Hyundai Steel President & CEO An Tong-il received the “Metals & Materials Award,” the highest level of recognition, during the 2023 Annual Assembly of the Korean Institute of Metals and Materials, held at the Daegu Exhibition & Convention Center (EXCO) on October 23, 2023.
The Metals & Materials Award, established in 1980, is the highest honor presented by the Korean Institute of Metals & Materials and is awarded to individuals who have made significant academic, industrial, and/or technological contributions to the field of metals and materials in Korea.
During the awards ceremony, CEO An Tong-il accepted his award, saying, “We are currently at a pivotal point where the paradigm of steelmaking is changing in response to the era of carbon neutrality. In this time of change, I will dedicate myself to establishing the foundations needed for taking great leaps forward as a sustainable and environmentally-friendly steelmaker with the aim of contributing to the development of metallurgical materials.”
CEO An received recognition for his contributions to: the development of the steel equipment and steel production technology sectors; his committed efforts to transitioning towards a carbon-neutral production system to achieve Net-Zero by 2050; developing the world’s first 1.0 GPa-grade electric steel products for automobiles; and enhancing equipment efficiency through facility reinforcement activities during his tenure at Hyundai Steel.
“Based on our advantages of having both blast furnace and electric furnace production facilities and our experience and technological expertise in electric furnace-based automotive sheet production, we aim to transform into an eco-friendly steel company and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050,” said CEO An when announcing Hyundai Steel’s carbon-neutral roadmap last April. The company is currently making investments to transition to an electric furnace and blast furnace hybrid production system and, by 2030, plans to establish a low-carbon product supply system with a 5-million-ton annual production capacity.
In celebration of its 70th anniversary this year, Hyundai Steel has also established the “Hyundai Steel Academic Award” and “Hyundai Steel Emerging Scholar Award” in collaboration with the Korean Institute of Metals and Materials with the aim of promoting academic advancements in the fields of metals and metallurgical processes.