| Thailand, the Largest Automobile Market in Southeast Asia

Thailand is known to be the largest automobile market in Southeast Asia. In 2011, POSCO launched ‘POSCO Thainox, the sole stainless rolling mill in Thailand to meet the demands of automobile steel products, which have a high dependency on imports. POSCO Thainox is also aimed to increase its market share in the Thai automobile and home appliances sectors.

To optimize the plant operation, expert field knowledge was crucial. That’s why SV Min Keun Bae came on board. Mr. Bae joined POSCO in 1982 and had worked for over 30 years in the stainless steel order processing and production managing area before retiring in 2016.

Mr. Bae was offered the SV position a year before his retirement by then President of POSCO Thainox. Bae said, “There was a place that needed me. I was able and had lots to offer, and I couldn’t find a reason to decline. So as soon as I retired, I headed straight to Thailand.”

| ‘Sawadee Kap’ — Befriending New Language, New Culture

At the beginning, everything was challenging. The mental burden of starting over in a strange new place was huge. However, with his positive and proactive personality, Mr. Bae adapted to the new life in Thailand.

Bae concentrated on learning Thai to better adjust to life in the foreign land — he watched YouTube videos during the commute, and at home, he practiced writing Thai-alphabets on his notebook.

As a result of his effort, he could start utilizing simple Thai expressions into conversations, and communicating with local staff became much easier. Mr. Bae maintains a close relationship with his colleagues visiting their houses and sharing meals on his days off.

| The Leadership of the ‘All-round’ Master

At POSCO Thainox, Mr. Bae is in charge of processing orders acting as a control tower between the production and sales department. He controls and monitors production so that the end product can be delivered on time. Another important task is cooperating with POSCO headquarter in Korea. Mr. Bae adjusts production volumes when the headquarter makes requests for overseas plants to meet the stainless steel supply that the Korean market can’t provide.

Every day, Mr. Bae is busy examining the product storage, coming up with a set of tasks to improve the work environment, and encouraging the employees. The jam-packed schedule, however, has its perks. “Had I stayed in Korea after retirement, I would’ve been left with simple chores. But here, I can really contribute. It’s a great pleasure to be able to help others with my experience even after the retirement,” he said with a big smile.

Ever since the ‘all-around expert’ SV Min Keun Bae joined POSCO Thainox, the company’s long-term inventory has reduced by over 10,000 tons — the long-term payment delay also went down. Bae’s meticulous personality improved the work environment in the plant making POSCO Thainox one of the top manufacturers in Southeast Asia.

The words of advice Mr. Bae would like to offer to those following his footsteps is never to be afraid of new challenges: “What follows inaction? Nothing. If you challenge yourself, there’s always something to be gained — even if you fail. The current failure can help you succeed on your next try.”

To learn more about Mr. Bae’s new life and the challenges he’s taking on at POSCO Thainox, check out the following footage (Korean).

“I’m too old for this… I can’t speak the language…” For POSCO Thainox supervisor Min Keun Bae who constantly challenges himself to learn, these are just excuses standing between him and an opportunity to grow. POSCO Newsroom will always root for the global masters who are advancing POSCO’s frontier spirit in all corners of the world..

More than 100 people attended the dedication ceremony, including Jeong-sik Kwak, the head of POSCO’s External Relations Office, the vice-governor of Rayong, Thailand, the representative of Habitat for Humanity Thailand, the POSCO Group Employee Volunteer Corps and members of the local community.

Jeong-shik Kwak, head of the ER Department of POSCO said, “The Thailand love houses are especially meaningful because the employees of POSCO Group donated 1 percent of their salaries and participated in the construction process. I hope that these love houses will give hope to locals in need.”

POSCO representatives and locals at the dedication ceremony of the love houses in Pluak Daeng, Thailand.

The construction was completed by 50 volunteers of the POSCO Group Employee Global Volunteer Corps from Korea, and 30 employees of POSCO Thainox, POSCO-TCS and POSCO-TBPC.

New resident Tun Kedwarin was moved to tears and stated, “In my old house made of wooden boards, water kept leaking and the house was in danger of collapsing. I was always worried, but now I can sleep without fear, and I am truly happy. I am grateful to POSCO and the government who built me a house.”

POSCO Group Employee Global Volunteer Corps members and Pichamon, a new resident of the love house.

POSCO Group Employee Global Volunteer Corps was established in 2015, and consists of employees of POSCO Group and outsourcing partners who donate 1 percent of their monthly salary. It’s all a part of POSCO’s unique culture of volunteering and giving back to communities.

This year, the members spent 8 days in Thailand starting from August 5, during their personal vacation days and also visited a local school to introduce Korean traditional culture to the students.

OSCO Group volunteers and Thai global staff members worked together for the construction of the love houses.

POSCO also completed 104 houses in Vietnam last May, and donated them to low-income families. In Korea, POSCO constructed steel houses made from PosMAC and donated them to victims of fires and low-income families around the country, all as part of the effort to give back and build stronger communities around the world.

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POSCO’s overseas employees participate in POSCO’s Global Mobility Program that includes seminars on Solution Marketing, POSTIM, POSCO’s values & culture, and a chance to get hands-on experience at the steelworks.

This year, the training took place from March 6 to 17 with nine employees from the following affiliates:

• POSCO-CSPC (China)
• Qingdao Pohang Stainless Steel Co., Ltd. (China)
• Zhangjiagang Pohang Stainless Steel Co., Ltd. (China)
• PT.KP (Indonesia)
• POSCO-Vietnam
• POSCO-TBPC (Thailand)
• POSCO-ICPC (India)
• PT Krakatau POSCO
• POSCO America

GMP participants just completed their two-week training program last week, which included on-site training and seminars on POSCO’s values, culture, and working systems. For the first week, participants learned about POSCO’s history along with different aspects of Korean language and culture. During the second week, there was a lecture on the work phases of a steel mill and participants visited the steelworks for a fuller understanding of the steel production process.

This year, POSCO made more of an effort to include material that would help participants have a greater understanding of POSCO’s management policies, such as solution marketing and POSTIM.  Additionally, participants were able to share their own unique work experiences and learn more about how POSCO operates around the world.

Participants continued their training, working with different departments. These included the Human Resources & Labor Relations Group of Gwangyang Works, the Plate Rolling Department, the Automotive Flat Products Exports Group, and POSCO Group University.

Through the GMP, POSCO Group University hopes to steadily foster the growth of future management leaders and experts with POSCO’s innovative DNA. The second training will be conducted in June.

The Steel Wire recently sat down with three GMP participants from POSCO China. Read their interview and find out more about the program and how it will impact their work in China. 

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