Dongkuk Steel Vice Chmn. Jang Se-wook Calls for ‘Growth Mindset’ at Anniversary Event

Vice Chairman Jang Se-wook of Dongkuk Steel presents a plague of appreciation to a long-serving female employee at a ceremony to mark the 68th anniversary on July 6. (Photos: Dongkuk Steel)

While delivering his commemorative speech at a ceremony to mark the 68th anniversary at Ferrum Tower in Jung-gu, Seoul, on July 6, Dongkuk Steel Vice Chairman Jang Se-wook urged his executives and staff to adopt a “growth mindset” as core their keywords and be armed with a growth-oriented way of thinking.

Vice Chairman Jang said, “Our company’s key is always manpower, so executives and employees’ growth is directly related to our company’s competitiveness.”

He proposed detailed ways of nurturing gifted manpower, saying that Dongkuk Steel would offer full support to executives and employees by dispatching overseas regional experts and nurturing next-generation leaders and professionals.

Vice Chairman Jang stressed “back-stage leadership” in his call for executives and team chiefs to spur growth. “I expect synergetic effects by individuals armed with a growth mindset and our company armed with growth mindset,” he said.

He asked for everyone to adopt a growth mindset to Dongkuk Steel’s good corporate culture.

The anniversary event, held for the first time in two years, was attended by 330 executives and staff members with Dongkuk Steel headquarters.

Worksites in Incheon, Busan, Pohang and Dangjin also joined in the event. Dongkuk Steel executives and staff conducted volunteer activities at six worksites on July 7.

Dongkuk Steel Ramps Up Safety and Health Management

Dongkuk Steel has strengthened safety and health management by expanding investments in the safety and health sector.

The steelmaker expanded its investments in the safety and health sector to 40.1 billion won, a 142 percent jump from 23.5 billion won in 2021.

Dongkuk Steel decided to expand its budget for all areas related to the safety and health sector, such as facilities, manpower, management/supervision, and supplies.

The number of officials in charge of safety and health increased from 86 last year to 98 this year. Safety and health manpower will be augmented on a continuous basis.

In particular, 23.7 billion won or 59 percent of its total budget, will go to facility investments related to safety and health. The figure represents a jump of 22 billion won compared to the previous year.

To this end, an isolation locking system (ILS) take force, headed by Dongkuk President Kim Yeon-guk, will be inaugurated.

Dongkuk Steel plans to upgrade a system, operated separately by each operation, into one that is companywide and integrated.

ILS is designed to prevent disasters by blocking, isolated and locking energy sources while repairing and maintaining equipment.

Dongkuk Steel plans to expand support to help its cooperative companies ramp up safety and health management.

The steelmaker plans to have all its cooperative companies certified with the safety and health management system, dubbed “KOSHA MS.”

Dongkuk Steel plans to operate a consultation body with its cooperative companies twice monthly and offer support to help its cooperative companies be certified with KOSHA MS.

Dongkuk Steel plans to introduce a smart safety system in all areas of the operation of plants to completely remove areas vulnerable to safety.

First of all, the steelmaker plans to expand field real-time monitoring system. The safety situation will be monitored in real time by expanding mobile CCTVs.

Mobile CCTVs, interconnected with PCs and smartphones, can immediately monitor dangerous behaviors and emergency cases to the central control center.

Dongkuk Steel plans to take steps to prevent accidents related to the movement between working processes.

To this end, heavy equipment such as forklifts and vehicles are outfitted with AI cameras, around-view cameras, speed limit devices and safety belts related to starters. Smart bands will also be made available.

A Dongkuk Steel employee wears “D-Blue,” a Bluetooth-based smart band monitoring system.

Dongkuk Steel plans to develop “D-Blue,” a Bluetooth-based smart band monitoring system, and have it in place at plants in Busan and Incheon.

D-Blue can monitor field workers’ fitness levels such as heartbeats, temperatures and their movement and convey the occurrence of emergency cases to the central control tower system via a location-based system.

The company says it will concentrate its capabilities to make good on its vision of being reborn into a steelmaker committed to ensuring the safety and health of all workers.