GS Global is opening a new branch in Houston, Texas. This move significantly bolsters its local sales base to target the North American energy and infrastructure markets.
The company held an opening ceremony for the Houston office on Tuesday in the Uptown area, a major commercial district in Houston, as announced on Thursday.
With the establishment of the Houston office, GS Global now boasts a network of 23 overseas bases across 16 countries. In the U.S., the company has strengthened its market presence through two main pillars: the Los Angeles (LA) corporation and the Houston branch.
Recently, the demand for project-related steel has surged in the U.S. due to investments in energy, power, and infrastructure. As investments in artificial intelligence (AI) data centers and power infrastructure accelerate, local demand for high-quality steel products has also increased significantly.
The Houston office is expected to proactively respond to U.S. demand and serve as a key hub for business development in the southern region.
Beyond simple steel imports and sales, the office will focus on identifying project-related steel demand, supporting orders, participating in the U.S. energy industry value chain, and expanding related business areas such as energy, chemicals, and shipbuilding equipment.
In particular, GS Global plans to maximize synergy by collaborating with major domestic steel companies located near Houston, such as Hyundai Steel and Dongkuk Steel, while actively seeking new business partners in local engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) and steel processing firms.
In the second half of this year, the company will concentrate on establishing local networks and managing project pipelines to stabilize operations. Starting next year, GS Global aims to support orders and explore new business opportunities in earnest.
A GS Global representative stated that the establishment of the Houston office is a strategic investment to expand the customer base in the U.S. market and strengthen the sales competitiveness. It will solidify our sustainable growth foundation in the North American market by pursuing not only project-related steel business opportunities but also various new business prospects.
Meanwhile, GS Global is also launching its seaweed (kim) business, a key export item representing Korean food, to target the global food market.
On Wednesday, the company signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at its headquarters in GS Tower, Gangnam, Seoul, with Wando Mulsan, a specialized seaweed production company, and Highland Food Group, a meat import and distribution company, to expand domestic and international sales of seaweed products and enhance export cooperation.
GS Global kicked off its food business with a strategic equity investment in a chicken processing company in 2024. The company has established a food business team this year and is pushing to export seaweed products and develop new items like green tea.
Currently, GS Global is supplying Wando Mulsan’s seaweed on a trial basis to its company cafeteria and plans to leverage its global network to expand overseas sales channels.
A GS Global representative remarked that it’s nurturing the food solution business, which connects the food value chain, as a new growth driver based on the global network and supply chain management capabilities as a comprehensive trading company.