POSCO to Build New Automotive Galvanized Steel Sheet Plant in Gwangyang with KRW 480 Billion Investment
Annual Capacity of 450,000 Tons, Scheduled for Completion in 2028
Low-Carbon and Wide Steel Sheet Production through Electric Furnace Integration
Enhancing Quality and Productivity with AI and Robotics
POSCO is expanding its production capacity for high-end automotive steel sheets in order to respond to the future automobile market.
POSCO announced on September 8 that it has begun construction of '8CGL', a continuous galvanizing line (CGL) for automotive steel with an annual capacity of 450,000 tons, at its Gwangyang Steelworks. The total investment is approximately KRW 480 billion, and the facility is expected to be completed in 2028.
Hot-dip galvanized steel sheets are products coated with zinc on the surface to enhance corrosion resistance and workability, and are mainly used for automotive exterior panels. This is the first time in nine years since 2017 that POSCO has built a new hot-dip galvanized steel plant.
Once 8CGL is completed, POSCO's annual production capacity for hot-dip galvanized steel sheets will increase to 4.95 million tons. POSCO also plans to scale up the production of wide automotive steel sheets for the exterior panels of mid- and large-sized sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and recreational vehicles (RVs) in line with the trend toward luxury and larger vehicles.
POSCO is also promoting the production of low-carbon automotive steel sheets in connection with its new electric furnace. The company will introduce ultra-high temperature heat treatment equipment specialized for electric furnace materials to meet the growing demand from global OEMs for low-carbon steel.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics technologies will also be applied. By analyzing material, process, and quality data in real time to control equipment, POSCO aims to reduce quality deviations and defects. For high-risk tasks such as removing impurities from molten zinc or collecting samples, robots will be utilized.
POSCO President Lee Heekeun stated, "By building specialized facilities capable of producing next-generation high-quality automotive steel sheets, we will enhance our cost and technology competitiveness and further strengthen our technological leadership in the global automotive steel sheet market."
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POSCO plans to foster core strategic products such as Giga Steel and high-efficiency non-oriented electrical steel sheets 'HyperNO' for EV traction motor cores, and to strengthen Gwangyang Steelworks as a production base for future mobility materials.
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