Visit by top management from Pittsburgh

Last week U. S. Steel Kosice was visited by representatives of U. S. Steel Corporation's top management in Pittsburgh, led by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John P. Surma. The guests also included John H. Goodish, David H. Lohr, James D. Garraux, Michael J. Hatcher, Anton Lukac, Edward W. Denton and Joseph A. Napoli. They completed the main part of their program on Friday, January 15th.
In the morning, after hearing presentations on the separate sections of USSK, they took part in a meeting with Company managers, and the afternoon was set aside for a plant tour. The top managers were interested in the new design of the scrubber for blast furnace 3, they familiarized themselves with the details and the progress of work on the coke gas desulfurization project, and they looked round the central ore reloading plant. On Saturday, January 16th, they attended the Annual Ball, which was dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the establishment of U. S. Steel Kosice.

George F. Babcoke becomes honorary citizen of Sokolany

U. S. Steel Kosice President George F. Babcoke was last week made an honorary citizen of the village of Sokolany. This honor was conferred on him at an extraordinary ceremonial session of the local council on Tuesday, January 12th, 2010. Speaking to the council members and guests, Sokolany Council Leader Tomas Suchy expressed his appreciation for the standard of cooperation between the village and the steelworks, which he was sure had become more intensive since George F. Babcoke's arrival.
He particularly emphasized the Company's understanding and support in carrying out current and future projects in one of the steelworks' nearest neighbor communities. They had applied a joint approach for example in preparing the plans for building a sewer system and a waste water treatment plant for the village, and in the past the steelworks had supported the construction of sidewalks around the village and renovation of the children's playground. Mr. Suchy expressed the hope that Sokolany's latest bold plans would be turned into reality, and that the steelworks and the village would continue to work together for their realization.

Workshop on the OPTECH Hybrid

At a workshop held in the last few days attended by representatives from the consultancy company Management Systems, managers from the section of GM Production Support and leaders of the operational maintenance teams from the divisional plants of U. S. Steel Kosice discussed the vision, aims and further development of the maintenance sector following implementation of the OPTECH Hybrid program, as well as the elimination of risks associated with that implementation. As the external consultants themselves confirmed, the Company's aim - the combination of operator's and maintenance skills in the manning of production lines - is fully in line with the world trend in this field.

Aid for Haiti

U. S. Steel Kosice has not been indifferent to the reports of the devastating earthquake and the suffering of the population in Haiti. Using the USSK Foundation, the Company has decided to provide 10 000 euro immediately to assist this country stricken by poverty and natural disaster, through the agency of the Slovak Catholic Charity. "We realize that rapid assistance is essential in a situation like this, so we did not hesitate to take this decision. Apart from this direct financial aid, we also want to express our fellow-feeling for the suffering people of Haiti," said U. S. Steel Kosice President George F. Babcoke.