POSCO said on the 15th that it selected section head Lee Sang-hwi of the refractory materials group at the Gwangyang Steelworks as a POSCO master craftsperson, the highest honor for frontline technicians. This is the first time a POSCO master craftsperson has been chosen in the refractory field.
POSCO held an appointment ceremony at the company operations meeting that day and presented Lee with an appointment plaque. The POSCO master craftsperson program was introduced in 2015 to advance steelmaking technology and pass it on to future generations by selecting employees with world-class skills and character.
Refractory work is the field that maintains and repairs high-temperature vessels that produce and process molten iron, such as blast furnaces and converters. It is a core task that protects equipment from high temperatures and controls the flow of molten iron to support stable operations.
Lee joined the refractory department at the Gwangyang Steelworks in 1988 and has handled equipment repair in the refractory field for 38 years. Through the "optimal design of furnace refractories and service life improvement technology," Lee more than doubled the service life of refractories compared with before and was recognized for contributing to improved maintenance efficiency and reduced opportunity expense.
Lee said, "I am grateful that the efforts built up on the frontline over a long time have led to the great honor of becoming a POSCO master craftsperson," and added, "Because refractory work protects key equipment at steelworks and supports stable operations, I will do my best to pass on technology and foster experts so that juniors can work with pride."
POSCO Chief Executive Officer Lee Hee-geun said, "The POSCO master craftsperson is a symbol that the technology and experience accumulated on the frontline are recognized as the company's competitiveness," and added, "I hope the master will lead innovation on the frontline and serve as a strong focal point in passing on technology and a sense of duty to juniors."
POSCO selects master craftspeople through a comprehensive evaluation of technical proficiency, contribution to the company, character, and more. Selected employees receive a one-grade special promotion, a congratulatory bonus, and special leave, and they can be promoted to executive level depending on their contributions. Even after mandatory retirement, they can continue as technical consultants and pass on their know-how to juniors.
Including this selection, POSCO has produced a total of 30 master craftspeople to date. The masters participate in frontline technical support, transferring skills to junior employees, training new hires, giving special lectures at the in-house university, and providing equipment management lectures to partners and customers.
POSCO is also pursuing the "tacit knowledge digital assetization" of know-how accumulated by skilled technicians through an apprenticeship style and their technology development experience by turning it into data. The company plans to combine this with AX (AI transformation) to boost enterprise-wide technical capabilities.
The names and merits of employees selected as POSCO master craftspeople are permanently enshrined in the POSCO hall of fame. The hall of fame lists POSCO founding members, past chief executive officers (CEOs), master craftspeople, and others.