The South Korean steelmaker POSCO announced on January 14 that the fourth blast furnace at its Gwangyang Steelworks has achieved 15,613 metric tons of production per day, the first time in the world that such a high output level has been attained.
In December 2009 the fourth blast furnace showed it has the potential to reach 5 million metric tons of annual production, with average daily production during the month tallied at 13,934 metric tons. This means the furnace will be able to produce 5.08 million metric tons annually, way above the current world record of 4.83 million tons, assuming that it maintains the same manufacturing level throughout the year. The Iron Making Department at Gwangyang Steelworks has been committed to developing technologies that will enhance the operational efficiency of its plants.
Gwangyang Steelworks, South Korea's first integrated steel plant, focuses on manufacturing automotive steel, high-strength structure steel, API line pipe steel, and other strategic product categories.