Ninth edition of U. S. Steel for Kosice Volunteer Days takes place

The ninth edition of the annual U. S. Steel for Kosice Volunteer Days, which took place on Friday, May 15 and Saturday, May 16 this year, turned out especially successfully. The work which the participating employees of U. S. Steel Kosice and its subsidiaries, their family members, representatives of our partner institutions and their supporters committed themselves to was done to perfection in very favorable sunny weather. More than 500 volunteers, among them workers, technicians and managers, joined in ten different activities, and their American colleagues also came to help together with their families.
The event, prepared and coordinated by the Public Affairs, started off on Friday with the traditional blood donating drive called the Steelmakers' Drop of Blood. More than a hundred volunteer donors responded to this appeal for the world's most precious liquid, including several newcomers. Dozens of steelmakers also supported the collection of useful items for the charity centers, which went on over both volunteer days. Saturday was given over to manual work. The willing Kosice steelmakers repaired a footpath and painted fences at the Botanical Gardens, cleared up the tracks and surroundings along the Children's Historical Railway, and improved the grounds of the Hurbanova and Strbska Street Foster Homes and the Forrest Gump Club. Near Trstene pri Hornade they removed garbage and planted lime trees along the cycle trail, and at the Haniska Animal Shelter they built a summer-house and several resting-places as well as managing a lot of other work.

This year's external QMS audit confirms system's effectiveness

This year's five-day external audit of the quality management system at U. S. Steel Kosice in line with the ISO/TS 16949 and EN/ISO 9001 standards culminated in the afternoon of Friday, May 15 with the concluding meeting of the auditors from TÜV SÜD Slovakia with members of the steelworks top management, at which the former informed the latter of their findings. The auditors pointed out the progress made by the Company since last year's audit, and very positively assessed the team spirit in the Company's ranks. They mentioned in particular that the employees they spoke with appreciated the multifunctional teams as well as the support from President George F. Babcoke, which was also felt by members of middle and top management alike. They also acknowledged the proactive approach toward customers, the work of the laboratories, and the sections of BSC and R&D USSE.

Blast furnace No. 1 produced its first iron 50 years ago

In a few days' time exactly 50 years will have passed since the blowing-in of blast furnace no. 1 and the first tapping of pig-iron at the East Slovakian Steelworks. That historical moment came at 9.30 pm on June 1, 1965. Two years later, in 1967, the Kosice steelmakers brought blast furnace no. 2 into operation, and two years after that, in 1969, also blast furnace no. 3. In the course of the last 50 years the tapping holes of these three furnaces have produced 150 million tons of raw iron.