OREANDA-NEWS. December 20, 2013. POSCO and the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business hosted the `Launching ceremony for QSS innovation activities to make living manufacturing sites` at Top Metal, located in the Namdong Industrial Complex in Incheon.

The ceremony was a result of the `POSCO-Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business Agreement to Spread QSS Innovation Activities,` with the aim of expanding POSCO`s small and medium company innovation activity support from those involved in businesses with POSCO in the Pohang and Gwangyang regions to all 450 companies nationwide.

Seventy people attended the event, including Chairman Kim Ki-mun of the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business, CEO Chung Joonyang, as well as presidents and employees of small- and medium-sized companies participating in QSS innovation activities.

POSCO will provide overall management support from forming an innovation culture to talent fostering, efficiency management, and environment management to the small- and medium-sized companies participating in the QSS innovation activities.

The first priority will be to settle 5S (arrangement, order, cleaning, cleanliness, habituation) activities to eliminate sources of pollution and maintain a clean working environment. Daily inspection sheets will be utilized for systematic equipment inspection such as cleaning, tightening, and lubricating facilities, and maintaining the most optimal conditions through `management through the eyes` activities. Material management efficiency will be maintained by adhering to fixed products, fixed quantities, and fixed locations, and preventing `time wasted from searching,` while safety accident prevention will be guided through facility improvement and education.

Top Metal, where the event was held, has received QSS activity support from POSCO since last year, and since introducing QSS activities has seen great management results including reduced product manufacturing time, cost reduction, and improved quality and productivity.

Participants heard Top Metal`s innovation activity results and learned innovation know-how by benchmarking real on-site cases, and developed a desire to improve productivity and secure competitiveness through QSS activities.

CEO Chung Joonyang commented, ``In an era of increasingly intense and infinite competition, our small and medium companies must become stronger to survive, and to survive must become accustomed to change and improvement. The QSS activities POSCO is supporting will become the base for small and medium companies to grow innovation capabilities and become stronger.``

POSCO and the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business will start with support of 50 companies this year and extend it to an additional 100 companies each subsequent year, with plans to support a total of 450 small and medium companies by 2017 and help strengthen their competitiveness and continuous growth.