POSCO Begins Activities of Win-Win Growth Support Group

Customized Consulting for Small and Medium Enterprises

POSCO announced on the 28th that it has started the activities of the Win-Win Growth Support Team.

The Win-Win Growth Support Team is one of POSCO's win-win growth programs that provides customized consulting for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Eight veteran POSCO employees, each with an average of over 25 years of experience and expertise in various fields, visit SMEs facing difficulties in technology development or management to provide company-specific tailored consulting.

The Win-Win Growth Support Team offers consulting in areas such as ▲smart factory construction ▲solving ESG issues including safety and energy ▲equipment and process improvement ▲technology development and innovation. POSCO stated, "From 2021 to last year, over 100 SMEs participated," adding, "approximately 300 projects were carried out."

Kim Yong-su, Head of Purchasing and Investment Division at POSCO (fourth from the left in the front row), and officials from the POSCO Win-Win Growth Support Group held an event on the 28th at the Signode Korea headquarters in Pohang to mark the start of this year's Win-Win Growth Support Group activities and are taking a commemorative photo.
[Photo by POSCO]

Star Material, a company that processes slag generated by POSCO to produce ready-mixed concrete admixtures, first sought the Win-Win Growth Support Team last year when energy costs, including LNG fees and electricity bills, exceeded 30% of sales due to sharp increases.

The Win-Win Growth Support Team proposed energy efficiency measures and diagnosed that additional energy savings could be achieved through equipment improvements. They supported reducing the investment burden for equipment improvements by linking the activities with the 'Smart Eco-Factory Construction Project' promoted by the Korea Environment Corporation. Through this, the company saved over 500 million KRW in investment costs and achieved an annual electricity cost reduction of more than 100 million KRW.

Nastech, a manufacturer of cold-rolled and heat-treated steel sheets, requested a professional safety level diagnosis and the establishment of employee safety measures from the Win-Win Growth Support Team last year. The team enhanced safety awareness by conducting specialized training for safety managers and special safety education for all employees. They also conducted on-site safety inspections, identifying and improving a total of 33 hazardous risk factors.

This year, the Win-Win Growth Support Team plans to provide consulting to more than 40 SMEs, including 15 companies wishing to newly participate and others seeking to pursue additional projects.

Kim Yong-su, Head of POSCO's Purchasing and Investment Division, said, "Through the activities of the support team, we will do our best to establish a virtuous cycle system of mutual win-win growth."