Prime Minister Iveta Radicova visits U. S. Steel Kosice

During the afternoon of Friday, January 21st, Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic Iveta Radicova visited U. S. Steel Kosice as part of her working trip to Eastern Slovakia. She met U. S. Steel Kosice President David J. Rintoul and other representatives of the Kosice steelworks, and looked round the Radiators operation in the Radiators and Pipes Division.
The Prime Minister talked mainly about the steps being prepared by the Government for this year which will affect the entrepreneurial environment, primarily the national insurance contributions reform and the negotiations about the Labor Code. There was also discussion of the draft law on environmental strain and taxation on sales of CO2 emissions quotas.

Costs-saving teams have had a successful year

Last year the Continuous Cost Improvement Project (CCIP) at U. S. Steel Kosice produced savings of 19.41 USD per ton of steel shipped. This result was the combined effect of 224 projects focusing on reducing costs in six basic program categories. The greatest savings were achieved in the projects aimed at saving materials, with a combined share of 44 percent, followed by energy-saving projects (31 percent) and yield-focused projects (15 percent). Altogether 15 teams were involved in these costs-saving projects.

USSK signs up to the European Road Safety Charter

U. S. Steel Kosice has signed up to the European Road Safety Charter, which is intended to contribute towards increased safety for all road users, particularly pedestrians and cyclists. The official act of acceptance of the Charter, confirmed by the signing of the document by Chris Petrouski, General Manager Safety and Industrial Hygiene, took place in Bratislava on January 25th, 2011. This Charter has more than 1 950 signatories from all the EU countries, who have committed themselves to fulfilling its mission with one common goal: to reduce the number of victims of road traffic accidents. The objective is to save 25 000 human lives throughout the European Union through projects aimed for example at developing defensive driving skills and children's cycling proficiency.

Sokolany waste-water treatment plant is 20 years old

The waste-water treatment plant at Sokolany, which provides for final cleaning of waste water from the U. S. Steel Kosice works before it is released into the environment or recycled as industrial water, this week marks twenty years of operational existence. This facility, which is located about eight kilometers from the steelworks area, was brought into operation in 1991 with the aim of improving the standard of cleaning of waste water from the works. During this time the plant has treated 600 million cubic meters of waste water, 95 million cubic meters of which have been returned to the steelworks for re-use.