Following the addition of another one of its products to the “World Class Product of Korea” list, Hyundai Steel has been recognized as the steelmaker with the most world-class products for the 18th consecutive year.
Hyundai Steel announced on November 24 that the company’s “SAW A671/A672 pressure vessel steel pipe” had been officially recognized as a “World Class Product of Korea” at the 2022 World Class Product of Korea recognition ceremony held by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. With the addition of the steel pipe, Hyundai Steel now boasts 12 items in its World Class Product of Korea lineup.
The SAW A671/A672 pressure vessel steel pipe, Hyundai Steel’s newest World Class Product of Korea, is used in energy and chemical facilities, such as power generators and plants, and has the most rigidity of all the SAW oil country tubes.
Hyundai Steel’s “ERW door impact beam” was named a World Class Product in 2019, which in combination with this year’s recognition of the “SAW A671/A672 pressure vessel steel pipe,” further elevates Hyundai Steel’s status as a total supplier of industrial steel products.
The World Class Product of Korea is a national designation awarded by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to recognize the global competitiveness and growth potential of products made in Korea. Each year, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) selects World Class Products of Korea through a comprehensive evaluation of industrial indicators such as global market shares, production volumes, and export scales.
In 2001, the inaugural year of World Class Products of Korea, Hyundai Steel received recognition for its H-beam and high-speed steel roll, and in 2005, Hyundai Steel’s track chain assembly, inverted angle, steel sheet pile, and stern frame casting, were additionally recognized, giving the company a total of six products in its World Class Product of Korea lineup.
Hyundai Steel’s stern frame casting was removed from the lineup in 2015, but it was replaced that same year with the company’s oil country tube. The year 2017 saw the addition of the company’s industrial boiler tube, for a total of four products. Its automotive hot stamping product and parallel channel were added in 2018, followed by the ERW door impact beam in 2019, making Hyundai Steel the steelmaker with the largest number of World Class Products of Korea.
“This year’s World Class Product of Korea honor is significant because it recognizes one of our steel pipes that shows exceptional welding, processing, and stability performance, as is required in power plants,” said a Hyundai Steel spokesperson. “Hyundai Steel will continue its R&D to expand its World Class Product of Korea lineup to include mobility and energy products, and to strengthen its market competitiveness.”
※ SAW A671 & A672 Pressure Vessel Steel Pipe
A pressure vessel steel pipe is a steel pipe that is critically important for the storage and transport of raw energy materials and chemicals such as crude oil, natural gas, and LNG. It must accommodate high temperatures, high pressures, and cryogenic temperatures when coming in contact with other materials. As a steel product, it must also remain stable in the face of seismic activity, strong winds, and other external conditions, and as such, must show a high degree of processability, weldability, heat resistance, and corrosion resistance.
* Terminology
1) Submerged arc welding (SAW): Welding performed in a submerged condition to protect the welded part from atmospheric conditions.
2) Electric resistance welding (ERW): A method of welding that involves contact rendering the materials to be welded, producing a current in the materials, and applying pressure when the temperature of the mating surface increases from the generation of resistance heat.