Optech hybrid now in the classroom

On Wednesday, February 2, 2011 a new diagnostic center for machines and equipment was opened at the Secondary Vocational School for Metallurgy in Kosice-Saca. This is to serve the needs of the school students in terms of the Optech hybrid project being implemented at U. S. Steel Kosice, so that they can acquire and develop skills and working habits in the specialisms of metallurgical machine operator and machine and equipment mechanic. The diagnostic center for machines and equipment was set up in just under four months with assistance from specialists at the Kosice steelworks, the school's partner company. Its finished form was influenced in no small degree by the school's teachers, master instructors, and by the students themselves.

U. S. Steel Kosice President David J. Rintoul acknowledges steelmakers' injury-free work

Nine steelmakers represented the more than 1200-member Steel Plants Division team at a working lunch on February 9 with U. S. Steel Kosice President David J. Rintoul. The reason for this official meeting lay in the excellent results achieved by this primary production division in the field of occupational safety and health protection. Back near the end of last year, on November 28, they credited their account with one million employee-hours worked without injury, and currently they are proceeding in the established trend.

Awards for USSE researchers

On February 9 at a ceremony attended by USS Vice President European Operations and U. S. Steel Kosice President David J. Rintoul, the originators of the three best research projects, the best individual researcher and the research team producing work of greatest significance for U. S. Steel Europe were presented with the USSE Research and Development General Manager's Awards for 2010. In the research project category first prize went to the project "Optimization of the tin-plating process on USSK's ET lines" prepared by the team consisting of Daniel Kacir, Roman Gburik and Jana Lenarthova.
Second place was taken by the project "Optimization of operation at USSK Power Engineering Division" by Jaroslav Merc and Ladislav Horvath. Third prize went to the project "Production of galvanized sheets on HDG Line No.3" co-developed by Juraj Graban, Frantisek Holly and Maria Gabaniova. The award for Best Researcher of 2010 was presented to Roman Gburik. The research group composed of Ladislav Jerga, Peter Niznik, Igor Kopanica, Pavol Vyrostko and Rudolf Zelinsky and led by Zlatica Machajova took the award for work of greatest significance for U. S. Steel Europe with their quality control system for coal and coke.

Steelmakers' Olympic Winter Games

Last Saturday, February 12, more than two hundred competitors lined up at the start of the downhill skiing and snowboarding disciplines in the third part of this year's U. S. Steel Kosice Olympic Winter Games. Men, women and children competed in giant slalom and parallel snowboarding in particularly unfavorable weather conditions. The 15th edition of this annual event also included the very popular children's carnival. The corporate Winter Olympics culminated on Tuesday, February 15, with the final matches of the USSK ice-hockey championships. The teams playing for first place were from the Blast Furnaces and Steelworks Division Plant. This year's champion is the Steelworks team.