De-dusting installation beats deadline

Two months in advance of the work schedule the Cokery Division have completed one of the Company's biggest ecological capital investment projects for this year, the installation of equipment for dry de-dusting of waste gases produced in emptying the coke ovens. It proved possible to accomplish the project in less than nine months, even during full operation of the coke batteries.

Best CI teams

The process of continuous improvement (CI) at U. S. Steel Kosice presently involves a total of 13 teams in various divisions and plants. In the last few days their CI coordinators met Vice-president Operations Scott Pape to select the six most successful teams on the basis of their results from last year. "We want to thank everyone for their contribution to the continuous improvement process," CI Department Manager Katarina Kristofcikova told Ocel Vychodu.
So who was most successful last year, and which teams deserve recognition for ranking among the best? They are the following CI teams: Steel Plant, for their results in the field of occupational safety with their implementation of the New Safety Boots project; Hot Strip Mill management, for their results in productivity; Cold Strip Mill Rolling Trains, also in productivity; Special Maintenance, for their results in external quality; Spare Parts Purchasing Management, for their results in cost-saving; and the Cold Strip Mill OMET team for improvement in product quality.

"Living at Max Revs"

Yesterday afternoon, June 1st, saw the holding of the 7th edition now of the annual automobile competition called Rallye Opatovska - "Living at Max Revs", organized by U. S. Steel Kosice for physically disabled children at the special elementary school, apprentice school and commercial academy on Opatovska Street in Kosice. Among the drivers competing together with a crew of three children and a navigator for the best possible finish placing were some managers from our Company. The competition tests not only the adults' driving skills but also the children's knowledge, because their teachers had points-winning questions prepared for them on ecology and the history of Kosice.

Golden Beggar for the tenth time

Kosice sees the beginning today of the first round-figure (i.e. the tenth) edition of the local TV broadcasters festival, the Golden Beggar Awards. Patron of this event, which culminates on Saturday, June 5th, with the awards presentation ceremony, is the Slovak Republic's European Commissioner Jan Figel. Over the next four days there will be screenings of films competing in the program categories of news reporting, documentary, journalistic commentary, advertising, entertainment, children and youth, music, animation and young creator.
Lectures are prepared on the topics of European news reporting, corruption and the media, there are workshops on editing and music in TV programs, presentations, an exhibition of graphics by artists from five Balkan countries, the CITECH 2004 exhibition of TV technology, and various associated social events. More than a hundred programs have been entered for the competition. This year's tenth international festival of local TV broadcasters has been organized by the City TV Foundation, Music Box/TV Nasa and the Kosice House of Technology. The event is also supported financially by U. S. Steel Kosice.

U. S. Steel Kosice at trade fairs and exhibitions

The month of May was a rich one in terms of U. S. Steel Kosice participation in international trade fairs and exhibitions. The Company presented its product range at these events: SAJAM TEHNIKE in Belgrade, INDUSTRIA in Budapest, ROMTHERM in Bucurest and the International Engineering Fair in Nitra.