Chapter 13

Chapter 13Old steel(3)

After a while, the number of people taking their seats in the conference room started to increase. Jeong-woo looked around and took note of the positions of some of the people sitting nearby, feeling nervous.

There were experts with high positions in various fields, such as a professor of architecture from a famous university, the head of the technical department at a railway construction company, mid-level executives from large construction and shipbuilding companies, and logistics warehouse companies.

The atmosphere was academic and serious, and Jeong-woo felt overwhelmed just by being present in this room.

Chan must have seen this scene. He was surprised that his little brother was doing so well in his social life.Reêad latest novels at novelhall.com

What does it matter to be fifth in the class?

Jeong-woo felt a bit jealous of the rankings he had never experienced before.

A government official approached the center of the conference room. He was wearing glasses and appeared to be in his forties. After checking the microphone, he spoke immediately.

We will now begin the seminar. For those who are still outside, please enter quickly.

About ten experts with speaking rights sat around the central table. With the exception of Song Boyeong, who appeared to be the youngest, most of them were in their fifties and had experienced appearances.

I am Yang Gi-cheol, in charge of social facilities planning. On behalf of the mayor, I would like to thank all of you who have come from various fields.

Starting with Yang Gi-cheols greeting, Professor Hwang Soo-gon, a permanent consultant at the City Planning Department, continued with his keynote speech.

They are like cancer cells in nature, melting bridges, making it impossible to use the materials stored in warehouses, and making homes, cars, fuel tanks old

Jeong-woo scanned the seminar materials that had been distributed to everyone while listening to the speech.

Its a staggering fact that the amount of loss caused by maintenance work related to greenery in Seoul for a year is enormous. To prevent this, reinforcement work is being done, numerous anti-corrosion agents are being used, and paint is being repeatedly applied.

This could be a business model that could generate tremendous profits for construction companies or chemical companies like KG Chemicals, if looked at from the opposite perspective.

Next, we will hear a presentation on the results of a comprehensive survey of Han River bridges management.

As Yang Ki-cheol finished speaking, Lee Sang-seok, the head of bridge safety, stood up.

As you can see, 22 of the bridges on the Han River are managed by Seoul, and 8 are managed by other agencies. Lets look at the bridges with maintenance priority first.

Jeong-woo paid attention to the part about the Han River Iron Bridge that he passed by this morning on the screen shot by the BIM project.

That yellow paint was from Yujin Chemicals.

It was a company name as familiar as KG Chemicals. He couldnt help but pay attention to the cost and effect of the competitors chemical products.

There will be a question and answer session. Please speak freely.

First to speak was Kang Young-tae, who identified himself as a professor of architecture and structural engineering.

Excuse me, Manager. Will you only paint a few priority bridges next year?

We plan to supplement at a similar level since we do not plan to increase the budget next year.

Its frustrating. The lifespan of the corrosion inhibitor coated in a humid place is at most one year. Even if we have long rainy seasons in the summer, will Jamsu Bridge get rusted right away? They dont even have the budget to repair all the bridges with problems, so what kind of management are they doing?

Jeong-woo was slightly surprised to see Professor Kang, who expressed hostile opinions towards the city from the start. He thought that Professor Kang was too critical, as if he would make the city employees sweat.

This is the time for long-term structural improvements. If we use high-performance steel to improve the bridges at once, they will last for at least 30 years. The budget needed for the next 30 years will still leave us with plenty of money. We can also reduce wasteful spending of taxpayers money.

The city is considering all opinions.

Especially that Han River Iron Bridge. It worries me every time I see it. Do you really need to paint the bridge that was opened in 1994 repeatedly? Its not that, they said something fell off today, didnt they?

Peoples attention turned to the railway company representative sitting on the opposite side as Professor Kang asked the question.

Im Kim Dae-cheol, the head of KORAIL technology. We dealt with the accident this morning, and there were no major damages.

What was the cause of the problem?

We believe it was due to a deterioration in durability caused by an increase in railway traffic, rather than a structural defect. Also, we have adopted a new coating system using the coating material that was researched in collaboration with KG Chemicals to prevent corrosion on the Han River Bridge

Numerous traffic on subway and railways in the metropolitan area. This is also while experiencing tremendous vibrations and impacts every day. I want to ask the head. Adding a new coating to a perfect iron bridge like this, isnt it a waste of budget?

Its for safety, so I dont think excessive investment is a waste.

Even if it receives a higher safety score than other bridges?

Kim Dae-cheol, the head of the department, could not continue his speech as controversy intensified in this regard.

And that pretty lady over there.

As Yoon Jaegil kept calling her pretty lady, Song Boyeongs eyebrows twitched.

You mentioned the Department of Corrosion Management earlier. Do you know the story behind how it was created?

I dont know.

Song Boyeong could only shake her head.

The steel structure in New York, which can be said to be a symbol. Do you know the story of how the Statue of Liberty was almost collapsed due to corrosion?

Yoon Jaegils tone was so skilled that he was digging into the parts that Song Boyeong didnt know, and he had the power to lead the discussion.

The method that corrosion experts around the world used to remove and restore the rust on the Statue of Liberty. We followed that method and carried out a major construction project on the Han River Bridge last year, and the subway has been operating without any problems to this day.

Yoon Jaegil began to tell his story, unfolding a logical argument that Song Boyeong could not refute.

Yujin Chemicals zinc paint is remarkable. They borrowed a patent developed by NASA. It has been recognized for its performance even in Hawaii, which is very humid and has a lot of salt. Because of its cost-effectiveness, we now have many more buyers placing orders with us.

The conference officials began to thoroughly examine Yujin Chemicals data.

However

Song Boyeong could not provide a proper opinion. They had only conducted research on their own coating products and had not prepared to identify the pros and cons of the competitors products.

The quasi-crystalline coating material. Its good, and cheap. But its not suitable for the Han River Iron Bridge. This is a place where corrosion is already rampant and requires total management by specialized companies like our company, Yujin Chemical.

As the discussion, which began with Professor Kang Young-tae, seemed to turn into a battle of pride between the two companies, both Yang and Ju, who were in charge of the meeting, grabbed the microphone.

Please calm down and provide constructive opinions.

When you say constructive, it makes me more curious. Why did KG Chemical send such an inexperienced researcher to this important meeting? At least, shouldnt there be a senior researcher attending?

You are being too harsh.

If youre going to blame me for telling the truth, then I have nothing to say.

Yoon Jaegil raised both hands and made a gesture, indicating that he was calm. Song Boyeongs eyes widened as she looked at him. Yoon Jaegil had been consistently composed throughout the meeting, and his class in debating was evident.

Because our understanding of our products is intertwined, there is no room for compromise.

Thanks to Yoon Jaegil, Song Boyeongs angry eyes had turned into eyes full of frustration and helplessness.

What can I do? They are not even saying anything wrong Huh?

Jeong-woo had to swallow a groan as he looked at the image of the Han River Bridge on the projector screen.

The reason was that with the unfamiliar chemical formulas, constellations of elements suddenly came to mind like a 3D image.

The sight of the entire conference room floating in space was strikingly similar to that of the weekly meetings. In addition, interesting molecular compounds caught his eye.

What should I do?

Jeong-woo scratched his chin as he saw Song Boyeong trembling under the table with her fists clenched.

This seminar is not about winning or losing, but Song Boyeongs defeat would also mean KG Chemicals defeat.

I have a question, sir. Jeong-woo raised his hand.