The 2024 Global Volunteer Week, POSCO’s special volunteer service event, was held from May 23 to 31. More than 20,000 POSCO employees in Korea and other countries participated in large-scale volunteer work to practice sharing. POSCO Newsroom has taken vivid photos of the volunteer activities carried out by overseas subsidiary employees worldwide. Let’s meet them!

▲ The center director of POSCO-TNPC and eight employees made and delivered a donation set (including a 2-month supply of diapers) to support low-income families such as single mothers and disabled children at the Women’s Support Center in Bursa. It was meaningful in that the costs of the donated sets were funded by savings in electricity bills and costs associated with replacing the company’s LEDs and purchasing waste paper collection boxes.

▲ POSCO-ASSAN TST employees visited a kindergarten near its head office, created a new playground using waste wood, and performed environmental improvement by repainting old play equipment.

▲ POSCO-PWPC visited a nearby organization for disabled children and held an event to promote Korean culture through Korean language classes. The 10 participating employees communicated with the children by teaching them simple Korean greetings and writing their names in Korean.

▲ Four POSCO-Brazil employees conducted environmental cleanup activities at Bosque de Barra Park in downtown Rio de Janeiro on May 28.

▲ POSCO-Mexico employees volunteered to make bread at the Hope Center in downtown Altamira with officials from the Tamaulipas State Department of Welfare. This volunteer activity was especially meaningful in that employees and their families participated.

▲ Employees of four POSCO-MPPC factories carried out various volunteer activities for nine days. Employees of Factory 1 visited a local daycare center, painted classroom walls and floors, and cleaned vegetables and fruits to be delivered to nearby neighbors in need at a food bank. Employees of Factory 2 visited the government agency DIF and donated walkers, canes, and computers. They also visited a public kindergarten and donated playground equipment and computers. Employees of Factory 3 painted a government-supported soup kitchen, and those of Factory 4 visited a local orphanage and donated chairs.

▲ POSCO-MVWPC’s 42 employees visited a local school to paint the exterior walls of the school buildings and replace floor tiles, creating comfortable areas throughout the school to encourage students’ learning activities.

▲ All 52 employees of the AAPC Factory in the United States collected waste around each business site as part of their environmental cleanup activities.

▲ POSCO-America’s nine employees visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery to pay their respects and collected trash around the tombstone.

▲ POSCO-Australia employees held a joint event with KCCA, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and discussed plans for charity activities, and 55 members and their families participated in a charity walking competition to support children with neuroblastoma and completed a 5-kilometer walking course.

▲ POSCO-Western Australia employees conducted environmental cleanup by collecting trash around the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Kings Park, Perth, Western Australia and cleaned pollutants from the monument.

▲ Thirty-five members of the Mexican Trading Corporation’s volunteer group visited a child and youth protection center in Mexico City, donated various items, and interacted with the children by playing piñata, a traditional Mexican game. (Right) Eight members of the POSCO International Mexico Motor Core Corporation visited a nearby elementary school, presented a first aid kit, cleaning supplies, and school supply sets, and held a tree planting ceremony.

▲ (Left) Nine members of a volunteer group at POSCO International Brazil’s Sao Paulo office donated relief goods for recovery from a flood to victims of heavy rain in Ihu Grande do Sul, Brazil. (Right) Eleven members of the POSCO International BA branch’s volunteer group donated daily necessities and served dinner to low-income and disabled families in a slum in Buenos Aires.

▲ (Left) Eight members of the Bogota branch visited the Red Cross in Bogota and practiced love for their neighbors by donating blood. (Right) Five members of the Panama branch’s volunteer group visited the Panama Canal Miraflores Visitor Center to collect trash and carry out environmental cleanup activities.

▲ Volunteer groups at the German and Italian trading corporations visited a park near the head office and carried out environmental cleanup activities.

▲One hundred and nineteen members of the Uzbek Cotton Corporation’s volunteer group carried out environmental cleaning activities inside and outside the corporation’s factory and around the Fergana region.

▲ (Left) Five members of the Dammam branch’s volunteer group visited nearby Al Khor Beach and carried out environmental cleanup activities on the shore by collecting trash discarded by tourists. (Right) Six members of the Cairo branch’s volunteer group planted 20 lemon trees and 20 pomegranate trees around El Horreya Women’s Hospital.

▲ Eight members of the Johannesburg branch’s volunteer group carried out environmental cleanup activities by picking up trash around the branch office and removing fallen leaves that had been neglected for a long time.

▲ Eleven members of the Tokyo head office’s volunteer group planted flowers in flower beds at nearby Tsukiji River Ginza Park, cleaned up the area around the park, visited a senior center to clean balconies and windows on each floor and organized the garden.

▲ Members of the Osaka branch’s volunteer group visited a nearby orphanage and provided necessary items such as strollers, car seats, and rice and served meals to the homeless in the park.

▲ (Left) Thirteen members of the Nagoya branch’s volunteer group carried out environmental cleanup activities in the Nagoya Castle area. (Right) Twenty-six members of the Beijing branch’s volunteer group visited a nearby senior welfare center to donate necessary items, make meat dumplings, and serve a warm dinner to local seniors living alone.

▲ (Left) Five members of the Qingdao branch’s volunteer group visited a nearby cherry farm, helped with the harvest, purchased cherries produced by the farm, and donated them to a local nursing home. (Right) Six members of the Wuhan branch’s volunteer group visited a childcare facility and presented daily necessities and study materials to the children.

▲ (Left) POSCO-CORE’s volunteer group visited the Yanzi Lake’s Ecological Park near the company and carried out environmental cleanup activities. (Right) Forty-five members of PT. BIA’s volunteer group collected trash around the residences of Papua Palm Farm employees and maintained drainage channels.

▲ (Left) Eleven members of the Labor-Management Council-PT. BIA corporation’s volunteer group donated children’s art supplies to a kindergarten near the company. (Right) Five members of PT. KPE’s volunteer group delivered donations needed to cook lunch boxes to Sewan Village in Indonesia and then participated in cooking.

▲(Left) Twelve members of the Indonesia E&P Corporation’s volunteer group visited a major park in Jakarta and carried out environmental cleanup activities, collecting various types of trash. (Right) Twenty members of the MPCC volunteer group of the Myanmar PRC Corporation and hotel corporation donated 35 sacks of rice and towels for two months to Agape Orphanage Center and carried out residential environment improvement activities by replacing old roofs.

▲(Left) One hundred and twenty-nine members of the Gas Field Operations Office’s volunteer group visited the Yangon Education Center for the Blind and donated braille printing paper, shampoo, toothpaste, and various snacks. (Right) Thirteen members of the Singapore Trading Corporation’s volunteer group carried out volunteer work at the Lions Befrienders Senior Welfare Center by packing and donating goodie bags containing daily necessities such as ramen, canned food, biscuits, and toiletries.

▲(Left) Ten members of the Indian Motor Core corporation’s volunteer group provided snacks and school supplies to boarding schools for children from single-parent and low-income families. Twelve members of the Manila branch’s volunteer group carried out environmental cleanup activities at Manila Baywalk Dolomite Beach. (Right) Seven members of the Sydney branch’s volunteer group participated in activities to remove parasitic trees and preserve native trees to protect the forest at the Field of Mars Reserve in Sydney.

Although the regions, environments, and languages ​​are different,
the hearts of POSCO Group executives and employees have become one through ‘sharing.’
POSCO Group’s volunteer activities for coexistence with the local community will continue in the future.
We ask for your interest and support!

The U.S. is the birthplace of many iconic figures, movies, and buildings. The Statue of Liberty is one such work of art which stands as a symbol of freedom and independence. The Empire State building is another architectural icon in the center of New York, a city which in and of itself represents the U.S. Although these monuments appear majestic on the exterior, it is their interior composition that has kept them standing tall all these years. These and other international iconic structures embody the limitless ways steel builds culture around the globe.

The Statue of Liberty

A Gift from the French

An early sketch of the Statue of Liberty (Image courtesy of Copper Development Association Inc.)

More than a hundred years ago, the French sent a giant gift to celebrate America’s independence and to honor their friendship. The Statue of Liberty was first assembled in France, taken apart, shipped to the U.S. and then erected once more. It still stands tall, but even stronger today thanks to some important improvements made along the way.

As the Leaning Tower of Pisa is to Italy and the Eiffel Tower is to France, the Statue of Liberty embodies and represents America’s values of freedom and independence. Although Lady Liberty looks as smooth and stunning as her first debut, her journey was nothing short of rocky.

The statue was assembled in the U.S. in 1886. The iron and copper figure stood the test of time for almost 100 years. However, from 1982 to 1986, the statue underwent major reparations to so that Lady Liberty could make it to her centennial anniversary in 1986. It was a costly effort, and interestingly, marked one of the earliest joint efforts between the private and public sectors to fund a public project.  

What was wrong with Lady Liberty?

In short, the Statue of Liberty can be broken down into three main parts: the copper exterior (a sheet of copper that covers the entire statue), the internal skeleton or pylon made of puddled iron, and the Armature (a frame that connects the copper exterior to the internal skeleton).

The armature is made up of iron bars, 1300 of them, weighing 20 pounds each. Due to concerns about corrosion, layers of protective materials were applied to the bars, such as coal tar, aluminum, and lead. The coating itself weathered over the years and began to trap moisture. Thus, the iron started to rust.

Engineers decided to replace the entire armature, but with what?

Four prospective materials underwent extensive testing:

1. Aluminum bronze
2. Cupro-nickel
3. Ferralium
4. Stainless steel

The obvious choice was stainless steel as it would not rust, but also gift builders with its elasticity, light-weight, strength, and ductility.

Ten years after the repairs, in 1996, inspectors deemed the armature corrosion-resistant and it has remained so ever since. It would have been wiser and less costly to start with steel in the first place, as the engineers of the Empire State Building did, but it seems even steel could use… even more steel.

A Steel on Steel Testament

The Empire State Building Stands tall in the middle of New York City

In the Big Apple, The 86-year-old Empire State Building also recently underwent enhancements. Engineers added 39 tons of steel plates onto the building’s existing steel mast (the pointy part at the top, also known as the tower) to improve its carrying capacity.  

The planning for this project alone took over two years. Steelworkers, engineers, and builders had to take into account the bustling city below. High winds were another factor to consider. In the end, engineers came up with a cocoon-like encasing to be placed around the tower at the top of the building during construction to keep falling pieces in and strong winds out.  

Once set inside the cocoon, workers began wielding 39 tons worth of steel bars and plates onto the tower. The process was tedious as steel parts could only be transported into the cocoon in small pieces.  

In the end, the sturdier mast with a greater carrying capacity was worth the struggle.

The Empire State Building was built in 1931 and was the tallest building in the world at the time. Due to its unique design, the American Society of Civil Engineers named it one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. It is also a significant part of American culture, as the Empire State Building has been featured in more than 90 movies, including “King Kong” in 1933.  

Every year, the Empire State Building generates more than $100 million in revenue. About 20% of the revenue comes from the antennas attached to the 200-ft-tall steel broadcast tower. The remaining 80% is generated by the flocks of tourists that visit from all over the world, confirming the Empire State Building as an international landmark.  

However, it is not the only building receiving international attention and recognition.

The Leaning Tower of Abu Dhabi

The Capital Gate Building in Abu Dhabi, UAE leans westward in the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre complex (Image courtesy of Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center)

Abu Dhabi is another country where steel lays the foundation for iconic buildings. The Capital Gate Building may not have a long history, but it is an architectural wonder. It is often compared to Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa, but it has four times leaner The Capital Gate leans to the west a whopping 18 degrees.

How is this possible?

Engineers used a technique called pre-cambered core. Basically, they offset the core to counter the gravitational force created by the leaning mass of the building. The core or base of the building is a 7-foot mass of steel mesh and concrete locked down to almost 500 piles, which are drilled 100 feet into the ground. The external skeleton called a diagrid is also made of steel. These features, as well as some extensive math equations, allow the building to stand tall, at an angle.

The landmark leans in the center of the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre complex and the Capital Centre master development. It captured international attention when The Guinness Book of World Records confirmed the Capital Gate Building as the “World’s furthest leaning man-made tower” in 2010.  

The list of iconic steel structures is endless…

Although the ones we discussed are just three iconic structures, it’s easy to see why steel makes up so many other buildings, statues, and memorials all over the world.  In the U.S. alone, iconic structures such as the Brooklyn Bridge, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and the Willis (Formerly Sears) Tower are all made of steel.

Steel is cheaper, more sustainable and more durable than other materials such as iron and wood.

In addition, emerging technology will only further enhance the compatibility of steel for architecture and construction. One promising area of innovation is 3D printing for buildings.

The Mesh Mould 3D Printer developing a steel frame (Image courtesy of Gramazio Kohler Research)

Printing Steel in 3D

The typical concrete construction process consists of:

1. Setting up a steel/metal frame (rods) for the building
2. Pouring concrete over the rods
3. Formwork- using a wooden “shell” to hold the concrete in place as it dries

The problem with this process is the formwork. Because custom-made formwork is extremely expensive and non-reusable, builders opt for standardized, block-shaped formwork. This limits design creativity on top of the economic and environmental inconvenience.

Mesh Mould is a digital 3D printer in the works by researchers at the ETH Zürich research institute. The printer would produce steel frameworks that are both fine and dense, so that poured concrete would not seep out before it solidifies. The developers of Mesh Mould also created a special concrete mix to accompany the steel frames. Mesh Mould would eliminate formwork completely. Not only will this make the whole construction process more sustainable, it will lower material expenses and also save time. Others have taken notice as well. Mesh Mould received the 2016 Swiss Technology Award.

Statues, building, and monuments can be made of numerous different materials. However, when exploring iconic buildings and monuments that have stood the test of time and breached scientific barriers, steel proves to be the perfect fit.

Considered the “Steel City” of the United Kingdom, Sheffield was internationally known as a major hub in steel production during the 19^th century. It singlehandedly propelled the Industrial Revolution, establishing itself as the manufacturing center of the UK.

It ultimately sealed its reputation as a powerhouse synonymous with steel after a string of local innovations, including crucible and stainless steel.

However, Sheffield’s economy went into decline in the 20^th century due to the recession and rising global competition. It still managed to retain its powerful history, and in current times, is seeing a reincarnation of its former self.

It’s no longer the bustling picture of steel mills, forges and cutlery factories it once was, but Sheffield has created a new urban landscape for itself, filled with modern sculptures, an irreplicable cultural scene and a slew of remarkable universities.

Still, “Sheffield Steel” remains an important part of Sheffield’s identity — and through noteworthy attractions occupying its regions, it continues its solid legacy in steel.

Rounding out Sheffield’s Inventive History – Kelham Island Industrial Museum

Located in Sheffield’s oldest industrial districts, the Kelham Island Industrial Museum stands on a centrally located man-made island that is over 900-years-old, named after the town armourer at the time.

Since opening in 1982, the museum has featured Sheffield’s story of industrialization in various exhibitions – ranging from the city’s trading history to the legendary workmanship behind “Made in Sheffield” steel products.

Some of the can’t-miss sights of the museum include reconstructed examples of little mesters’ workshops, highlighting the craftspeople behind the city’s famous cutlery and tools, and England’s largest surviving Bessemer converter.

The Kelham Island Museum is one of the three heritage sites that make up the Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust (SIMT), and one of the city’s most popular cultural attractions.

A Day in the Life of a Victorian Steelworker – Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet

Residing in the south of the city, the Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet is another heritage site that plays a part in the SIMT.

Abbeydale Works was once the largest water-powered industrial site on the River Sheaf, and has since transformed into a historical gem offers a glimpse into what life was really like for steelworkers during the 18^th to 19^th centuries.

The former steelworks site was used for iron forging for 500 years, particularly for making scythes, and was one of the first factories to produce high-quality stainless steel.

It was eventually abandoned after advancements in industrial technology and now serves as a relic detailing the inner-workings of an original steel factory.

Cherished Metals – Millennium Gallery

Alongside numerous exhibitions featuring the best of the arts, the Millennium Gallery in Sheffield proper features a metalwork collection cataloging perhaps the most extensive gathering of Sheffield-made cutlery and other related objects.

Cutlery is one of Sheffield’s most storied commodities, and the museum preserves the artifacts’ world-renowned designs and craftsmanship for the public to see.

The museum opened in 2001 as a core part of Sheffield’s “Heart of the City” project, a major redevelopment effort initiated by the city to regenerate the city’s center.

In conjunction with the metalwork collection, the Millennium Gallery is also home to other collections featuring Sheffield’s history, including watercolors, drawings, illustrated books, manuscripts and coins. Temporary exhibitions showcasing the influence of Sheffield’s steel tradition on contemporary works can be seen from time to time.

A Steel Commune – Portland Works

Finally, Sheffield’s inclination towards breeding artisans can be pinpointed to Portland Works – an old cutlery factory that was saved and redeveloped into an artists’ collective in 2013 by community shareholders.

The building is now inhabited by “makers” of all disciplines – from steel forging to gin distilling – and is filled with affordable, restored and retrofitted workshops to nurture the small-scale manufacturing that lives on in the Sheffield community.

Portland Works is also one of the oldest examples of a working metal trades factory. Amazingly, the forge that was built in 1879, where stainless steel was originally produced, is still in daily use. It is an emblem of how old and new practices have come to characterize Sheffield’s skillful community today.

Reincarnating Steel

Like many of the northern English cities that were once dependent on traditional industry, Sheffield is transforming itself to embrace a heritage wrought out in steel while surging ahead with modern developments.

It is a city that once tirelessly worked its way to be a leader in steel, and its industrious and creative capabilities have lasted throughout the years – ultimately contributing to the rich cultural scene the city holds today.

Steel City Highlight: Pohang, Korea

Steel City Highlight: Košice, Slovakia

Steel City Highlight: Birmingham, USA

Steel City Highlight: Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Steel City Highlight: Pittsburgh, USA

Be sure you never miss any of the exciting steel stories from The Steel Wire by subscribing to our blog.

The city is centralized by the ethos of POSCO, and has earned its character from it – yet it isn’t a barren industrial site filled with furnaces and mills. While many of its attractions have been inspired by the steelmaker, Pohang maintains a unique identity of a beach town that uses industry to support its community.

A Storied Steelmaker’s Home

Pohang is home to one of the largest industrial companies in Korea, POSCO, and the POSCO Museum celebrates its legacy. After 4 years of planning and construction, the specialized museum opened its doors in 2003, allowing visitors to learn about steel and the company’s history in great detail.

Korea does not have many museums dedicated to individual companies, but the fact that POSCO has established one exhibits its importance to the national economy. Its history goes back almost 50 years, and the museum interlaces exhibitions of steel’s universal history with the company’s own.

Visitors can stroll down the hallways to learn about the origins of Korean steelmaking starting in the third century B.C., its uses of the metals in the Korean War and finally, to the founding of POSCO and the innovations that have come as a result of the company’s efforts.

It also houses the Samhwagoro, which is the first melting furnace in Korea. The museum is all-encompassing in the realm of steel’s development in Korea, incorporating the company’s impact on the country and eventually, worldwide.

Steel and Art Collide

We don’t necessarily associate steel with beauty, but through the Pohang Steel Art Festival, we are able to see the metal transform into aesthetic masterpieces.

There aren’t that many festivals dedicated to steel art – which makes the festival an interesting exception. Pohang is a city that is rooted in steel, in particular thanks to POSCO, and the festival serves as an emblem of its local culture. The steel art pieces that are showcased are usually incredibly grand and striking, made by artists from around the country.

The Pohang Steel Art Festival runs annually during a short period during the fall, and the exhibition is organized to form a sculpture park on the city’s edge. Visitors can visit this “Garden of Steel” at their own leisurely pace, and there’s usually an extensive schedule with related events, from art tours to craft classes, tied to the festival.

It’s an exhibition that caters to the entire community, so recreational and educational activities are available for both adults and children, in order for everyone to enjoy and appreciate the wondrous qualities of merging steel and art together.

Celebrating Community

Pohang is also frequently called the “City of Light and Fire”, so it’s no surprise that their yearly fireworks festival is one of the most noteworthy attractions. The Pohang International Fire and Light Festival takes place during the summer, so that everyone can view the beautiful sparks illuminating the city’s night sky.

The fireworks show and accompanying parade all are held at Yeongildae Beach over multiple days, and there is even a prize given to the top display during the festival. International fireworks companies from all around the world, including China, France, Poland, Italy and Canada, have all put on exciting shows to exhibit their cutting-edge fireworks, garnering large crowds into Pohang for this remarkable spectacle.

But the festival is not just about fireworks. There is much more for visitors to experience – water sports, street dance competitions, badminton tournaments and even traditional song and dance performances – bringing the city together for a lively midsummer gathering.

Seaside Marvels

Last but not least, there is the tucked-away gem known as Homigot, also known as the tiger’s tail of Korea, located on the easternmost edge of country. This area is particularly known for being the perfect place to observe a beautiful sunrise, as the sun rises the earliest in this part of the country.

The Sunrise Square in Homigot is considered the center of this unique area, and is also the venue for the Homigot Sunrise Festival. The festival, which started in 1999, invites millions of visitors to make wishes and resolutions while watching the first sunrise of the year.

It’s also home to one of the most famous national sculptures, the Hands of Harmony. Gigantic bronze installations of two hands reaching out from the earth and ocean are an awe-inspiring sight, and the sculptures are meant to represent unity and coexistence. Visitors can experience the glowing sunrise through the hands’ fingers, taking in the calming presence of the sun and the sea.

The tallest lighthouse in Korea is also based in Homigot, alongside the National Lighthouse Museum.

A City of Tradition and Industry

Steel shapes the city of Pohang, but it still is able to maintain a singular charm through its cultural attractions, rather than surrendering to the industrial nature of the crucial metal. It is a city that is able to thrive through building its own history alongside POSCO’s permeating presence, and also comes through as a bastion of Korea’s significant relationship with steel.

Steel City Highlight: Košice, Slovakia

Steel City Highlight: Birmingham, USA

Steel City Highlight: Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Steel City Highlight: Pittsburgh, USA

Be sure you never miss any of the exciting steel stories from The Steel Wire by subscribing to our blog.

Merely hours away from Budapest and Prague, the city’s strategic location allowed it to rise to great power and wealth between the 13^th and 15^th centuries. It was a crucial intersection for trade routes, which also led it to grow into a melting pot of cultural overlaps.

Slovakia’s Economic Hub

One product, steel, eventually transformed the impoverished Slovakian town into a humming capitalist hub. Košice’s population quintupled after the 1950s when it was selected by the Soviet Union to house a steel mill, supplying weapons plants and overall industry throughout the Soviet bloc.

When the giant metallurgical steelworks Vychodoslovenske zeleziame (VSZ) was established in 1960, and post-war Košice became the seat of Slovakia’s economy. Its use of technology in steel manufacturing was one of the most innovative in the world – the advanced Slovak furnaces and mining techniques surpassed global competitors, and their production equipment still caters to a high standard today.

After Slovakia became independent from Czechoslovakia in 1993, it has gone beyond its steel city reputation to form its current cultural character. Steel accounted for much of the city’s heft until the Velvet Revolution, and currently, Košice is finding ways to implement its history in metallurgy into its evolving identity as a cultural destination.

Today, the relatively new independent status of Slovakia has allowed Košice to grow in many respects, and in 2013, it was even selected as the European City of Culture along with Marseille, France.

A Steel Center for Creativity

Since the European City of Culture nomination, the city of Košice’s efforts to branch out creatively can be easily seen in its most visible venture, Kasárne Kulturpark – Košice’s biggest culture center.

To prepare for its designation as a City of Culture, Kasárne Kulturpark was established from a complex of 19^th and 20^th-century military barracks in 2012 and 2013, and its aim was to be a multipurpose space for all forms of the arts.

It’s now considered the core of Košice’s creative industry – acting as the home for both small and large artistic associations and businesses by hosting exhibitions and events for contemporary art and new media.

Showcasing the Science Behind Steel

U.S. Steel (which acquired Slovakia’s largest steel company, VSZ) has had an active role in maintaining Košice’s steel industry, and one of the contributions it has made is SteelPark, an entertainment and technical center within Kasárne Kulturpark.

As a cooperative project with the city, U.S. Steel joined together with three Košice -based academic institutions, and built a creative factory to help foster interest in steel in both children and adults. Everything within the center pertains to steel – how it’s manufactured, the scientific processes it requires and many inventions related to the metal.

Meant to fuel creativity and knowledge, the Steel Park is a symbol of steel technology’s role in the lives of Košice citizens, and highlights steel’s ability to engage the public.

Preserving Steel’s History in Slovakia

The Slovak Technical Museum is the only museum in Slovakia dedicated to exploring the technical traditions of steel in Slovakian history. It originated in 1947, and is located in an 18^th century Baroque mansion in Košice.

The museum showcases many aspects of the steel trade – from a display depicting an underground mining facility, an energy collection with steam engines and turbines to an impressive collection of decorative wrought iron, the institution is meant to impress and inform outsiders of Slovakia’s innovations.

Alongside displaying scientific developments, it also features the country’s oldest planetarium and the Museum of Aviation.

A Steel City’s Sporting Legacy

Slovakia has a notable history in ice hockey, and the Steel Arena is a great place to discover the winter sport.

Before the Steel Arena opened in 2006, it was the L. Trojak Ice Hockey Arena, named after Ladislav Trojak, who was the first Slovak to win the World Championship with the Czechoslovakian national team. It’s now the home of the ice hockey club HC Košice, and was named after the club’s general sponsor, U.S. Steel Košice.

In 2011, Košice, along with Slovakia’s capital Bratislava, hosted the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship at the Steel Arena. With its advanced scoring technology and large capacity (it has 8,373 seats), the complex has become Slovakia’s major multipurpose complex to host various sporting, social and cultural events. It will also hold the next IIHF World Championship in 2019.

Connecting Through Steel

The culture of Košice is heavily centered around steel, and the city has created several major features in order to remind visitors and locals of its history. While its medieval façade has been replaced with pillars of apartment complexes, it still retains an aura of its past life under the Kingdom of Hungary.

The small city has had to survive under the reigns of surrounding nations, yet its gritty industrial characteristics have allowed it to shape itself into a worthwhile cultural capital of its own.

We can now see that Slovakia’s steel city has managed to carve out a special place in the Eastern bloc – with steel in the middle of it all.

Steel City Highlight: Birmingham, USA

Steel City Highlight: Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Steel City Highlight: Pittsburgh, USA

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Despite it’s fall, however, a recent start-up boom, supported by world class universities leading research into robotics, medicine and computer science, has breathed new life into the western Pennsylvania city. Bigger tech companies such as Facebook, Uber and Google have also recently set up local offices there.

Boasting a steady supply of new jobs, the city has begun to attract educated young people seeking new careers and opportunities.

This younger demographic has driven Pittsburgh’s booming food scene into the national spotlight. Zagat named the city America’s No. 1 Food Town of 2015 and Saveur called it a “beer and spirits destination.”

Pittsburgh’s recent transformation has enabled the city to once and for all shake its lingering reputation as a smoggy, blue collar steel town. But it has not forgotten its roots.

Blast Furnace Fun

In an effort to continue to revive the city, tourism officials and preservationists are now adapting defunct factory sites to tell the story of how Pittsburgh made its name.

The Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area is one example. This attraction has transformed the non-functioning Homestead Steel Works site, which at its peak produced a third of the nation’s steel, into an area that commemorates the rich history of the industry. Perhaps the highlight of the attraction is the guided tour of the Carrie Blast Furnaces.

Constructed in 1906, Carrie Furnaces 6 and 7 stood at the heart of U.S. Steel’s Homestead Works until 1979. At one point, the furnaces and the steelworkers who labored in them produced more than 1,000 tons of iron per day. These 28-meter-tall structures presently stand as sentinels to Pittsburgh’s steel heritage.

On the tour of the furnaces, guides—some of whom are former steel mill workers—lead visitors through the iron-making process, sharing the story of the site’s technology, workers and culture from its prime to the post-industrial present.

Visitors to the Rivers of Steel Heritage Area can also explore other converted industrial facilities, cycle the Great Allegheny Passage bike trail and admire numerous public artworks crafted from steel.

Symbolic Steel

Steel art can also be found in other parts of the city, with The Workers being one of the more famous installations.

Originally commissioned as a small project in 1997 by the City of Pittsburgh’s Department of City Planning, this collection of sculptures now stands big and tall, celebrating the Steel City’s heritage in an unconventional but impactful way.

The 6-meter-tall sculptures of steel men at work were fashioned from leftover scrap metal from abandoned Pittsburgh steel mills, an iron hot-metal ladle donated by another mill, and the ties from bridges that once carried steel’s raw materials across the city’s rivers. For 15 years, the creators of the project—24 artists of Pittsburgh’s Industrial Arts Co-op—collaborated with industrial, foundation and political entities to make this massive artwork a reality.

The mediums and techniques utilized to create The Workers are a testament to the unions that have set Pittsburgh in motion: unions between its people, workers and capital; between the land and the rivers that run through it; unions of the past, present and future.

The Workers commemorates the rich industrial steel heritage of the Pittsburgh region and honors the individuals who contributed to it, but also celebrates the modern evolution of one of the country’s rust belt and industrial cities into a contemporary, lively metropolis for people to live, work, create and contribute.

Steel City Highlight: Birmingham, USA

Steel City Highlight: Kaohsiung, Taiwan

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Prior to the conference, an executive committee was held on October 11. Interested parties from major companies in the steel industry including CEO Ohjoon Kwon; Wolfgang Eder, CEO of voestalpine and President of World Steel Association; Eiji Hayashida, CEO of JFE Steel; Mario Longhi, CEO of United States Steel; and Lakshmi Mittal, CEO of ArcelorMittal attended the committee. In the afternoon, a discussion on the outlook of the manufacturing industry was conducted by Mario Longhi.

At the annual conference on the following day, CEOs of steelmakers from around the world, as well as a number of interested parties, presented and discussed major issues faced by the steel industry, like energy and the environment, in addition to the short-term outlook for the global economy. After presenting the prospects of the economy and steel industry, CEO Kwon participated in the regional CEO discussion as a panel, sharing his diverse opinions.

Later on in the day, CEO Think Tank—a session in which attendees can freely choose and discuss a range of topics—was held so the executives could share their mutual interests related to the steel industry.

On the final day of the conference, the World Steel Association conducted a board meeting to approve major resolutions.

Established in 1967, the World Steel Association, or worldsteel, is the international organization of the highest authority in the steel industry. The association aims to promote steel and the steel industry to consumers, the industry, media and the general public. Founded with 18 members in 11 countries, the World Steel Association now represents approximately 170 steel producers, national and regional steel industry associations, and steel research institutes. Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, worldsteel members represent around 85 percent of world steel production.

CEO Kwon plans to meet with the Korea-U.S. Business Council which will convene on October 15 in Washington DC, USA, to discuss how to improve economic cooperation between the two countries.

Per the agreement, POSCO will supply over 300,000 tons of black plates to the OCC over the next three years, starting in November.

The OCC was established in 1993 in Ohio, USA as a joint venture company of TCC Steel (formally Dongyang Tinplate Corp. and U.S. steelmakers. With an annual tinplate (TP) production capacity of 300,000 tons, POSCO has been supplying black plate (BP) materials required for tinplating to the OCC since 2009.

The POSCO-OCC MOU signing ceremony was held at POSCO Center and was attended by James A. Tennant (CEO of OCC), Daeryong Ha (Senior Vice President of POSCO), Cheolsoon Nam (Head of Steel Division of Daewoo International) and Seokhee Cho (CEO of TCC Steel).

James A. Tennant, CEO of OCC said, “We couldn’t have been able to achieve the current growth without POSCO’s stable supply of BP materials. I hope that both parties can continue a stable business in the future through close cooperation and co-responding to trade issues of US.”

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 )

Just about everything – from the roof over your head to the device you’re reading this on – contains steel. It is one of the most commonly used materials in the world and has been for quite some time.

World crude steel production added up to about 1.662 billion tons in 2014, based on the 2014 World Crude Steel Production Performances reported by the World Steel Association (worldsteel). Yet despite these numbers, the outlook for the steel industry suggests slow growth for global steel demand, which is mostly a result of the deceleration in China and structural adjustments in most world economies.

Nevertheless, The World Steel Association’s Short Range Outlook (SRO) for 2015 and 2016 notes that even though the growth is expected to be slow, demand is still growing. They forecast that the apparent steel growth will increase by 0.5% in 2015 and 1.4% in 2016. Additionally, in developing and emerging nations, there is an increased optimism for growth, as the steel markets are beginning to exhibit the characteristics of mature markets.

For more information on The World Steel Association’s expected outcomes for 2015 and 2016, click here.

So, which countries claim the spots of the world’s top steel producers for now? Read on to find out and to learn some interesting steel-related facts about each.

5. South Korea

Crude Steel Production: 71 million tons

Interesting Fact:

Rising 270 meters above sea level, The Yi Sun-shin Bridge was opened in 2012 and links the cities of Gwangyang and Yeosu. It is the first suspension bridge to be made solely with Korean state-of-the-art technology and equipment, including 26,000 tons of steel rods and 24,000 tons of steel products. Extending 2,260 meters, it is the longest in Korea and the fourth longest in the world, surpassing even the Golden Gate Bridge. (Source: http://bit.ly/1crFdzx)

4. India

Crude Steel Production: 83.2 million tons

Interesting Fact:

The Lotus Temple, a Bahá’í House of Worship, is one of Delhi’s most iconic architectural feats and was designed in the form of a lotus flower to symbolize the religion’s cornerstones of purity and simplicity. The lotus has three sets of leaves or petals which are made out of thin concrete shells. At the top, a glass and steel roof provides protection from the elements and facilitates the entry of natural light. The temple also utilizes a number of steel reinforcements and structural steel staging. (Source: http://bit.ly/1zWQCTh)

3. United States

Crude Steel Production: 88.3 million tons

Interesting Fact:

In 1943, more than 1 billion pennies were made with steel because the United States was, at the time, engaged in World War II and copper was being rationed to make artillery. Steel pennies weigh 2.70 grams and are fairly lighter than traditional copper Lincoln pennies that weigh 3.11 grams. Today, these pennies are quite popular among coin collectors and are worth about 25-75 cents each. (Source: http://bit.ly/1cooLjx)

2. Japan

Crude Steel Production: 110.7 million tons

Interesting Fact:

Tokyo Tower, a communications and observation tower in Japan’s capital city, was built in 1958. It was constructed of steel, a third of which was scrap metal taken from 90 US tanks damaged in the Korean War. At 4,000 tons, it is significantly lighter than the Eiffel Tower, which weighs 7,000 tons, a result of exceptional advances in construction technology and steel manufacturing. (Source: http://bit.ly/1K3tHbS)

1. China

Crude Steel Production: 822.7 million tons

Interesting Fact:

The Chinese were the first people to combine carbon and iron to make steel. They’ve been making it since the first century BC in blast furnaces powered by the Asian monsoon winds. In recent years, they’ve become the world’s largest producer of steel, and consume twice as much steel as the US, Europe and Japan combined. (Source: http://bit.ly/1KzAKpG)

Production rates according to the World Steel Association (worldsteel) 2014 World Crude Steel Production Performances.