Started Operation in 1997
Produced 6.8 Million Tons Over 25 Years
[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik] POSCO Gwangyang Steelworks (Director Lee Jin-su) announced that the 2EGL (Electrolytic Galvanizing Line) has concluded its 25 years and 4 months of operation and has entered permanent shutdown.
Gwangyang Steelworks began operating the 2EGL plant on August 27, 1997, producing world-class color steel sheet materials and inner surface products for 25 years, manufacturing a total of 6.8 million tons of products until January of this year.
The 2EGL electric zinc plating line at Gwangyang Steelworks has completed its 25 years and 4 months of operation and has entered shutdown. Photo by Gwangyang Steelworks
The products produced at the 2EGL plant have been transformed into essential home appliances such as TVs, refrigerators, and washing machines, sharing decades of history in the living rooms and bedrooms of people worldwide.
In particular, the products made at Gwangyang Steelworks' 2EGL plant are coated very thinly, offering excellent workability, and boast uniform and beautiful surfaces due to thorough quality control and outstanding technology, earning praise from domestic and international customers.
However, considering the global steel market trends and the production of premium new mobility materials such as HyperNO (non-oriented electrical steel), the decision was made to halt operations in January this year. The employees who operated and managed the 2EGL line are expected to create a new legacy at the electrical steel sheet plant scheduled for completion this year.
The products previously produced at the Gwangyang Steelworks 2EGL plant will continue their legacy by being manufactured according to the characteristics of each line at Gwangyang 1EGL plant and Pohang 1EGL and 2EGL plants.
Mok Seong-gyun, the plating department team leader at Gwangyang Steelworks who has worked since the first operation of the 2EGL line, said, “Thinking that the equipment with which I spent my youth is now becoming part of history brings back many memories. Just as we produced the world’s best products at the 2EGL plant, we will prioritize safety as the highest value and write a new history in our new roles.”
Meanwhile, Gwangyang Steelworks plans to invest 1 trillion won to complete an electrical steel sheet plant with an annual capacity of 300,000 tons by 2025.
Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik hss79@asiae.co.kr
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