From base material to finished coated product

Quality management system now KS-certified

Supply reliability and credibility strengthened

KG Steel's premium color steel sheet brand X-TONE applied to the exterior of Ganjeolru at Ganjeolgot in Ulsan [KG Steel]
KG Steel's premium color steel sheet brand X-TONE applied to the exterior of Ganjeolru at Ganjeolgot in Ulsan [KG Steel]

KG Steel announced Thursday that it obtained the national standard certification KS D 3034 on Friday for "paint-coated hot-dip zinc-aluminum-magnesium alloy-plated steel sheets and strips" produced at its Dangjin and Incheon factories.

With the certification, the company has established a KS-based quality management system covering not only the ternary alloy-plated base material but also the finished color steel sheet products coated from it.

KS D 3034 is a national standard governing the quality of color steel sheets that use a ternary alloy-plated steel sheet — composed of zinc (Zn), aluminum (Al) and magnesium (Mg) — as the base material and have a paint coating applied to the surface.

Previously, a certification standard (KS D 3030) existed for the ternary alloy-plated base material, but no separate standard covered the finished color steel sheet products made from it. The absence of such a standard made objective quality comparisons between products difficult, raising concerns that low-cost imports of insufficiently verified quality could reach construction sites through retail channels.

A revision to KS D 3034 made in June added country of origin to product labeling requirements, tightening product identification and retail management standards. The revision also specified that testing for hexavalent chromium — a hazardous substance in paint coatings — must be conducted on the actual finished product, enhancing the practical effectiveness of quality control.

KG Steel obtained KS certification for all color steel sheet production lines at both the Dangjin and Incheon factories. Because certified products can be manufactured at either facility, the company has built a dual-production system that ensures stable supply even when equipment maintenance or production schedule changes occur at one factory.

In addition, drawing on an integrated production system spanning from the ternary alloy-plated base material through to the finished coated color steel sheet, the company plans to manage the plating quality of the base material and the surface quality of the finished product in tandem. It also plans to respond swiftly to product development tailored to customers' usage environments and performance requirements.

KG Steel has steadily strengthened its product competitiveness in the architectural interior and exterior materials segment. The company applied its premium color steel sheet brand X-TONE to the exterior of Ganjeolru, a visitor center at Ganjeolgot in Ulsan, and developed a three-coating pre-coated metal non-combustible color steel sheet for use as interior material in public facilities — such as subway stations — that must meet stringent non-combustibility standards.

"This certification has officially and objectively validated our quality and management capabilities in ternary color steel sheets," a company official said. "We will continue to build customer trust and lead the high-value-added color steel sheet market, backed by our integrated production system from base material to finished product and the supply capabilities of our Dangjin and Incheon factories."

Meanwhile, KG Steel posted consolidated revenue of 896.4 billion won ($655 million) and operating profit of 43.1 billion won in the second quarter of this year, up 11.34 percent and 16.86 percent, respectively, from the same period a year earlier.


likehyo85@heraldcorp.com