Technology & Steel Application - News

Posted on 20 Sep 2010

Alabama Automotive Steel Sheet Processing Center Completed

Birmingham, Alabama
Sep 20, 2010

On September 14th (local time), POSCO completed POSCO-AAPC specializing in automotive steel sheet processing and located in the Jefferson County Industrial Complex near Birmingham, Alabama and started operation.

Approximately 100 persons attended the opening ceremony, including Vice President Jin-il Kim and other employees, Lieutenant Governor Jim Folson, Jr. of Alabama, city government personnel, and employees of client companies including BMW, Volkswagen, and Honda.

Vice President Jin-il kim said, ``We will continue our efforts to be loved and trusted by the local society and clients under the belief that client`s trust and success is POSCO`s future. We will do our full roles and responsibilities as a model company in charge of a key role for Alabama to become the center of the best automobile industry within the U.S.

POSCO-AAPC with a total investment of 19 million USD is a cutting edge integrated automotive steel sheet processing center with an annual processing capacity of 120,000 tons of steel materials and will strengthen sales service activities to global automobile manufacturers of Japan and Europe, as well as electrical steel sheet clients.

The southeast region of the U.S. including the Birmingham region is growing to be the global automobile manufacturers` manufacturing base including global automobile companies such as Mercedes Benz, Volkswagen, Honda, Nissan, and Hyundai Kia, while parts companies such as Bosch, Benteler, Lear and 400 other parts companies have gathered.

Especially because U.S. automobile and parts manufacturers moved and expanded their factories to the Southeast region closer to Mexico, while Volkswagen invested 1 billion USD in the Tennessee region to construct a factory with an annual 200,000 vehicle capacity by 2011 and Mercedes Benz, BMW, Hyundai Kia automobiles are also increasing automobile types, the demand for steel material is forecast to increase.

With the completion of POSCO-AAPC, POSCO plans to establish cooperation systems with major global automobile manufacturers and secure its position as the best automotive steel sheet supplier in the Americas. The company especially expects to play its true role as the North America sales base of the Mexico CGL completed last year.


Contact:
Jun-yeon Kim
junykim@posco.com



Source: POSCO