So, what do these athletes from all over the world competing in various different sports have in common? They all rely on steel to enhance their performance and keep them safe while they compete for the highest honors in their profession.

Here are some of the most prominent ways steel plays its part in winter Olympic sports:

Blades/Edges of Steel

Ice Hockey

Ice hockey is easily the main attraction of winter Olympics as hockey finals are usually the last events of the Games. The same can be said of para ice hockey as well. Athletes glide through the rink on specially-made sledges, or sleds, and have as much, if not more, full-contact than regular ice hockey.

Stainless steel is the material of choice for ice hockey skate blades. (Source: FXBX)

There are several pieces of equipment that enable hockey players to perform at their best, including their skates and sleds. The deciding factor in the quality of skates comes down to the type of steel used in the blades, or runners. Harder types of steel are preferred for less wear and tear and so that athletes do not have to sharpen the blades too often.

That’s why most opt for stainless steel, for its high-strength, hard, ductile and corrosion-resistant qualities. For para ice hockey players, their sleds make or break the game, and materials like magnesium, high-manganese anti-vibration steel and stainless steel give them the edge they need.

SEE ALSO: How POSCO’s Advanced Technology Gives Speed to Korea’s Para Ice Hockey Team

Figure Skating

Blades on figure skates look similar to that of hockey skates, but are longer and heavier. Figure skate blades also have the thickest type of blades at 4 to 5mm. These blades were most commonly made of tempered carbon steel coated with chrome, but lighter materials such as stainless steel are becoming more common. At the professional level, many athletes wear skates with high-grade steels that are much more expensive than common skates. A distinct characteristic of these blades is the spiked front toe which gives figure skaters the traction they need for rigorous jumps and spins.

Figure skates have spiked toes to assist jumps and spins. (Source: Bend Source)

Short and Speed Skating

Like blades for hockey and figure skates, short track and speed skates are also made of stainless steel. Short track skates are slightly curved and shorter than speed skates, with slightly rounded backends for safety.  

Figure skates have spiked toes to assist jumps and spins. (Source: International Skating Union)

Speed skates are different from those for short track because the back-end of the blade is detached from the boot. this reduces friction and energy loss. Also, the detached blade allows the blade to remain attached to the ice longer than attached blades.

Skiing and Snowboarding

Steel also plays a crucial part in the construction of ski and snowboard edges. With high-quality steel, athletes can sharpen the edges more frequently, and sharp edges are crucial for carving and turning on snow. Edges are most commonly made of stainless steel, and they are inserted into the body of the ski or snowboard via “teeth” or T-shaped ridges. Most edges have a Rockwell 48 hardness.

Ski and snowboard edges are made of steel to achieve maximum sharpness. (Source: YouTube)

Rock-hard Skeleton, Ultra Sharp Blades

Bobsled

There are several variations of bobsled events during the Olympics: 2-man, 4-man and women’s doubles. No matter how many people are on a team, each bobsled has a steel chassis or skeleton and four steel blades attached to the bottom of the sleds. Every team must use the same type of steel for blades used in competition. Much like a car, materials that make up the bobsled must be lightweight yet strong so the athletes have the freedom to steer through the track. During competition, sleds slide through at an average speed of 150 km/hr.

Ski and snowboard edges are made of steel to achieve maximum sharpness. (Source: Lake Placid)

SEE ALSO: Ask an Expert: How POSCO GIGA STEEL Frames the G4 Rexton

Luge

The luge is considered to be the most dangerous winter Olympic sport due to high speeds and sharp turns of the track. After push off in a seated position, the person or pair lies flat on their backs and steer the sleds with their bodies. Sleds have a pair of steel blades attached to the bottom. Olympic rules prohibit teams from heating the blades before competition as it would decrease friction against ice. Instead, athletes try to maintain the sharpest blades possible.

The Luge is one of the most dangerous winter Olympic sports. (Source: Team GB)

Skeleton

Opposite of the luge, skeleton athletes race flat on their stomachs, with no brakes. Instead of starting on the sled, the athletes have to sprint for about 40 meters before hopping on. All skeleton sled frames must be made of steel, and blades are usually made of high-quality stainless steel. As for all the “sliding” sports, there are strict rules for the size and weight of the sleds.

Skeleton athletes sprint 40 meters before jumping on their sleds stomach first. (Source: MPR News)

POSCO recently completed STEP development, and applied it to the hull of Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries’ ships. STEP is a thick plate product with varying thicknesses that form a gentle slope on a single steel plate. Applying STEP will enable shipbuilders to skip the welding process, reducing labor costs and delivery time. POSCO is the only domestic steel maker to have developed the technology on its own.

Employees of the two companies are standing in front of the hull that was assembled using STEP.

In shipbuilding yards, the thickness of thick plates varies depending on the amount of pressure applied during construction. As the welding of thick plates of different thicknesses involves excessive man-hours, back-end processing is occasionally delayed. In order to help its partner overcome such difficulties, POSCO began to develop the technology for STEP in 2015 in collaboration with Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries. They acquired a classification certification last March for the technology and successfully applied it to an actual shop after several field application tests.

STEP is also expected to benefit domestic shipbuilders currently suffering from the recent global recession of the shipbuilding industry, by helping them reduce costs and increase productivity. Shipowners will also benefit from the improved quality and shortened inspection time.

VP Sang-gyun Lee of Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries explains the development progress of the hull block at the ceremony held to celebrate the first application of STEP.

Officials from Hyundai Samho conveyed to POSCO the difficulties they had on the shop floor over the years before applying STEP, and said, “The use of STEP is expected to secure working space, reduce bottlenecks and welding man-hours, and thus save costs by more than KRW 60 million per ship.”

POSCO is planning to mass-produce STEP starting next year, and expand its application to other industries, such as bridges.

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Upcycling ensures that resources are used to their fullest extent, minimizing the number of trips made to the landfill. Vivian Kim, a travel writer, takes us deeper into this topic and introduces two examples of upcycling architecture from her time in both Korea and the Netherlands.

Steel, an Ideal Material for Upcycling

Steel is 100% recyclable, which makes it one of the most ideal materials for upcycling. Other construction materials, such as wood and plastic, can only be recycled a limited number of times before they lose its original properties and functionality and need to be downcycled (recycled into a material that is of lower quality than the original material). Steel, on the other hand, never loses its original quality. In fact, it can even increase in value and be upgraded to a higher grade of steel with the same amount of energy it would take to recycle it.  

High-strength Low-Alloy (HSLA) steel being recycled. (Photo courtesy of Recycling International)

Steel is also reusable. Entire buildings made of steel can be reused or have their lives extended by years, just by making small improvements. Because steel can be easily reused for its original purpose, there is less of a need to use raw materials from scratch, allowing for more sustainable construction.

Let’s take a look at some of the most widely recognized pieces of upcycling architecture in the Netherlands and Korea.   

Amsterdam’s Abandoned Shipyard Reborn as Cultural Hub

Utilizing recycled materials in the design of a building is nothing new. In fact, upcycling in the Netherlands had its beginnings in the 1960’s when a small, social movement began in Jordaan, a well-known neighborhood in Amsterdam. The Dutch began to mobilize the community to protect their historical buildings and prevent constant demolition from taking place. Local governments also recognized the importance of reusing and remanufacturing materials from an economic standpoint and began to push for more upcycling initiatives.

A great example of this is the NDSM ship wharf, the site of the former Dutch Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company. Just a 15-minute ferry ride from Amsterdam Central Station, the NDSM was once one of the largest shipbuilding companies in the world. However, a shortage of shipbuilding orders led to the company’s eventual closure in 1984. The abandoned shipyard soon became the breeding grounds for “city nomads” and local artists to take their place and breathe new life into the empty buildings. Through their efforts, the NDSM quarter was transformed into what is now a cultural hotspot in Amsterdam.

The NDSM ferry stop in Amsterdam Central.

As soon as visitors step off the ferry, they are greeted by what looks like a scene from an eerie, sci-fi movie. The NDSM ship wharf is full of gray, bleak buildings covered with graffiti and steel containers that are painted bright red and blue.

The former NDSM wharf is now Amsterdam’s newest creative hot spot.

Crane Hotel Faralda in the Sky of Amsterdam

At the center of the NDSM wharf stands a monumental, 50-meter-high crane called Crane 13. It is painted in red, blue and yellow, the signature colors of Dutch artist Mondrian. Built in 1951 by Hensen Ltd., it was one of the largest cranes in the world but slowly faded from the public’s memory with the closure of the shipbuilding company.

The Crane Hotel Faralda, transformed from a rusty, old crane into a luxurious high-end hotel.

In the spirit of upcycling, the 60-year-old rusty crane was transformed into the Crane Hotel Faralda in 2013 despite immense technical challenges. The hotel, named after a female Dutch spy who saved hundreds of people during World War II, is made entirely of steel.

As a crane’s main purpose is to lift heavy objects, only the strongest of steel is used to build it. For this reason, High-Strength Low-Alloy Steel (HSLA) is often employed. It contains 0.05% of carbon and other raw materials such as chromium, nickel, molybdenum, and vanadium – the secret behind its enhanced strength. HSLA steel is also more resistant to atmospheric corrosion, enabling Crane 13 to withstand the strong Netherland winds of the North Sea for over 60 years.

In the following time-lapse video, watch how the rusty crane transforms into an iconic symbol of the NDSM quarter and one of Europe’s most unique and sensational hotels.

An old rice mill transforms into one of Seoul’s hotspots

Another example of upcycling that shifts the culture can be found in the quaint neighborhood of Seongsu-Dong, South Korea. Known as the “Brooklyn of Seoul”, Seongsu-Dong is known for its trendy and hip cafes embedded in between old warehouses and factories. Its roots can be traced back to the 1970s where steel, leather and printing factories once dominated the streets. But, beginning in 2010, a wave of cafés, galleries, and studios began to break into the bleak space, transforming the once gray industrial district to a colorful vibrant scene brimming with new sights and sounds.

Daelim Warehouse in Seongsu-dong, Seoul. (Photo courtesy of Daelim Warehouse)

Hidden within the streets of Seongsu-Dong is the Daelim Warehouse, an old rice mill that has in recent years, been upcycled into a multi-cultural hub that doubles as a café and performance/exhibition venue for the artist community. From the bare concrete walls to the metal rod ceiling structure, it retains the distinct flair of a warehouse, cultivating a special atmosphere that has people flocking to it on a regular basis. Because of its unique interior, it has even been acknowledged as one of the most Instagram-worthy spots in Seoul.  

[clickToTweet tweet=”Upcycling is more than just a passing fad – it will continue to be an integral part of a sustainable lifestyle.” quote=”Upcycling is more than just a passing fad – it will continue to be an integral part of a sustainable lifestyle.” theme=”style6″]

From the NDSM quarter in Amsterdam to the Seongsu-Dong neighborhood in Seoul, upcycling has become a worldwide trend improving our surroundings as we live, create and build. Just as steel has been with mankind for thousands of years, it will continue to play a crucial role in recycling, reusing and upcycling.

Cover image courtesy of Crane Hotel Faralda

Korea has been experiencing more than 30 earthquakes on average every year since it began its first seismic observation in 1978. With that said, Korea has never been safe from earthquakes. When the strongest earthquake in Korea’s history (with a magnitude of 5.0) hit Ulsan, many people felt chaos as windows and plates broke into pieces and objects fell off shelves.

If you take a glance at earthquake-related news around the world, the damage for some countries end only at a few buildings collapsing, even when hit by an extremely forceful earthquake with an 8.0 magnitude. But for other countries, such as Italy – which was struck by a very strong earthquake recently – citizens must suffer through a greater number of casualties and even destructions of complete cities.

The difference is due to the seismic designs of newly-built architecture and the seismic retrofits of existing architecture. These advances show the importance of earthquake-resistant steel when it comes to modern architecture built from using rebar and steel frames.

This article explains the concept of seismic designs and seismic retrofit, and examines the current status of earthquake-resistant steel that continues to evolve.

Architectural design that resists earthquakes

Earthquakes force impacts architecture, and earthquake loads, which are known as inertial forces caused by ground motion, can focus its load on a particular layer or particular structural components due to an unexpected movement from non-structural elements or horizontal/vertical structural irregularity. Thus, it is crucial for every seismically-designed structure and its structural components to secure a certain level of strength to endure earthquakes. Not only that, every structure must also be ductile enough in order to flexibly respond to the violent shaking of earthquakes.

Earthquake-resistant design not only allows structures to remain safe even after a quake hits, but also considers earthquake loads during the design process. The quake-resistant design includes seismic structure, vibration control and vibration isolation.

Seismic structure refers to strengthening the building interior’s horizontal axis in order to reinforce the structure’s endurance for the building’s side-to-side vibration caused by earthquakes. Though sturdy and stable, the disadvantage of seismic structure is that it increases the weight of the building, which makes it hard to be applied to skyscrapers.

Vibration control is a method that minimizes the shock that a building receives by adhering a special device called a ‘damper,’ which works to reduce the level of earthquake vibration, located in between the building and its horizontal axis. This method is efficient in that the damper can be adhered onto the existing structure, easing the design process.

Vibration isolation is a method that reduces earthquake loads through laying groundwork that separates the building from the shaking surface during earthquakes. Buildings with vibration isolation systems are not affected as much by severely vibrating surfaces, which is why the method is so frequently used for building skyscrapers and bridges.

If you take a look at skyscrapers, most of them are designed in simple shapes such as flat planes, cylinders, square pillars and quadrangular pyramids. Complex designs with many corners may look beautiful from the outside, but they tend to be highly vulnerable to earthquakes. Therefore, the usage of simple designs can be seen as an outcome of attempting to increase the building’s resistance to earthquakes.

Ways to improve the seismic performance of existing architecture

A building with a shear reinforcement truss (a frame structure that connects junctions with pins so that the structural members do not bend) inserted into its architecture.

It was in 1988 when South Korea decided on the criteria for architectural seismic design. As of October 2015, the number of facilities needing seismic design reached more than 105,448, but only 42.4% (44,732) of these facilities have been renewed to be earthquake-resistant (data from the Ministry of Public Safety and Security).

Reinforcement of a reinforced concrete structure’s external bracing (a diagonal component that diagonally connects the upper pillar with the lower pillar).

Therefore, in cases where existing structures need extension work or a function change, more than half of the parts included will need to improve their resistance to earthquakes.

Three ways to improve the seismic performance of existing buildings

1.  Build new earthquake-resistant structural components and increase the strength of their designs.

2.  Improve existing tenacity of structural components through reinforcement, and get rid of components that are weak against earthquakes.

3.  Extract and dispose unnecessary parts so that the overall building weight gets lighter.

Buttress: A structure of stone or brick built against a wall to strengthen or support it.

Lessons learned from the Sichuan earthquake & the evolution of steel

As buildings nowadays continue to get bigger and taller, the role of steel, which is both stiff and ductile, is becoming more important for earthquake-resistant design. In this regard, development of different types of ultra-high strength steel and earthquake-resistant steel is in its active stage.

Such evolution of earthquake-resistant steel has a lot to do with the lessons learned from the big Sichuan earthquake outbreak in 2008, which destroyed the city and cost many lives. The incident was severe enough to cause considerable concern amongst people, and many asked questions such as, “Aren’t we still hopelessly preparing for earthquakes that might occur out of nowhere even though we’re living in the 21st century?” and, “Don’t we need to take a more thorough measure in preparing for earthquakes?

A tuned mass damper, which controls vibration at Taipei 101’s higher floors during earthquakes, can reduce the maximum vibration level by more than a third and is the biggest damper in the world, with a diameter of 5.5m and a weight of 660 tons.

Previously, Steel Structure (SS) or Steel Marine (SM) was used for conventional building, while Steel News (SN) was widely used for earthquake-resistant buildings.

As the importance of earthquake-proof design for skyscrapers continues to rise after the big Sichuan earthquake, more improved earthquake-proof steels began to come to life. These evolved steels include TMCP steel, which has excellent seismic and welding performance, and HSA steel, which is appropriate for building skyscrapers. HSA800 in particular is known for its strong minimum tensile strength, which is 40% higher than that of existing steels used in building structures, as well as 30% lighter in weight. For this reason, HSA800 was used for constructing the Lotte World Tower, which is currently the highest building in Korea.

It would be worth keeping track of the future evolution of steel, which will only get stronger and continue to resist earthquakes.

Quick Fun Facts

An earthquake bolt is a seismic retrofit material, not an architectural decoration.

After the earthquake outbreak in Charleston, West Virginia in 1886, the region applied earthquake bolts on buildings as a post-tensioning method for dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake.

Written by Myongji University’s School of Architecture Professor JaeIn Lee

The opinions expressed in this POSCO Report piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of POSCO.

How POSCO is Making the World Earthquake-Resistant

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However, despite its reputation as a football-crazy nation, Korea actually had no large-scale, purpose-built stadium until relatively recently. Although the World Cup saw a flurry of stadia built across the country, including the 66,704-seater Seoul World Cup Stadium, POSCO’s Steel Yard predates the lot.

Home of the Steelers

Constructed 12 years before Korea would host the World Cup, the Steel Yard is the home of Pohang Steelers FC, one of the most successful Korean professional teams of all time. The club has won three Asian Champions League titles, five K-League Classic trophies and has bagged the FA Cup on four occasions, with the bulk of the club’s success coming after the Steel Yard’s construction.

Unlike many other K-League grounds, a number of which feature running tracks, at the Steel Yard only a few meters separate the pitch from the stands. This means that fans here get a lot closer to the players – and the on-field action – than anywhere else in the K-League. If you like your football up-close-and-personal, say fans, nothing in Korea comes close to the Steel Yard.

The experience is reminiscent of grounds in the UK, where multi-purpose stadia are rare and football-specific grounds are the norm. The Steel Yard was the brainchild of POSCO founder TaeJoon Park, a keen football enthusiast who founded the club as a company team called the POSCO Dolphins back in 1973.

Grand Debut

The stadium opened to the public in November 1990, with a curtain-lifting friendly between the home team, then known as the Pohang Steelworks Atoms, and a Korea University XI. Fans across the country were wowed by the new stadium, which instantly won acclaim among Pohang residents and visiting away fans alike.

Galvanized by the new stadium and the 17,000 fans it could accommodate, Pohang Steelers went on to achieve great things in the football world, clinching the 1992 K-League title. By the mid-1990s, the club was arguably the most dynamic force on the continent, sweeping to Asian Champions League glory in 1997 and successfully defending its title the following year.

The Steel Yard was not selected as a World Cup venue in 2002 due to the fact FIFA standards judges the ground’s capacity to be too low to host major international matches. This was bemoaned by media professionals and fans alike. Website Football Tripper say the Steel Yard “would have been one of the finest venues in the tournament if it had been chosen” to host World Cup 2002 matches.

Kicking Off

In the early 2000s, the Steel Yard underwent a major facelift, expanding its capacity to the 20,000-25,000 mark, and adding a new sound system, scoreboard and a brand new, ultra-playable pitch.

Again, possibly thanks in part to the upgraded stadium, the Steelers went on a run, taking the K-League title in 2004 and later climbing – once more – to the summit of Asian football.

Few Pohang fans will ever forget the sight of the vibrant Steel Yard urging the team to a thrilling extra time 4-1 victory in the 2009 Asian Champions League quarter-final. The home side’s rivals on the day were a Bunyodkor team that featured World Cup winner Rivaldo and was coached by fellow World Cup-winning manager Luis Felipe Scolari.

The Steelers went on to win the subsequent semi-final, with a 2-0 win against Qatari team Umm-Salal at the Steel Yard. They followed this up by travelling to Tokyo for the final, which they won 2-1 against Al-Ittihad of Saudi Arabia.

International Acclaim

The Steel Yard has won over plenty of fans in the international media in the years since its inception. Writers at website StadiumDB say the ground has a “special meaning to football in South Korea,” while Sydney Morning Herald says it is “is often held up as the best boutique stadium in Asia,” praising its “motivational” qualities.

For football fans keen to experience the Steel Yard for themselves, the K-League season is still going strong, and crowds of up to 16,509 have flocked to the stadium to see Pohang in action. Although the 2016 campaign has been up-and-down for the Steelers so far, there is still plenty to play for, with potential ACL spots up for grabs.

As the K-League comes towards a thrilling conclusion, and with clement autumnal weather on its way, there is no better time than Fall 2016 to head to the Steel Yard and see why the ground is known as the “pride of Pohang.”

Levi’s® Stadium: The World’s Most Sustainable Super Bowl Stadium

5 Super Steel Stadiums Around the World

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The steel industry continues to face challenges in many areas, but the outlook for the metal seems to be generally positive. Along with North America and Europe, emerging economics such as South and Southeast Asia are showing resilient growth in their steel forecasts.

One of the reasons why this metal is so carefully observed is due to its role as a key contributor to the circular economy. As a permanent and affordable material that can be repeatedly recycled, its sustainability makes it more appealing than competing industrial materials.

Specific markets are looking strong in terms of steel demand – the automotive sector will maintain growth momentum, supported by strong demand in many countries, and the construction sector is showing steady improvement.

For 2015, the world’s crude steel production amount reached 1,622.8 million tons, and production decreased in all regions except Oceania. Annual production of crude steel for Asia in 2015 was 1,113.8 million tons, 166.2 million tons for the EU, 110.7 million tons for North America and 43.9 million tons for South America.

In 2015, the leading steel-producing countries included: China, Japan, India, the United States and Russia. Countries following closely behind are South Korea (69.73 million tons of crude steel production), Germany (42.68 million tons), Brazil (33.25 million tons), Turkey (31.52 million tons) and Ukraine (22.93 million tons).

South Korea’s economic growth has been greatly aided by the steel market, and it is ranked first for countries using the most steel per capita (1,113.6 kilograms). POSCO has been a crucial part of this growth, placing in the international rankings for top steel-producing countries. The company produced 41.975 million tons in 2015.

We can see there have been relatively modest changes for each of these economies in the table above, and we can expect more shifts in the coming year.

For more information on The World Steel Association’s expected outcomes for 2016 and 2017, click here.

Read on to learn some interesting facts about how steel has been utilized in the histories of the top five steel giants.

5. Russia

Crude Steel Production: 71.11 million tons

Interesting fact: The city of Magnitogorsk, celebrated as the “steel heart of the motherland,” is home to Russia’s largest iron and steel works. During the 1930s, the city was designed under one of Stalin’s Five-Year-Plans, when he erected the then-largest steel plant in the world, the Stalin Magnitogorsk Metallurgical Complex.

4. United States

Crude Steel Production: 78.92 million tons

Interesting fact: Andrew Carnegie, who made his fortune on steel, was the first to initiate the development of a mass-produced version of the material. With his solution, he built the St. Louis Bridge, and convinced people of its stability by having an elephant walk across it on its opening day.

3. India

Crude Steel Production: 89.58 million tons

Interesting fact: The use of iron in India goes back to ancient times, and is even mentioned in epic and religious Sanskrit literature. The Vedas and the Puranas, both sacred texts of Hinduism, reference the metal and speak of its uses during times of peace and war.

2. Japan

Crude Steel Production: 166.18 million tons

Interesting fact: The traditional katana sword, wielded by samurais, is crafted using only the purest steel, tamahagane (“jewel steel” in Japanese). The sword is made from shoveling 25 tons of iron-bearing river sand and charcoal over a course of three days and nights into a tatara, a clay furnace built specifically for a single batch of tamahagane. The smelting process yields about two tons of the material.

1. China

Crude Steel Production: 803.83 million tons

Interesting fact: After inventing the predecessor to the compass (the Sinan) during the Han Dynasty, China developed some of the first compasses in the 11^th century. While initially made of lodestone, magnetized steel needles were used as the core pointer of the navigation tool, suspended in water to create a wet compass. Trading ships during the Song Dynasty were then able to travel to as far as Saudi Arabia without getting lost, expanding on their trade routes.

Production rates according to the World Steel Association (worldsteel) 2015 World Crude Steel Production Performances.

The World’s Top 5 Steel Producing Countries

worldsteel Outlook: Down in 2016, but Rebounding Next Year

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Of the total volume of the 2,108 cars to be exported, 408 units were loaded under the Government to Government (G2G) contract signed by POSCO Daewoo, the Ministry of the Interior of Peru and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) in December of last year.

The intelligent patrol cars supplied to the Peruvian government are equipped with a communication system which allows for the direct sharing of real-time data from the field with the central control center of the Peruvian National Police.

POSCO Daewoo’s business of exporting intelligent patrol cars to Peru has been realized as the company has made localization efforts, offering technical support that meets local needs, building maintenance depots and supplying parts. POSCO Daewoo exported around 800 units in 2013 as part of the first export project.

POSCO Daewoo provides additional services in nine Peruvian cities including supplying equipment for building maintenance depots, parts for maintenance of patrol cars and engine oil. It also recruits local technical personnel and offers technical training through special equipment companies.

As the supplier under the contract, POSCO Daewoo will provide the Ministry of the Interior of Peru with 2,108 patrol cars by September. The vehicles will be used in 17 cities.

POSCO Daewoo is the largest police equipment supply business in Korea. The company looks forward to making additional business contracts with the Peruvian government and to further expanding its market into Central and South America

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1. POSCO Announces New Steel Sheets at Detroit Motor Show

POSCO became the first-ever steelmaker to attend the North American International Auto Show. From January 11 to 24, POSCO revealed many of its automotive-related steel products, such as twinning-induced plasticity steel, hot press forming steel, 1GPa-TRIP and PosM-XP. POSCO already supplies automotive steel sheets to many of the world’s leading automotive and component manufacturers, and has been named “This Year’s Supplier” from leading companies like Toyota and GM.

2. POSCO Ranks as 40^th Most Sustainable Corporation in the World

The 2016 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations report by World Index ranked POSCO 40th, making it the only steel company in the world to make the list. Announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the list examines 12 key performance indicators to come up with the ranking, rating companies for R&D innovation, energy efficiency, governance and more. Coming in at 40^th, POSCO was the second-highest ranked Korean company, beating many of the world’s biggest businesses, like GE and Apple, despite the market difficulties faced last year.

3. POSCO Expands Lithium Manufacturing Business

POSCO President Ohjoon Kwon led a groundbreaking ceremony in Salta, Argentina on February 14 for a commercial lithium processing plant. The lithium processing plant will be located at Pozuelos Salt Lake, 4,000 meters above sea level, with the capacity to produce 2,500 tons of high-purity lithium annually. Lithium, which is a key element in many important technologies, such as electric car batteries, was identified by POSCO in 2010 as a main business in developing production technologies. With world lithium market has increased from 70,000 tons in 2002 to 170,000 tons in 2014 and with the growing popularity of electric cars is expected to reach 270,000 tons by 2020.

4. POSCO’s Stainless Steel (STS) Use for Membrane-Type LNG Carriers

Beginning in February, POSCO began supplying all the stainless steel for membrane-type Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) carriers being produced by Korean Gas Corporation. Membrane-type carriers refers to ships that use a single, non-cylindrical tank to hold their LNG cargo, making them more efficient and economical. Korea Gas Corporation developed its own membrane design technology in 2014, so POSCO does not have to pay any royalties abroad for the important new design.

5. POSCO E&C Awarded $650 Million Project in Panama

POSCO E&C signed a major deal with AES Corporation, a U.S.-based power company, to construct a combined cycle power plant and gas terminal in Colon, Panama. The plant will have a power generation capacity of 380MW, the largest in Panama and enough to supply up to 15 million households. The gas terminal will have a storage capacity of 180,000 m³. With the $650 million Panama deal, POSCO E&C has achieved about $5.6 billion in orders in Latin America over the past decade, making the company a major player in the energy plant market in the region.

As you can see, POSCO has started 2016 with a bang, with a wide range of exciting new projects all over the world, in steel, energy, sustainability and other fields. It’s an exciting start to the year, and a sign of even more exciting things to come.

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Last year, POSCO strengthened its competitive edge by stably supplying high-quality materials to GM’s global plants throughout South Korea, Mexico and India. POSCO has also focused on maximizing synergy for both companies by enhancing the executive ability for solutions marketing. In particular, the technical council jointly operated by POSCO and GM is constantly creating new business opportunities as a venue for joint development of steel materials and technologies to be applied to new cars.

POSCO’s global marketing infrastructure and the TSC (Technical Service Center)* are considered to be the company’s strengths that differentiate it from its competitors. POSCO has provided customized solutions for each of GM’s global plants and reinforced cooperation based on these strengths, putting itself in a position to be qualified as GM’s Supplier of the Year for two consecutive years.

POSCO actively supported GM’s strategies to increase the purchasing of local materials by completing quality certification and initiating supply of side plate materials manufactured by POSCO Mexico for GM’s Mexico-based plant. In addition, it has supplied low unit weight materials from the headquarters for GM’s plant in India, providing optimized solutions for the needs of each global GM plant while constantly contributing to stabilized production and increased efficiency of clients.

This year, POSCO will continue to enhance its global marketing competitiveness by expanding the scope of convergence solution marketing based on world premium products and further strengthening its partnership with GM.

The GM Supplier of the Year Award, established in 1992, is given to suppliers that go above and beyond GM’s requirements based on quality, service, technology and price. Criteria are evaluated by a group of executives in the fields of procurement, engineering, quality, manufacturing and logistics. This year, 110 companies were selected as recipients of the award.

* POSCO TSC (Technical Service Center) is an organization providing an integrated solution of EVI (Early Vendor Involvement) and technical services for clients using POSCO’s steel materials. It is operated in 23 locations worldwide including South Korea, China, the Americas, Europe and Southeast Asia with an aim to provide customized care and complete local solutions for global clients.

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World Steel Association

Formed in 1967, (then the International Iron and Steel Institute), the non-profit organization promotes steel to the industry, customers, media and the general public. Benefits of being a member of worldsteel include access to the latest technical and economic data, industry trends and performance impacting the steel industry. Members cooperate in developing programs and initiatives to drive the global common marketplace. Networking and access to events and conferences are also enjoyed by members. Worldsteel is not involved in competition of the steel industry, but rather unifying the industry on a global scale.

Steel Production by the Numbers

Worldsteel’s Steel Statistical Yearbook findings for 2015 show that Asia produces over 68 percent of the entire world’s crude steel. According to the Steel Statistical Yearbook, the four countries that produce the most crude steel are China, Japan, India and South Korea. Russia rounds out the top five. While many countries like the U.S. have decreased its crude steel production, South Korea has increased almost every year (the most recent yearbook shows data since 2005). Asia produces over 1 million tons of crude steel, and the second largest steel producing region is Europe, which produces just under 300 tons.

South  Korea produced over 71,000 tons of crude steel, 868 tons of ingots and 70,405 tons of continuously cast steel. The majority of the steel produced in South Korea uses electric furnaces or oxygen-blown converters. South Korea does not employ open hearth furnaces for steel production. In 2014, worldsteel reports that South Korea produced almost 69,000 tons of hot rolled products.

Though the largest of crude steel producing companies are located in Asia, and Asia is the largest exporter of semi-finished and finished steel products, Europe uses the most crude steel by kg per capita. Asia is by far the largest producer and exporter of pig iron, the intermediate product of smelting iron ore.

When iron is smelted from ore, it contains more carbon than desired. To form steel, the carbon must be reduced to the proper amount, at which point other elements can be added to reinforce it. In the past, steel was cast into ingots which would be stored until use in further refinement processes that resulted in the finished product. In modern processes of production, the initial product is closer to the final product through continuously cast it into long slabs, then cut and shaped to produce the final product. Continuous casting is more cost-efficient and is used in mass production and increasing the standard of quality.

POSCO Steel Production

One of five major steel companies located in Korea, POSCO is recognized as one of the world’s largest corporations by Fortune Global 500. On September 21, 2015 POSCO celebrated cumulative sales of 800 million tons since the opening of Pohang Plate Mill in 1972. Ninety-eight percent of the crude steel produced by POSCO is made through continuous casting, which replaced the process of using ingots.

For the full report, please visit worldsteel.

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