R&D
Hyundai Steel focuses on investment and R&D in green technologies in response to growing social interest in the environment and tightening regulations for global carbon neutrality. We also continue preemptive research to enhance competitiveness by developing high-performance new products and more in order to cope with changes in the future mobility market. In addition, the Company makes intensive efforts to promote R&D capabilities by nurturing specialized researchers to accelerate creating a smart factory.
Development of High-performance Premium Steel for Eco-friendly LNG Market
As environmental regulations are reinforced internationally, demand for less-polluting LNG is expected to grow. Accordingly, Hyundai Steel is accelerating the development of materials targeting the eco-friendly LNG market. In September 2021, we supplied 9% nickel steel for LNG fuel tanks to an ultra-large LNG-powered container ship being manufactured by Hyundai Heavy Industries. In December, our 9% nickel steel at cryogenic temperature for LNG storage tank was awarded a quality certification from Korea Gas Corporation, enabling us to expand our business areas to domestic/overseas onshore LNG plant markets, as well as LNG storage tanks for ships. 9% nickel steel is an ultra-high performance steel plate used to enhance safety of LNG fuel storage facilities for ships and onshore plants. It offers excellent shock resistance at ultra-low temperature(196℃ below the freezing point) and good weldability.
In addition, we have developed an ultra-low temperature rebar for onshore LNG storage facilities with a yield strength of 600MPa and supplied it for the construction of #6 tank at an LNG terminal. We will continue to make efforts to take on the eco-friendly LNG market.
Development of Special Performance Electric Arc Furnace Products for Building Structures
The necessity for ultra-high strength rebar and seismic resistance is expected to increase worldwide as shown by the International Organization for Standardization requiring revised registration of 700MPa class rebar. In particular, the recent trend of constructing skyscrapers and large-scale buildings is raising concerns about potential damages caused by earthquakes and fires. With the goal of creating a safe society, Hyundai Steel has pursued the development of safe steel to improve the earthquake and fire resistance of buildings, and successfully developed a YS 700MPa high-strength, seismic-resistant rebar for high-rise buildings and a YS 420 MPa, seismic-resistant H-section for building structures. In particular, our ultra-high-strength, seismic-resistant rebar was the first in Korea to acquire the industrial standard, ㉿ certification, with which we enhanced the competitiveness of our steel products and laid a foundation to secure social safety by improving building structures. The ultra-high-strength, seismic-resistant rebar is expected to save construction materials, shorten construction period, and reduce CO2 emission. In fact, by using the ultra-high-strength rebar, one can save about 0.2 ton of rebar per house. Assuming the construction of 400,000 houses per year, total CO2 reduction amounts to 32,000 tons per year based on 0.4 ton of CO2 emission per ton of rebar production. Moving forward, Hyundai Steel will lead the development of safety steel materials and strive to establish a foundation for a safe society.
Global Technology Marketing
To raise company recognition, and to expand automobile steel sheet supplies, Hyundai Steel conducts various technical marketing meeting for global customers. Despite the pandemic, online meetings were still conducted, and participated in the Online Tech Day(three times)for grobal OEM, and the sponsorship of the International Society(twice) to introduce H-solution, which contains all technical skills for manufacturing automotive steel sheets. On top of that, customized promotional contents including data books, premium promotion videos, and product catalogs are created to support sales activities. Hyundai Steel is expanding the technological network with client companies through active technological marketing, creating new demands.
Fostering AI and Big Data Experts
Hyundai Steel focuses to cultivate people of talent in order to create a smart enterprise. The 'Smart Factory Academy' was conducted in 2019 to provide basic training courses to nurture expert workforce that could promote a smart factory in our manufacturing sites, and over 200 employees completed the training by 2020. Starting from 2021, Hyundai Steel is launched the 'DT Academy' to train experts and strengthen engineering capabilities through providing education for advanced statistics and machine learning that are essential for artificial intelligence(AI). In addition, we operate an AI expert training course to nurture expert workforce in cooperation with POSTECH and Korea University. Our trainees take off-job training comparable to a master's program and on-job training by paring up with faculty to perform collaboration projects. In 2021, 66 employees completed this program and we plan to nurture 45 experts this year through this AI expert training course. Hyundai Steel will accelerate its digital transformation by cultivating expert workforce and ultimately maximize customer value.