SeAH Steel CEO Wins Silver

Export Day gives Silver Tower to CEO Lee and the $400 Mln Export Tower to SeAH Steel

President & CEO Lee “Howard” Whi-young of SeAH Steel Co. won the Industrial Merit Silver Tower at the ceremony for the 46th Export Day held at COEX in southern Seoul on Nov. 30 for his outstanding role in the growth of SeAH’s exports since its founding in 1960. The company’s steel pipe exports totaled $454.15 million thus far this year.
The company’s capital expanded to 26.7 billion won and its exports of steel plates for steel pipes jumped to 1.79 trillion won last year. With only 905 people running the steel plate producer, its management vision is to become “a major player in the global market in the 21st century with technology and trust as its foundation to show that SeAH people create abundant value with trust and sincerity as a base, valuing people and contributing to human society.”
All employees working for the company go about their work with the vision and management ideal to see to it that the steel producer is among the top businesses in the world in the global competition system.
CEO Lee joined the company by working for Pusan Pipe America Inc. in 1986 and was promoted to director to take charge of the company’s export section. He took the helm as CEO this year after spending more than 20 years handling exports for the company.
The steelmaker’s export record for the past three years shows that in 2006 it came to $386.4 million; $383 million in 2007 and $677.19 million in 2008. By products, carbon pipe amounted to $531.62 (78 percent), pre-coated steel totaled $168.7 million (16 percent) and stainless steel brought in $38.65 million (6 percent).
SeAH Steel owns 17 cases of intelligent property rights on steel production technologies including welding technologies as a result of its intensive R&D activities, along with 26 cases of trademark registrations overseas, which helped the company’s export drives.
Jointly with POSCO, the company developed the OCTG brand of steel products, known as SEAH-80, leading the development of high-grade steel pipes being used in oil wells.
In 1978, SeAH set up Pusan Pipe America Inc. followed by State Pipe and Supply Co. in the U.S. in 1990, Vina Pipe Co. to produce steel pipes in Vietnam and SeAH Japan Co. in 1998. The company opened its Beijing office in 1995 to support its exports of steel pipes as well as steel pipe market information.
The company has been donating 200 million won every year to help the needy including senior citizens, youth bread earners and flood victims as well as to provide scholarships. This is coupled with environmental work to repair the streams and hiking courses as part of its social service. SeAH Steel has also donated more than 100 million won to the National Opera Co. to do its share to back up the development of arts in Korea, enabling the opera company to stage various operas for the growing number of opera fans every year.
The steelmaker also supports the International Women’s Tennis Challenge Competition every year to encourage women tennis players and upgrade their talents by creating a boom for the sport around the country.
A number of star woman tennis players came out of the competition including Chon Mi-ra, among others, to play in international women’s tennis championships. The Haeam Academic Scholarship Foundation has been set up by the company to begin providing scholarships to talented students around the country.
The company also has been holding management explanation sessions once a month by departments to make management transparent, understanding that smooth labor-management relations are essential to build trust between the company and labor and to make the company strong and competitive. nw

President Lee Whi-young(Howard) of SeAH Steel Co. after winning the Industrial Merit Silver Tower medal at the 46th Trade Day ceremony held Nov. 30 at COEX in southern Seoul.

President Lee Myung-bak shakes hands with SeAH Steel President Lee after presenting him the medal.