We appreciate the work of our suppliers
"We appreciate the hard work of our suppliers, which has made impressive advances and produced mutually-beneficial results. Our common goals are focused on safety,
quality, customer service and productivity. We are pleased that you, as U. S. Steel suppliers, have also adopted these goals. We look forward to your continuing support, and to sharing
our successes." These were the words of thanks from USS Senior Vice-president Christopher J. Navetta to U. S. Steel Kosice suppliers at the official meeting with them in Kosice's House
of Art last Friday, April 11th.
This was the premiere in Kosice for the meeting entitled Outstanding Supplier 2007, bringing together representatives of nearly 50 supplier companies, but in
Pittsburgh, home of the USS Corporation, it has already become a tradition, and as U. S. Steel Kosice President George F. Babcoke indicated on Friday, next year the ranks of invited
guests will also include the suppliers of the Corporation's Serbian operation - U. S. Steel Serbia. The idea of these joint evenings, George Babcoke continued, is the opportunity for
personal meetings with our leading suppliers, to get to know them better and strengthen mutual partnerships.
"In this way we want to thank you for helping to make last year so successful. This is clearly also thanks to you, our suppliers. We appreciate your personal
commitment and your share in our achievement of these outstanding results," repeated the USSK President. Christopher Navetta reminded everyone that good supplier relations are very important for
the Corporation's performance as they contribute to its success, and added that within the Corporation we have worked very hard on reinforcing relations with our suppliers. In this respect he
valued the efforts of USS leaders towards this end - GM Global Purchasing Les Broglie, GM Global Materials Management Tom Coughlin and GM Global Raw Materials Jim McConnell.
Christopher Navetta and George Babcoke then presented the best of these best supplier companies with the U. S. Steel Kosice Outstanding Supplier 2007
awards: FerrExpo (Poltava), the largest pellet producer in Ukraine and the only independent pellet producer in Eastern Europe; IMET, exclusive representative of several East European
manufacturers of equipment and materials for heavy industry, especially high-quality working and idling rollers; S&B Industrial Minerals GmbH (Stollberg), one of the world's largest producers
and suppliers of casting and coating powders with eight production operations, the main producer of slag-forming additives for continuous-casting moulds; the Novaky Chemical Works, one of the
largest producers of industrial chemicals (hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide and calcium carbide) in Europe and commercial representative of the firm Minsur, S.A., the main tin producer in
Latin America; and the company Wildshaw Limited, who could not be represented at the presentations, but will receive their award later. Accompanying the official presentations of the Outstanding
Supplier 2007 awards was a gala evening event including a concert by the Kosice State Philharmonia featuring opera soloists from the Slovak National Theater in Bratislava.
Let's make our city more beautiful ... and better
"My wife Kathie and I invite and strongly urge all employees to come out and support us in our efforts for Volunteers Day. While USSK will be supporting this major effort financially, my wife and I will be in several areas working together with you. Nothing demonstrates our commitment to the community and the people who need help the most more than seeing all of us out, working hand-in-hand together to make life better for our community. Please come out and help us create an overwhelming mass of USSK employees helping the community and helping people." George F. Babcoke