Kosice, November 24th, 2010 - U. S. Steel Kosice is celebrating the tenth anniversary of starting business in Slovakia. Precisely on this day ten years ago the first European branch of the United States Steel Corporation was established in Slovakia. During the November 13, 2010 employee entertainment event at the Steel Arena, George F. Babcoke, senior vice president, European Operations and president, U. S. Steel Kosice, acknowledged the talent and hard work during the last 10 years. "The contribution by you, our employees, has been tremendous," he said. "This program will be a reminder of our common history. We are happy to have a chance to share the celebration with you."
John H. Goodish, the first President of U. S. Steel Kosice, came from Pittsburgh headquarters to greet his former colleagues at the event. "Ten years ago we promised to create the successful company. All of you should be proud of what we have achieved here. It was possible thanks to your hard work and dedication. The success of U. S. Steel Kosice has added to the growth of Kosice city and the entire Slovak Republic. We are a better company now as a result of our relationship with Kosice," he told the employees and their family members.

The takeover of the former East Slovakian Steelworks by U. S. Steel brought with it a fundamental change in the area of occupational safety and health protection (OSH), which became priority no.1. Thanks to the constant efforts made by all employees and managers, a 91 percent drop in the number of all injuries has been recorded. Safety values are now strictly applied, and no form of injury or dangerous behavior is now accepted. The personal engagement of top management is very high and so is investment in OSH. Every year many corrective measures have been taken and major projects have been implemented, among them the Risk Management Program, Hazard Elimination and Loss Prevention Program, and Cardinal Rules Program, as well as housekeeping and training programs.

Environmental stewardship is another of the Company's principal business drivers and its main commitments are in compliance with the ISO 14001 standard, as well as with Slovak and European legislation. During ten years, in addition to raising employees' ecological awareness, the company has implemented about 50 projects designed to protect the environment. Among the most important projects have been the primary and secondary de-dusting in Steel Plants 1 and 2, the de-dusting of the sintering lines, the hermetic sealing of the Chemicals Plant at the Cokery division, the de-dusting of the casting-house at blast furnace no.1 and the desulphurization of coking gases.

As part of the acquisition agreement U. S. Steel Kosice committed to invest 700 million dollars in the company over the course of ten years, with the goal of ensuring high product quality, environmental protection and infrastructure development. This commitment was fulfilled back in 2006, and, by the end of 2010, the Corporation will have greatly exceeded its original plans. Among the most extensive projects completed to meet our customers' demands have been construction of the Vacuum Degassing Facility in Steel Plant 1 in 2002, Continuous Annealing Line no. 2 and the Electrolytic Tinning Line no. 2 in 2003, Dynamo Line no.3 in 2004 and Hot-Dip Galvanizing Line no. 3 in 2007.

During the last ten years U. S. Steel Kosice has always concentrated on high product quality and the best service to satisfy our customers' needs. Implementation of programs focusing on quality creates conditions for improving economic efficiency and increasing the ability to compete successfully in domestic and foreign markets.

The responsible approach to business has been a fundamental and constant principle for U. S. Steel Kosice. The same approach is also applied in its support for the region and community where it operates and where its employees and partners live. The steelmaking company is interested in regional needs and focuses primarily on community support in education, health care and social care, culture and sports. Company employees and their families also provide altruistic help during many volunteer events, including the U. S. Steel for Kosice days. The steelmaking company has also developed its own equal opportunities programs focused on Roma people, as well as socially disadvantaged or physically disabled children and adults. U. S. Steel Kosice has also developed cooperative relationships with other major businesses in the region to support Kosice - the European Capital of Culture 2013 project and has invested in its future sustainability.

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Further information:

Jan Baca
spokesman
U. S. Steel Kosice, s.r.o.
Tel.: +421 55 673 4476
Fax: +421 55 673 0330