POSCO ramps up transformation into 'intelligent' factories

A skimmer autonomously eliminates slag at the No. 3 steel mill at POSCO's Pohang Steelworks in North Gyeongsang Province in this undated photo. Courtesy of POSCO

POSCO said Friday it is advancing its digital transformation under the leadership of POSCO Group Chairman Chang In-hwa, who has directed the steelmaking unit to restore its competitiveness amid an oversupply of low-priced foreign products, global trade tensions and stricter environmental regulations.

At the No. 3 steel mill at POSCO's Pohang Steelworks in North Gyeongsang Province, the company has achieved full automation of the preliminary molten iron treatment process. This process, which marks the start of steelmaking, involves removing sulfur from molten iron produced by a furnace and eliminating impurities such as slag.

Previously, the quality of molten iron depended on each employee's skill and intuition. With automation, that quality has been standardized, operation time reduced by 3 percent and yield improved by 2 percent.

“We combined our operational know-how with deep learning technology to develop a video recognition system that autonomously manages and analyzes production data,” a POSCO official said.

“The system monitors the condition of molten iron, identifies the quantity and location of slag, and uses artificial intelligence (AI) to determine the optimal path for slag removal, fully automating the process.”

At Gwangyang Steelworks in South Jeolla Province, POSCO has installed light detection and ranging (LiDAR)-based barriers and AI-powered closed-circuit televisions in the passageways of the slab finishing plant as part of its Smart Fool Proof system.

Developed in-house at Gwangyang Steelworks, the system is designed to prevent equipment failures and workplace accidents caused by human error. It uses a range of technologies including AI and the Internet of Things (IoT).

According to POSCO, worker and crane movement zones overlap in the slab finishing plant's passageways, and large vehicles like trailers frequently pass through. The new system allows cars and workers to pass only when no crane movement is detected. If LiDAR detects crane activity, the barrier remains closed to ensure safety.

“POSCO will continue to integrate on-site experience and expertise with IoT, AI and big data technologies in its production processes to create the optimal manufacturing environment,” the company official said.