The future may look uncertain for commercial aviation, but the increasing demand for passenger flights, the need for new aircraft as well as new innovations are expected to stimulate the industry in 2018 and beyond.

SEE ALSO: Game Changers in Aviation that Will Empower the Way We Fly

Smaller planes, more frequent miles

City pairs, or pairs of departure and arrival airports, are growing around the globe. According to Aviation Week Network’s 2018 Fleet & MRO Forecasts, South Asia’s routes will increase from 650 in 2006 to 1200 by 2026. African routes will expand from 1400 to 2600 in the same time frame and Russia and the CIS region will see an additional 1000 routes by 2026.

For such city pairs, 100 to 150-seat aircrafts are ideal, and airlines will opt to add more of the crafts to their fleet over larger crafts that are hard to fill.

Smaller, 100 to 150-seat planes will be in higher demand. (Source: Quora)

The growing global demand for passenger flights will further contribute to the need for more small-sized planes. In 2016, a total of 3.8 billion passengers flew the skies, and the number is projected to reach 4.3 billion in 2018.

Out with the old, in with the new

In the next 20 years, most of the existing fleet of aircraft will retire, and be replaced with new aircrafts. This will create an increased demand for airplane parts, new technology and labor. The overall volume of the global fleet will increase at an average yearly rate of 3.1 percent, and a major bulk of the supply is projected to come from the Asia-Pacific region.

MRO for older aircraft will open new business opportunities. (Source: Crescent Capital)

To add, the cost of maintenance, repairs and overhaul (MRO) for aircrafts older than 10 years will reach USD 1 trillion for the first time ever, creating more business opportunities for suppliers and service providers.

Military aircraft will play its part in the Aviation Industry

In the U.S., the government is planning to spend USD 400 billion on fifth generation F-35 fighter jets made by Lockheed Martin Corp, and 11 other countries are currently working out a purchase deal worth over USD 37 billion.

Fifth generation F-35 fighter jets are one of the most advanced military jets ever. (Source: Gizmodo)

Moreover, USD 67.3 billion is projected to be spent on the MRO of the world’s military aircraft, up 14.9 percent from USD 58.6 billion in 2008. With increasing tensions all over the world and subsequent rise in defense spending, demand for military aircraft will likely continue.

And then there’s flying cars

Although not traditionally counted as part of the aviation industry, flying cars are popping up in cities around the world and blurring the lines that define different transportation industries. With increasing investment, flying vehicles may become a reality in the next couple of years, and most will be flying on clean fuel. Here are some companies with plans to launch flying cars.

Volvo’s TF-X is one of several flying cars in development. (Source: The Verge)

Uber

Uber recently announced its partnership with NASA to develop an electric aircraft taxi service called UberAIR, planned to be up and running in 2020. If successful, the vehicle will be quieter than a helicopter, travel up to 150 mph and charging will only take about 4 minutes. Uber has plans to test the service shortly in L.A., after successful trials in Dallas and Dubai. If all goes well, travel time in L.A.’s rush hour can decrease by a third.

Airbus

Airbus is looking to launch their CityAirBus in the skies for taxi service in 2018. The all-electric vertical takeoff vehicles will transport people up to 80 mph over congested traffic to destinations like rooftops, train stations and airports. The vehicles can carry up to 4 passengers at a time and travel up to 80 mph. In the beginning stages of its launch, Airbus plans to have a pilot on board the flights over fixed routes, but will work towards autonomous operations.

Volvo

Geely, which is the parent company that owns Volvo, recently purchased a flying-car startup, Terrafugia. The company aims to have its flying cars in operation by 2019, with a range of 400 miles on a single charge and travel speed of up to 100 mph. Terrafugia already received the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) approval to start flying. They are also working on their next model, the TF-X, which can fly up to 200 mph and will cost around EUR 180,000.

The aviation industry will see many changes in the coming years. Although steeply rising oil prices will play a major factor in the profitability of the industry, the rising demand for passenger flights, increased military spending and new innovations will lead production and create new business opportunities for 2018 and beyond.

Why Should People Care About Autonomous Transportation?

Autonomous transportation is emerging across the world, from personal vehicles to Tesla’s proposed semi trucks that drive in convoy with a lead vehicle handling autonomous follow trucks. Intel is also planning to test a fleet of one hundred autonomous cars and Hyundai’s planning to showcase its self-driving technology at the biggest winter sports event of 2018.

While many have heard of self-driving cars and other road-based vehicles, it may come as a surprise to learn just how far technology has advanced in autonomous transportation. The Swiss bank UBS, suggests that autonomous airplanes could be in place by 2025, a feat that would save airlines $35 billion a year. Clearly, the benefits are drastic and it is becoming essential for companies to invest in making autonomous travel work.

Even further into the future, companies like Next Future Transportation are envisioning pod travel, through which individual vehicles will autonomously transport people from point A to point B.

Next Future Transportation’s autonomous pod (Source: Next Future Transportation)

No matter the type, the economic impact of autonomous transportation technology is unavoidable. Boston Consulting Group expects that the driverless car market will be worth $42 billion by 2025 and $77 billion by 2035, and IHS suggests driverless car ubiquity will hit around 2050.

In terms of what these automated vehicles offer to the public, the Eno Centre for Transportation reports that if 90 percent of American roads were autonomous, accidents would drop from 6 million a year to 1.3 million; deaths would fall from 33,000 to 11,300. Add in better traffic conditions, higher fuel efficiency and extra time gained from not driving, and it’s easy to see why companies are taking notice of this tech sector.

Who is Investing in Autonomous Transportation?
Autonomous transportation entails investment from various industries from materials to technology, and major players are making early moves. Tesla is a good example of a specialty vehicle company determined to see autonomous transportation become a worldwide reality.

Big names in traditional transportation are also jumping aboard. General Motors purchased Cruise Automation, and Ford has invested in an AI startup, Argo AI. Audi has created a subsidiary, the SDS Company, focused on self-driving technology, and BMW has formed an alliance with Intel and Mobileye.

There are also auto suppliers getting into this market, such as Magna, a supplier that is manufacturing vehicles as well as providing the parts to help more traditional companies jump into automated vehicles.

Tech giants like Microsoft are getting involved, too, collaborating with automakers to include their own technology in self-driving vehicles, as well as to research and develop automated transportation technology.

Whether companies are involved in creating the actual vehicles that will be automated, providing security and safety features, pursuing further research, or providing the materials needed to create these vehicles of the future, it is safe to say that this industry is growing rapidly.

Autonomous Transportation and the Steel Industry
A shift toward autonomous transportation is good news for the steel industry. At first glance, it seems steel consumption will decrease as fewer car accidents will lead to less demand for repair parts and more room to use other materials for aesthetic purposes. However, demand for high-strength, premium steels that are highly sought after in traditional cars will continue to increase.

Materials like POSCO GIGA STEEL provide greater strength and safety for automated vehicles, an important consideration when one considers a road full of cars driving themselves. While people may no longer be behind the wheel, they will want to know that their cars, and the cars around them, are made to the highest safety standards. Safety regulations for traditional cars are only getting tougher, and that won’t change with autonomous vehicles.

POSCO’s PBC-EV made with POSCO GIGA STEEL

High-strength steel allows car makers to lightweight their vehicles without compromising safety. POSCO GIGA STEEL’s lightweight properties make it a sustainable solution for automated vehicles that aim to leave a minimal carbon footprint and maximize fuel efficiency. Even better, it is affordable; an important factor considering the overall cost of the technology and hardware that goes into automated vehicles.

The steel industry will also see a boost in the need for accompanying facilities for automated transportation, including manufacturing plants, parking structures, charging stations, smart roads and so on. While automated transportation may be high tech, there will be plenty of opportunities for those in the steel industry to provide material solutions to a rapidly growing market.

Cover photo courtesy of Auto Evolution.

Nam Tae-Gyu in his early days on site at a POSCO steel mill.

Nam’s Battle with the Sublance

Five years into his first job ever, Nam hit his first hurdle. The sublance used for detecting temperature and carbon levels of ingot iron in the converters kept breaking down. The brutal process for replacing the sublance probe took a physical toll on the workers and Nam remembers frequent nosebleeds and extreme fatigue vividly.

Nam explained, “Pure iron is converted into steel in a smelting process that requires 1700 °C of heat and oxygen incorporated into the ingot iron. When the process is 80 percent done, a sublance goes into the ingot iron inside the converter to take temperature and carbon measurements. Then, it sends the data to the operating room. With that data, the operator decides if the process should be continued or stopped. Afterwards, a sublance goes into the post-steelmaking converter again, measures the temperature and the amount of carbon, and then sends that data to the operator one last time. The data is used for the slab and bloom making processes as well. In a way, the sublance acts as an important key that decides the final quality of the steel. So if the sublance doesn’t work properly and sends the wrong data to the operator, there will be a tremendous loss.”

A sublance, which has to be inserted about 1 meter deep into the ingot iron, has a 2-meter probe with a sensor measuring the temperature and carbon and oxygen components. This disposable probe stays in the 1700 °C converter for 5 seconds and transmits the data to the monitor of the operating room through a cable inside the sublance pipe. The problem is that the travel distance of the sublance changes whenever a new probe is equipped. For that reason, facility managers must check the accurate position and adjust the length on every occasion. The sublance had to be adjusted at the top of a 7-story steel mill that is 20 meters higher than the top of the converter. To make it worse, technicians had to physically climb up and down dozens of times for 3 hours to alter the length manually if the lift didn’t work.

Liquid ingot iron in a steel mill during the smelting process

Nam’s First Masterpiece

Nam knew there had to be an easier way. After studying the sublance diagram and its instruction manual, he finally had an “aha moment.” He installed a digital location detector in an encoder form that could receive data to determine the travel distance of the sublance from a cambox instead of a touchbar that bred most of the errors in the previous system.

This allowed digital information on the travel distance of the sublance to be sent directly to the operator who in turn could locate the probe accordingly. This alone reduced errors in the data for every probe change. Furthermore, Nam even installed a detection system to eliminate all errors of the previous touch bar.

In the end, the improved sublance allowed 2 people to finish in 10 minutes what 3 people had to work on for 3 hours previously. The measurement success rate increased from 87 to 95 percent and lead to cost reductions and a shorter operation time overall for the smelting process.

Another Hurdle, Another Masterpiece

In 1997, Nam met his second and biggest challenge of his time at POSCO. A converter tilting device that could tilt and rotate a 1300-ton converter broke down. No one expected this machine to malfunction, as it was made with certified parts with advanced technology brought in from Japan. The Japanese supervisors kept the device’s technology a secret for copyright reasons, so the Korean technicians didn’t know the inner workings of the machine.

The complex device was composed of four motors, reducers, inverters and other parts. In order to run the motors, they had to use a magnetic contactor and high-voltage circuit breaker, both imported from Japan and extremely expensive since they had a short lifespan.

“One time, a large amount of electric current spilled on the converter tilting device. A severe arc was generated and melted the magnetic contactor, causing equipment failure and a KRW 200 million loss. I tried to replace the contactor with a domestic model to improve it, but in the process, the electric current flowed to the field motor, and the electric arc leaned causing molten steel to leak. We had to stop all operations for 14 hours and ended up with 15 tons of leaked steel.” Nam recalls.

A converter holding molten steel being tilted

It was a dark moment for Nam and POSCO, but it only prompted him to work harder towards a solution. After much research, trials and failures, he developed a vacuum magnetic contactor made of domestic parts and applied a vacuum breaker to the tilting device, thus localizing the core parts of the converter tilting device. Also with the new technology, temperatures could be monitored at the bend, cable crossing point and cable access point for a real-time monitoring system for accident prevention. Nam not only raised POSCO’s production quality to global standards, he helped reduce quality deviation and eliminate waste.

Working Philosophy/ Results

Looking over his achievements at POSCO, it is easy to see why Nam was named a 2017 POSCO Master. In the past 40 years, he accomplished 15 patents, 32 outstanding proposals, 1830 general proposals and 156 knowledge records. Nam received the highest award of job competence, the Steel Mill Proposal King award, this year’s Person of Pocheon award, Korea’s Quality Manager award and was named a POSCO Master in 2014.

Nam Tae-Gyu walks through the fire prevention system at POSCO’s Steel Mill 1 with executives and employees.

Nam’s working philosophy is simple. Achieving the best results in steelmaking and maintenance requires hard work and passion, much like how a good harvest requires the sweat and blood of the farmer. With this in mind, Nam’s curiosity is unending as he continues to look for improvements and leave behind a legacy of hard work and dedication.

Take a look at three of the ways transportation is restructuring itself for faster, more sustainable travel. Some are closer to realization than others, but all of them are changing the way we think about movement. When realized, all of these ideas will have an impact far beyond what we can see now.

The Hyperloop – Fast & Frictionless

An Idea by Elon Musk

In 2013, Elon Musk came up with the idea for the Hyperloop as he grew frustrated with the high-speed rail being developed in California at that time. He called it “both one of the most expensive per mile and one of the slowest in the world.” Musk said, “It would be great to have an alternative to flying or driving, but obviously only if it is actually better than flying or driving.”

He imagined capsules, zooming by at speeds faster than any train or plane, that would allow him to get to San Francisco from LA in 35 minutes. The basic concept was that the capsules would float through partially evacuated steel tubes propelled by fans and electromagnets. Because there would be less friction from air and rails, there could be significant increases in speed and durability, while decreasing reliance on fuel at the same time.

Workers install Hyperloop’s stator blocks at our test and development site in North Las Vegas. (Photo courtesy of Hyperloop One)

Because Musk was so involved transforming the space industry with SpaceX, the auto industry with Tesla, and the energy industry with SolarCity, he did not seem to have much time for Hyperloop. So, he developed a 58-page outline of his ideas and left it to others to develop. And they have.

Hyperloop One Unveils Testing Site

To fulfill this improbable dream, a handful of startups have stepped in – one of them being California-based Hyperloop Technologies. They have been building a test site, called DevLoop, 30 minutes outside of Las Vegas in the Nevada desert that was unveiled last week to the public. According to their press release, DevLoop is a 500-meter full-scale Hyperloop test structure weighing over one million kilograms. The Hyperloop One tube measures 3.3 meters in diameter and they are expected to perform their first full test sometime in the first half of 2017.

Hyperloop unveiled its first test site, the DevLoop on March 7. Later this year, they will run their first test of the Hyperloop. (Photo courtesy of Hyperloop One)

In November, Hyperloop Tech signed an agreement with the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority to evaluate building a Hyperloop between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. When completed, a commute that once took several hours will take just 12 minutes.

All parties involved realize the costs are going to be high. Creating a new form of transportation infrastructure is not simple and building large steel semi-vacuum tubes over ground (or under) is technologically difficult requiring trained engineers and highly skilled workers. To offset this, Hyperloop Tech is focusing some of its energy in attracting industrial freight clients.

The Future of Freight

One of Hyperloop Tech’s Transportation Economists, Dapeng Zhang, recently presented on transformational freight explaining that their “vision at Hyperloop One is to connect cities into mega-regions, and turn metro areas into metro stops. This will inevitably improve the efficiency of freight supply chains. By connecting two distant metros, Hyperloop One creates a geographical cluster which could help reduce inventory costs, promote even more just-in-time strategies, and expand same-day delivery service areas.”

A Hyperloop steel tube awaits entry into the tube processing building, where they are painted and prepped for use. (Photo courtesy of Hyperloop One)

Whether or not this is completely feasible is still up for debate, but it is exciting to see the strides being made in this type of supersonic transportation technology. Other developments such as electric cars, autonomous vehicles, and SkyTran (below) will help us move short distances, but ideas like the Hyperloop are needed to connect the larger metropolitan areas.

SkyTran – Personal Rapid Transit

Apart from the Hyperloop and autonomous driving technology, other personal mobility developments are being made. One of those is SkyTran, a company working to develop a personal rapid transit system that carries people in autonomous pods. Located near Mountain View, California, SkyTran has focused its efforts on relieving congestion in cities by creating a system that rides on an elevated monorail. It is both quick and efficient, and unlike the Hyperloop, it is nearing completion with plans to open in Israel, Nigeria, and France.

This concept image shows a drop-off point for one of SkyTran’s capsules. (Photo courtesy of SkyTran)

Using what is called maglev technology (magnetic levitation), the SkyTran uses electromagnets (similar in concept to the Hyperloop) to propel itself forward (up to 155 mph) while using little to no electricity. SkyTran says that when the pod reaches 10 mph, it can continue to glide and accelerate without any extra power. SkyTran’s CEO says the pods can on the same amount of electricity as two hair dryers.

SkyTran capsules are elevated above the city streets avoiding traffic and giving them the freedom to move at high speeds. (Photo courtesy of SkyTran)

In addition to being highly efficient to operate, SkyTran benefits in its low upfront costs. Unlike the Hyperloop, which requires rather large infrastructure and maintenance costs to ensure proper functionality of the pipe’s vacuum and propulsion system, SkyTran is projected to be a much more economic option. Because the system is set up above the streets, its footprint is small – requiring only an 18-inch steel pole to hold the steel and aluminum capsules.

The company estimates that it will only cost about USD 13 million per mile to build, compared to a subway system that can cost around USD 160 million for the same distance. Because of the low upfront costs, SkyTran believes that malls, hotels, and other private businesses will want to build their own offshoot lines – not only for their customers but because it will be profitable.

POSCO’s Advanced Auto Steel in Future Cars

Autonomous, connected, electric. These are the common buzzwords that come to mind when we think about future trends in personal transportation. At CES earlier this year, seemingly everyone had their own solution to made driving cars more connected and safer, and with less human involvement.

Nissan and BMW unveiled plans to use Microsoft’s personal assistant technology, Cortana, with their cars. Honda became the first major manufacturer to develop an electric concept car specifically designed for ride-sharing. And as for self-driving cars – Nissan announced it would bring autonomous driving support to its Leaf electric car, Hyundai introduced one that would be affordable enough for the masses, and Audi announced a partnership with Nvidia to bring self-driving cars to market by 2020.

At the 2016 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), POSCO showcased its advanced automotive steel products that are both strong and lightweight, making them uniquely suited for the electric cars of the future.

The weight of POSCO’s advanced auto steel is about 26.4 percent lighter compared to that used in most mid-sized vehicles. But despite being lighter, it received the highest level possible ratings from Europe and North America’s automobile collision evaluation Institute, Euro NCAP and IIHS.

In addition, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), which measures the amount of CO2 discharged throughout the entire life cycle from material production to recycling, showed that emissions from the internal combustion engine body were 50 percent lower. Electric car emissions were also decreased by about 9 percent.

POSCO’s advanced auto steel is uniquely developed to be lighter and stronger for the cars of the future

The displayed products included the new PosM Steel and hot press forming steel (HPF). PosM Steel is a “dream material” for car manufacturers because it is five times stronger than other steel in terms of machinability while also having an impact absorption of up to 100 kg per mm². While many steelmakers have been developing PosM Steel type steel, it has never been produced on a commercial scale before. In addition, POSCO’s HPF steel is stronger than many other steel alloys making it a good solution for manufacturers looking to improve car safety.

POSCO currently supplies advanced auto steel sheets to car and component manufacturers, including Toyota, Volkswagen, and GM. POSCO has 10 automobile production plants and 24 machining centers around the globe. In addition to providing its World Premium Products, POSCO also provides Solution Marketing services that offer customized technologies developed in-house (such as welding and molding) that are customized to fit a customer’s unique needs depending on the product and manufacturing process.

Innovations in the transportation industry require big ideas, big investments, and new technological advancements. Right now, all of these seem to be coming together for what is expected to be some big changes. If the investors at Hyperloop and SkyTran have their way, pretty soon we will be able to travel across Europe on a Hyperloop, transfer to a SkyTran, and arrive in our hotel in less than an hour.

*Cover photo courtesy of Hyperloop One.

But to fully enjoy those winter sports, you need to have the right equipment for the season. Playing on the ice requires skates, while sliding down the snow-covered slopes requires skis – or even a bobsled or luge, for the serious winter sports enthusiast.

All these sports require steel. So let’s take a look at the role steel plays in bringing our favorite winter sports to life.

Slashing Across the Ice with Steel Skates

Whether it’s for ice hockey, figure skating or just a leisurely recreational skate, a pair of skates and a big sheet of ice is one of the most popular ways of having fun during the winter.

Actually, the oldest known skates are around 5,000 years old, and were made from the leg bones of large animals. But around the 14th century, people in the Netherlands started using iron runners, which were attached to people’s shoes with leather straps. Back then, people used poles to push themselves over the ice, but with the invention of double-edged blades around the year 1500, people gained the ability to push and glide directly with their skates. Finally, in the 19th century, steel began to be used for skates, giving them the strength needed for modern winter sports.

For today’s skates, typically the blades use tempered carbon steel that has been heat treated, and then covered in chrome – although some also use aluminum or stainless steel, and others even use titanium. The more high-end blades use better grades of steel than less expensive types. Because an important part of skating well is the blade’s edge, stronger grades of steel help hold the sharpness of the edge longer, so can go longer between sharpening.

Skate blades are thin – for hockey, usually just over 3 millimeters, while goalie and figure skater skates can be a bit wider. Surprisingly, though, the blades are not just a flat piece of metal. In fact, skate blades have a concave groove or “hollow” in them, so each blade actually touches the ice in two spots. This gives each blade an inside and outside edge, making them faster and more powerful.

Skis and Other Downhill Devices

Recently, we looked at how steel has proven pivotal for downhill fun as it is the main material in ski lifts. But in addition to helping people get up those big, snow-covered hills, steel also helps them come down again.

That’s because the serious downhill sports go seriously fast, and that means major stress on the equipment (and on the rider). Skis and snowboards typically have a thin strip of steel around the edge to strengthen the board and help carve the snow and ice better while turning.

In bobsledding, teams used to have a lot more latitude for coming up with their own sleds, so they would experiment with different alloys for the blades. But since 2006, the bobsledding governing body announced a set of standards for the steel blades, so now everyone uses the same type of metal.

Luge and skeleton are two more high-speed sleds, but much smaller than the bobsled. Their frames are made of steel, and brakes are forbidden in the competitive models. Only on the luge do participants start sitting on the sled, whereas for the skeleton and bobsled they take a running start. For luge, they travel feet-first, while skeleton is head first. The luge also comes in one-person and two-person versions.

The sleds do vary a bit in their steel blades, though. Skeletons have tubular steel blades, which have a larger surface area and slow the sled a bit, whereas luge blades are sharped steel, for maximum speed. But for all these sports, steel blades form the connection between the rider and the ice, creating the foundation for their incredible speeds (lugers can reach 140 kilometers per hour).

Snow Machines

Sometimes to get through the deep snow – when you don’t have a big, steep slope handy – you need an engine to power you along. One of the most popular machines of winter, for those living in the great outdoors, is the snowmobile, which can be both practical and fun.

Of course, steel has long been an integral part of the internal combustion engine. In addition, snowmobiles rely on steel for a variety of other parts. The skis at the front of the snowmobile can be made from a variety of materials, including steel. Studs, which go through the track to create traction, are usually made from steel, too, providing strong, durable traction in the snow and ice.

There is also another steel machine that is as slow as the snowmobile is fast, but it is vital for skaters so they can enjoy an ice rink – the resurfacer (commonly known as a Zamboni). Weighing some 2,500 kilograms, a resurfacer needs to carry upwards of 380 liters of water, along with the blades and other equipment it uses to clean the ice and lay down a new coating of water. A resurfacer needs steel for the strength to support such a heavy machine plus the durability in cold conditions.

Winter is an exciting season with a whole range of special games and sports. And thanks to steel, there are even more fun things we can do.

Conquering Mountains with Steel

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Each year for a decade, 100 students from universities around Korea have joined Beyond, looking to make a difference in people’s lives. The Beyond home-building program is called “Steel House.” This summer, following their inauguration ceremony at POSCO Center, the volunteers travelled around Korea to build the innovative steel homes. Dividing into teams of 20 people each, they traveled to Yangpyeong, Pohang, Incheon, Yecheon and Gwangyang, building homes for people in need all over Korea.

Previous home-building typically was done with bricks and mortar as well as wood. But these Beyond-built homes use steel throughout the construction, from foundations to finish.

Steel Creates Stronger, Safer Homes

Steel frames allow homes to be more spacious, as less floor space is taken up by the walls, while the frame allows for better heat and sound insulation. Plus, because these steel homes can be built so much faster than regular homes, it minimizes the resources and pollution needed for construction.

Each house uses the POSCO World Premium product PosMAC, specially adapted for construction to improve its durability. For the exterior, multicolor steel technology from POSCO C&C was combined with ribbed profile extruded panels to produce strong, beautiful homes.

Once each house was finished, the volunteers held a completion ceremony, celebrating their hard work, offering energetic performances and plenty of fun.

“The steel house activity means a lot to me because I can learn the value of working hard together,” said Beyond volunteer Eunji Hwang. “Having a cold glass of water after a long day’s work really felt good.”

The Beyond volunteers intend to take their good works beyond the borders of Korea, too. They’re going to be gathering in Vietnam in January to continue helping others, this time at Vietnam POSCO Village.

Building Bridges Over Troubled Waters

With significant facilities in Vietnam, POSCO has long been active there in lending a helping hand. For example, with the heavy rains Vietnam experiences for six months of the year, people there often have to deal with flooding.

So POSCO Beyond volunteers, together with volunteers from the local POSCO affiliates like POSCO SS VINA and POSCO E&C and local suppliers, came together earlier this year to build a steel bridge for one community.

Large steel bridges, equipped with steel handrails to hold on to, can span longer distances than existing concrete and wooden bridges and are more stable even in the worst flooding conditions. Thanks to POSCO’s bridge, now local children can get to school safely no matter the weather, and villagers can travel safely, too.

To see why steel bridges can be so important to these Vietnamese villages and how they make a difference in so many lives, check out this video:

At POSCO, our offices all over the world remain focused on improving the communities around them. Whether building homes or bridges, these are just a few more examples of the power steel has to better people lives, offering a more secure and happier future.

On Track to Globalization

The track, one of the most fundamental parts of railway infrastructure, has evolved from an ancient design of vehicle guidance, which some say date back to the Sumerian culture of 2000 BCE. Just before the Industrial Revolution, the majority of tracks consisted of horse-drawn wagonways that incorporated wooden rails. In the mid-eighteenth century, iron rails became more widely used, but could only be produced in short lengths, and were brittle, fragile and quickly became uneven under heavy loads, making them quite costly to maintain.

It wasn’t until 1857 that the first durable steel rails were made by British metallurgist and businessman Robert Forester Mushet, who provided the foundation for the development of rail transportation throughout the world. The first of Mushet’s rails were laid at an especially heavily trafficked part of the Derby Midland Railway Station in England, where previous rails had to be renewed at least every six months. Yet, after six years, Mushet’s rails seemed as good as new, despite the fact that over 700 trains had passed over them on a daily basis.

As a stronger material, steel steadily replaced iron for use on railways and allowed considerably longer lengths of rails to be rolled. Today, there are high speed trains that use steel wheels on steel tracks that can travel at ridiculously high speeds. The Shanghai Maglev in China, for example, can transport commuters at a whopping top speed of 430 kilometers per hour (about 267 miles an hour). Furthermore, advancements such as personal rapid transit vehicles such as Suncheon City’s SkyCube developed by POSCO, are changing the concept of rail travel altogether.

Sky-High Steel

Wood was the primary material used for most early airplanes, though there had been an all-metal plane as early as World War I. At this time, the useful load—crew, fuel, and weapons, for example—had to increase significantly, and the speed, altitude ceiling and range had to become much greater for planes to function as military instruments. As such, aircraft designers had to transition from the wood-and-fabric biplane to the all-metal, streamline monoplane.

The Junkers J-1 was the first cantilevered wing all-metal airplane and was developed for low-level, front-line observation and attack. Although heavy, cumbersome and slow to take off, it proved to be efficient and provided effective protection against ground-fire.

Planes have since been constructed from metal, though mostly aluminum, thanks to its light weight and strength. Yet, because steel can be up to four times stronger and three times stiffer, it is still utilized for certain aircraft components such as landing gear, where strength and hardness are especially important. It has also been used for the skin of some high-speed airplanes, because it holds its strength at higher temperatures better than aluminum.

Mind the Ash to Mind the Gap

The world’s first underground train, on the world’s first metro system (now known as the London Underground), traveled three-and-a-half miles from Paddington to Farringdon on January 9, 1863. Another 29 years passed before Chicago became the second city to boast a metro, while New York began operation of its rapid transit system in 1904. Before it went underground, the latter was initially an elevated railway that was served by steam engines that spilled ash and cinder on pedestrians below. Yet, with advancements in steel innovation, electrified trains allowed the operators of the lines to introduce cleaner locomotives.

Metro-building accelerated from the 1960s, in reaction to the growth of increasing urbanization and sprawling mega-metropolises around the world. At that time, train cars that were once built with wood were replaced by stainless steel cars, which saved operators money, as the sturdier, longer-lasting material reduced the overall weight of each car and lowered the amount of electrical power to move them. As it turns out, these same steel cars still provide unintended benefits, as they are helping breathe new life into the world’s oceans.

Now, most rapid transit trains operate on a conventional steel wheel/steel rail system, in which power is commonly delivered by a third rail or by overhead wires. These days, almost 190 cities have metros, with more to come amid a fresh spurt of construction in developing, congested countries.

As technology quickly accelerates and transportation continues to better connect our world, it is certain steel will remain to play a major role in how we get around.

It Takes a Village

The POSCO Village started in 2010 to provide safe housing to low-income residents of Vietnam. The project’s goal is to complete the construction of 128 houses. Currently, 43 houses are complete and 85 are under construction. A project to complete the remaining houses is a joint effort of the POSCO 1% Foundation, the local government and HABITAT. They are also planning the construction of water supply and sewage systems for the residents in the Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, where 25 percent of residents live below the poverty line. The project provides learning sessions to guide residents on how to build and manage houses. POSCO 1% Foundation was established in 2013, and is funded by the donations of POSCO employees who donate one percent of their monthly salaries. It was founded to support and empower impoverished communities, while still preserving the local traditions.

The Global Volunteer Group

Volunteers from the POSCO Global Volunteer Group have been working on the construction of these homes since August 1, putting their summer vacation time to good use. The group is made of fifty carefully chosen members who build houses during the hot days and prepare for move-in ceremonies in the evenings. The POSCO Global Volunteer Group also visited an orphanage in the neighborhood, delivering clothes and toys for the children. Through their community support initiatives, the volunteers are hoping to connect with the residents.  

Building a Community

Says Choi Hyang-sook, a volunteer from POSCO Humans, “Despite my physical disability, I have a happy work life at POSCO Humans, a standard workplace for the disabled. I hope others can also overcome their current difficulties and enjoy their lives. POSCO Global Volunteers are all different ages and have many different jobs, but we are joining together to help local people live in a house built by their own hands.” Whether you travel or not for summer vacation, there are many ways to make your time off as meaningful and memorable as possible. You can find ways to volunteer your time and effort in your local community, as well as communities beyond.

Košice, Slovakia: A Steel-Inspired Capital of Culture

As one of the oldest industrial hubs of Slovakia, steel production has played a vital role in the economy of the eastern city of Košice for quite some time. The main development of iron started in the 13^th century and the technology of steel production progressively improved until 1959 when a deed was signed for a modern metallurgy plant. Five decades later, the Košice mill has developed into a steel-producing plant that has managed to widely reach the markets and achieve a position among significant steel producers.

 Košice has since reforged itself into a city of the arts, and was designated “European Capital of Culture” in 2013, along with Marseille, France, for its efforts to transform dilapidated industrial structures into contemporary art galleries, performance theaters and independent culture centers. In addition to the city’s gorgeous Gothic architecture, it is also home to the renowned ice hockey team HC Košice that plays regularly at the Steel Aréna. (Image: http://bit.ly/1CjHtVM )

Visakhapatnam, India: Steelworks on the Sea

Often coined The Jewel of the East Coast, the port city of Visakhapatnam was identified as one of the fastest-growing in the world, economically and demographically, with steel playing an important role.

In the 1970s, Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, announced the government’s decision to establish a steel plant at Visakhapatnam. It has since become the only Indian shore-based steel plant and is situated on 33,000 acres, making the city a gateway for the development of the steel industry.

In addition to its flourishing economy, Visakhapatnam’s beaches, hilltop parks, caves and wildlife sanctuaries have helped the city become a significant tourist destination of natural beauty. Its serene temples, such as Simhachalam Temple, allow visitors to experience the spiritual side of India. (Image: http://bit.ly/1JR9l3k )

Pittsburgh, USA: The Original Steel City

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania became one of the most well-known steel cities in the world during the American Civil War, when the city’s economy was amplified by the increased production of iron and weaponry. By 1911, Pittsburgh was producing half of the nation’s steel, and during World War II, the city saw local mills operate 24 hours a day to produce 95 million tons of the metal.

Today, Pittsburgh may not produce as much as it did in its heyday, but the “Steel City” still boasts more than 300 steel-related businesses and visitors can even go on steel tours. Additionally, the city’s most visited attractions, such as the Carnegie Museum, founded by Andrew Carnegie, the most influential figure in the expansion of America’s steel industry, as well as Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, a stunning house that uses steel as a main building material, are a testament to the importance the metal still plays in this historical and cultural city. Sports fans shouldn’t miss out on a Steelers football game. (Image: http://bit.ly/1LPF7jt )

Newcastle, Australia: Surf & Steel

When military rule ended in 1823, the penal settlement that was originally Newcastle advanced into a pioneer town. The dawn of the 20^th century saw the city evolve into a site for steelworks, due to its abundance of coal. In 1915, a local steelworks opened, beginning a period of some 8 decades in which Newcastle’s fortunes were brought on by the steelworks and heavy industries. A deadly earthquake struck in 1989 and ten years later, the steelworks closed after 84 years of operation, having employed about 50,000 throughout its existence.

Creative repurposing has transformed the old and outdated to new and trendy, and art projects and festivals have allowed inner-city neighborhoods to prosper. It is along the sandy shores of “Best in Travel”-ranked Newcastle that bohemian culture meets surf culture and top-rated restaurants overlook an industrial port. Today, even as Newcastle embraces its rough-and-tumble industrial past, it is continuously looking to the future as a regional capital of creativity and cool.

Whether you’re traveling to the Australian coast or the cultural capital of Slovakia, these vacation destinations forged from steel and sweat have plenty to offer travelers seeking new experiences and wanting to explore unfamiliar lands. Safe travels this summer! (Image: http://bit.ly/1H6mPVJ )

Interview with Editor of The Birth of “Bloom in Daewoo”- the First Collected Works of Employees

Everybody is familiar with books, but what about producing a book? Right, this article is to share “Fleet of Time” collected works edited, published and produced by Daewoo Shanghai.

This book consists of over 40 essays about company events, travels, and social issues that were written by employees from 2011 to 2014. It took about two weeks to complete and left a conclusion that it is “an aggravating process with a happy ending”. Therefore, POSCO-China has interviewed Nana Ma, one of the initiators of the publication, and shared her spirit and ingenuity embodied in the book with us.

Q：What kind of book is it?

A：This book is a record of all the articles of Daewoo Shanghai employees who have been contributing to “E-Spirit” journals since 2011. The book also includes some fabulous pictures that were submitted in travel photography contests organized by the company in the past two years.

Q：Why was the book edited internally instead of finding an outsourcer?

A：When the personnel manager told me that the general manager suggested internally editing the book, I considered it as a compulsory task so I was feeling only awkward, in Chinese, “Jiong”. There are many professional agents that specialize in publishing and printing books in the market. Everything will be taken good care of as long as our requirement is clear. So I started searching for such agents. However, the problem is that 100 prints are not enough for mass production whereas the overall expense is much more than that of printing 1,000 copies. Taking into account the cost of designing the page layout and back and forth communication with the agent for modification requests, this would be a time consuming, effort demanding and costly task. Eventually, we decided to select content, compile and proofread on our own and delegate only printing task to the agent.

Q：Did you come across any difficulty during the work? How did you overcome it?

A：However, as I think further, I wondered, ‘how can it be possible?’. I am only a little office clerk and have not ever worked professionally in publishing before. How can I know about page and layout design? Despite the anxious feeling, I had to carry on the task! Working as a deputy, witnessing our personnel manager implementing the project with a calm and organized manner. With ease and a step-by-step process from gathering materials, I felt more confident af if I have taken a sedative pill and started assisting my personnel manager on the project.

(The lady on the right is Nana Ma.)

Q：And what has attracted your continued attention during the editing process?

A：We sorted out all the articles in “E-Spirit” journals and image options from travel photography contests of each year. As a next step, we designed page layouts, unified line spacings, printed out pages, made a review, and manually adjusted the image formats in each article. Then, we classified into sections based on topics, created the index, designed the cover page, thought about titles together with colleagues, proofread the content and made modification page by page. New Year messages were appended at the end of the book, with collection of our pictures, wishes and prospects for the upcoming 2015. Our two weeks battle is summarized into only a few sentences. After receiving the final prints, seeing everybody like it, I felt so proud as if I am a child receiving compliments by others. My final impression: an annoying process with a happy ending.

This content has been created by Meng Jiaxi from POSCO-China.