This thesis consists of two major parts. One is to examine technological development process in the Korean steel industry based on the global model of technological innovation. The other is to analyze competitiveness and competitive strategies of the steel industries in advanced countries in terms of environment, resource capability and the stage of technological development process and to suggest strategic measures to strengthen competitiveness of the Korean steel industry.
This thesis has aims to achieve the following objectives:
(1) To review the technology development process of advanced steel industries and to find the crucial factors and various conditions for the successful technological innovations.
(2) To analyze the differences in technology development processes among advanced steel firms and to identify strategic directions for Korea's future technological development.
(3) To study factors affecting international competitiveness of cold rolling such as the environment, industrial structure, demand condition and internal capability.
(4) To propose the strategic measures for the reinforcement of international competitiveness in the steel industry from the case study of the advanced companies' technological development processes and competitive advantages.
Based on the literature review and industry survey, the conceptual models of technology development and competitiveness building are set up by considering several factors affecting technological development process and competitiveness of the steel industry. The longitudinal analysis of the steel industries in advanced countries which are famous for their successful technological innovations are carried out.
The results show that given the rapid changes in the world steel industry, success in the future will ultimately depend upon the firm's ability to gain competitiveness over others. Competitiveness in this respect will be built based on the quick and effective adoption of the most advanced steel making technologies and smooth integration of such technologies with existing facilities.
More specifically, the results of the thesis can be summarized as follows:
First, demand conditions, industry structure and technology development process of four major countries such as USA, Japan, Korea and China are analyzed and key success factors such as productivity improvement, facility rationalization, management innovation, and labor relations are identified.
Second, comparative analysis on the technology development process among major countries shows that the development process varies according to government policy, industrial restructuring and resource-based competitive advantages.
Third, indepth analysis on the competitiveness of Korean cold rolling identifies some weak areas such as high value-added products. Technical innovativeness to surpass the capabilities of existing process is needed in terms of cost saving, potential quality, manufacturing lead time, labor productivity, reduction of facilities, and active marketing.
Finally, based on the competitiveness analysis, some strategic directions are identified. In order to meet the increasing demand for steel in Korea, the existing outdated facilities need to be rationalized and new future oriented facility investment should be sought ahead of time. To apply the results from the conceptual study to the real situation, more substantial study is required from the dynamic view point regarding relationships among the identification of core capability of individual industry and relevant strategy of the company, the vision of top management, motivation of organization, external environmenr, and holding-out of competitive edge obtained by the technological innovations.
Summing up, technology has been one of the driving forces in the transformation of the steel industry. Technology can provide strategic advantage in particular markets, and sustaining success will require continuous improvements in both technology and products, moving forever upward into more sophisticated, high value-added market.
