the iron cools down, shaping it becomes hard — no matter how hard you strike it. This hints the meaning hidden behind the saying, “Strike while the iron is hot.” To shape iron, you should work on it soon after it’s molten. Because if you don’t, the iron will turn solid hard as before, and changing its shape then would be impossible. Putting that into consideration, the message of the saying would be this. “There is a timing for everything, so you shouldn’t put off things that need to be done now, for later.”

| Even In POSCO Steelworks Today, “Strike It While It’s Hot!”

The method of blacksmiths in the past is also applied to the steelworks of today. Molten iron from the furnace is first molded into a cube-shaped half-finished product (slab) and left to cool down. This slab goes into a reheating furnace when making a product. It’s just like how blacksmiths worked with their forge. Next, the reheated slab passes through the rolling mill and is winded into thin rolls, resulting in the end-product — a hot-rolled coil. The manufacturing process below will help you understand better.

The blacksmiths’ way of working in the past is re-enacted in the steelworks of today, through state-of-the-art technology and fully automatic facility. POSCO’s steelworks have evolved even further with AI technology. Through AI, knowing exactly when the iron should be heated or cooled off, and when it should be hammered or compressed, became possible. This enables the manufacture of high-quality and high-performance products that meet the needs of clients.

There are various sayings of different cultures that refer to iron and steel — like the Korean saying, “Iron gets stronger, the more it is struck on”, the American saying, “The Finest steel has to go through the hottest fire”, and the Chinese saying, “Out of the hottest fire comes the strongest steel”. As can be seen here, most of the sayings that are related to iron imply that harsh, extreme conditions and hardships enable growth. Perhaps this is why steelmaker POSCO has such a fierce and strong image.

Now you know the story behind the use of ‘iron’ and ‘steel’ in sayings. Isn’t it quite interesting? POSCO Newsroom hopes everyone who is going through a difficult time would not lose hope but go on, overcome, and become stronger — just like the sayings we saw today! Please feel free to ask POSCO Newsroom if you have any other questions!

In terms of size, POSCO’s Gwangyang and Pohang integrated steelworks rank No.1 and No.2, respectively. The excellent facilities and operational practice at POSCO steelworks are spearheading innovations for the global steel industry.

Scroll down to take a look at POSCO’s integrated steelworks, the backbone of Korea’s manufacturing industry.

▲ Click on the image to zoom in/out. (Note: random modification of the image is strictly prohibited)

l POSCO STEEL PARK, Steelmaking at a Glance

(1) What Goes on at the Park… Is Not a Drill!
POSCO Steel Park is more than just an elaborate illustration. From raw materials import, ironmaking, steelmaking, continuous casting, to rolling, it’s as real as it gets. Each detail of the POSCO Steel Park is based on the facts relating to the company’s steelmaking process. The POSCO Steel Park illustration is organized in a way that it spotlights the entire integrated steelmaking process.

(2) Clean and Smart: POSCO Steelworks Has It All
The clean POSCO Steelworks is achieved through various measures: the silo, a closed raw materials storage facility; power plants and sewage treatment systems that reuse steelmaking by-products such as gases and industrial water; environment monitoring facilities that oversee air quality at steel mills 24/7. With the green space ratio of POSCO’s steelworks at 20%, the company’s endeavor to keep the space green is ongoing.

As for the ‘smart’ part of the steelworks, the POSCO Steel Park features ‘Smart Data Center’ that collects and stores big data obtained from the factories in real-time. It also highlights the AI blast furnace, the Lighthouse Factory that shines the light for the future of the world’s manufacturing industry. Also found on the illustration is the FINEX, one of the steel industry’s leading technological innovations.

(3) Our Neighbors, Our Family at POSCO Steel Park
Steelworks so much more than the sum of all steel products produced there, which in itself is already enormous. It’s also the place brimmed with the sweat and dedication of POSCO family — its employees and partners. Despite the challenges of describing all facets of steelworks, POSCO Steel Park captures the essence of the intimate inner lives of steelworks — a place of people, beyond products.

l POSCO Steel Park Can Be Used…

(1) As a Guidebook for the Steel Industry Stakeholders
Thinking of a career in the steel industry? Or already an industry insider? Take a look at the POSCO Steel Park which contains all the detailed descriptions of complex integrated steelmaking processes.

(2) As a Helpful Educational Resource
From Korea’s industry development to the iron oxidation, lots of details related to the steel industry are discussed in the school textbook — the POSCO Steel Park also addresses some of those details. Educators are welcomed to implement the POSCO Steel Park as well as the Summer School Series (Korean), both of which are available at POSCO Newsroom.

(3) A ‘Live Broadcast’ Channel for All POSCO Communities and Neighbors
The community members surrounding the POSCO Steelworks can take a look at the POSCO Steel Park and figure out the operations at every corner of POSCO Steelworks — perhaps it can be an opportunity to renew appreciation and to encourage those dedicated to producing Korea’s industrial rice day and night.

POSCO welcomes any suggestions from our communities! If there’s anything POSCO and the steel industry can be doing more, please let us know.

What’s more, manufacturing is no longer a rigid industry that produces uniform, one-sided goods. There is constant communication between customers and businesses for hyper-customization. Not only that, machines and products communicate within a smart factory, and factories exchange data with other factories. Manufacturing is no longer limited to production plants. Moreover, the data generated in the manufacturing process is combined with customer information, and a new service can be created. This combination of manufacturing and services is resulting in creation of added value. In the midst of such drastic change, how can companies stay competitive?

Staying Competitive Through Connection and Convergence

Global manufacturing companies are at the forefront of the 4th Industrial Revolution, as evident in their smart factories. A smart factory collects data generated from the production process using ICT technology, and the system controls all processes from material input to the final product. This has led to flexible production systems with the ability to make various products in one factory or to expand the range of products on the basis of connectivity. Typically, when a company builds a smart factory, it can improve productivity by 20 to 30 percent. A 20 percent improvement in efficiency in the manufacturing sector is a significant, outright increase in global competitiveness.

SEE ALSO: How Smart Factories are Changing the Manufacturing Industry

Siemens Electronics Manufacturing Plant incorporates robotics, AI and IoT to its production processes. (Source: Zawya)

If the productivity of a plant can be improved through smartization, it is important to also think about connectivity with the ecosystem that exists outside of the plant. Once a smart factory is built, all the data from customer orders to production and delivery are collected in a system via sensors. The customer, product and production data create meaningful connections with each other and provide extensive insight. Examples of added value creation through meaningful connections include hyper-customized goods, data-driven after-sales services to customers and collaboration among companies connected within the smart factory’s external ecosystem. Such advancements will lead greater product quality, production stability as well as shortened delivery times between value chain suppliers.

The Adidas Speed Factory and GE Brilliant Factory are examples of successful smart factories. Adidas customers choose the materials, colors and design of their sneakers, and have them manufactured and shipped within 24 hours in an automated factory.

GE has built a system that can produce all of their widely-diverse products in one factory. When the factory receives customer orders, it operates in a flexible production system which starts with the necessary raw materials, inputted by the automated scheduling system that controls the entire production process, including the final distribution system.

The Future of Manufacturing

Overall, the adoption of innovative changes in the manufacturing sector is likely to progress from lighter industries to the heavy industries, from B2C to B2B sectors. Small plants, quick manufacturing and B2C companies can more readily adapt to rapid technological and market changes. On the other hand, heavy industries like steel and B2B companies with continuous and heavy manufacturing, large production volume and numerous linked companies are likely to be slower to adapt to changes.

It is much more difficult for traditional, heavy industries to adapt to changes. (Source: Live Mint)

For example, adapting to the changes of the 4th Industrial Revolution in the steel industry may be slow, but it is inevitable. What’s more, the long-term adaptation process is more likely to be systematic and deliberate.

As a leading company in the global steel industry, POSCO is pursuing a long-term, systematic “Grand Design” to reinvent its systems to align with the changes of the 4th Industrial Revolution.

First, POSCO built a pilot smart factory in their steel mill, Gwangyang Steelworks, in 2015 that is currently in operation. The company used IoT to collect big data on site, analyze it in real time and build a smart factory that enables optimal control through AI and self-learning. As a result, the Gwangyang Steelworks is reaping the benefits of a smart factory not only in cost reduction but also in improved steel quality, minimized malfunctions and a safe and stable production environment. This year, POSCO plans to expand and apply smart factories to all of its production processes.

POSCO built a smart factory in Gwangyang Steel Mill.

Smart factory application throughout the entire steel mill will improve overall efficiency through a flexible production system. In addition, the factory will be able to respond directly to various customers in real time based on platform construction with customers within the connected ecosystem. The customized characteristics and design of the steel grade for each customer can be applied to production in real time.

SEE ALSO: How Factories Produce Steel – the Smart Way

Ultimately, a smart ecosystem that links manufacturing, processing and distribution with customer input will lead to a new, innovative ecosystem within the steel industry. In Europe, some companies are experimenting with material libraries and steel distribution platforms. The material library displays a variety of materials for customers to see, touch and test the workability and performance of the materials, and get information about the characteristics, design and delivery times through the order platform. Customers can designate the shipment date on the spot. This will be one of the new promising business models that steel and other material companies will strive towards in the coming future.

POSCO’s Grand Design includes a step-by-step approach to smart factories to expand the use of IoT, AI and Big Data in its production systems. To this end, POSCO ICT has developed PosFrame, a standard software platform that collects basic data of production processes and collectively manages, controls and analyzes the information.

POSCO uses its software platform, PosFrame, for data collection and analysis.

When the software becomes standardized and reliable enough to extend to other sectors, it will be applied to other business areas such as energy and construction, as well as to POSCO’s affiliates.

Manufacturers will have to take into account the heavy production environment, the slow industrial change cycle and the complexity of related industries and affiliates to implement the most effective, long-term, systematic upgrades to its production systems. This will result in a brand-new production and business model for manufacturing companies that will align with the new environment of the 4th Industrial Revolution.

Cover photo courtesy of Sputnik International.