History and Corporate Profile

GERDAU

What will the buildings of the future look like? What solutions need to be developed for the prosperity of the generations to come? These and many other questions are in the minds and hearts of our employees, who, together with our customers, suppliers, and other partners, are creating, articulating, and developing products and services that can respond to the world’s urgent demands. Sustainability and innovation are the driving forces behind the search for new solutions in an increasingly open and collaborative environment.

Today, we are the largest Brazilian multinational steel producer. Our products go into various sectors, such as construction, auto, machinery, shipbuilding, energy… Gerdau is everywhere you look. And we want much more.

Ready to go beyond steel, we have a new business arm, Gerdau Next, which develops, owns, or controls companies in the construction, logistics, infrastructure, and renewable energy sectors, in addition to accelerating and investing in startups.

We aspire to be one of the safest, most profitable, and most admired companies in the steel chain in the world, as well as one of the most prominent in the Americas.

GERDAU

10 principles

To build our story, we believe in empowering people, valuing talent, diversity, safety, and ethics.

We work to generate and share value with everyone we interact with, always based on our 10 principles.

Safety above all
Do what is right
We are all leaders
Openness with truth and respect
Diverse and inclusive environment
We raise the bar every day
Each client is unique
Generate value for all
Ownership mindset
Simplicity

We have more than 30,000 employees worldwide and are proud to be constantly building a strong, diverse, and inclusive culture that transforms itself without losing sight of what drives us: our purpose.

We take care of our PEOPLE and they are building an even better future, together with us!

Timeline

Our journey

Our story began more than 120 years ago. Since then, a lot has changed in the world - and we also have been changing to keep evolving and writing this story. We have become the largest Brazilian steel producer, with a presence in several countries in the Americas and a strong commitment to the future of our country and the development of the industry. It is the traces of memory that motivate us to continue contributing to the construction of a new future. Learn more about our history.

1901

João Gerdau acquires Cia. Fábrica de Pregos Pontas de Paris, a nail factory in Porto Alegre (state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil)

1948

Gerdau takes over the Riograndense steel mill (state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) and begins to produce steel.

1963

The Gerdau Foundation is created.

1969

Gerdau acquires the AçoNorte steel mill (state of Pernambuco, Brazil).

1971

  • The first Comercial Gerdau branch is opened in the state of São Paulo (Brazil).
  • Inauguration of the Gerdau Cosigua steel mill in the state of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).

1980

Beginning of internationalization with the acquisition of the Laisa steel mill in Uruguay

1983

Jorge Gerdau Johannpeter (CEO), Germano, Klaus, and Frederico Gerdau Johannpeter (Vice Chairmen) take over the leadership of Gerdau with the commitment to create a Brazilian multinational company.

1988

Gerdau acquires the Barão de Cocais steel mill (state of Minas Gerais, Brazil) at an auction.

1989

Gerdau enters North America with the acquisition of Courtice Steel in Canada.

1992

  • Gerdau enters the special steel segment with the acquisition the Piratina steel mill, in Charqueadas (state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil).
  • Lauch of the GG 50 rebar, a Gerdau flagship product in Brazil.

1997

Gerdau becomes a partner of Açominas, currently the Ouro Branco steel mill (state of Minas Gerais, Brazil) and enters Argentina with the acquisition of a mill in the Santa Fé province.

1999

Gerdau's shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

2001

  • Gerdau takes over Ameristeel in the United States.
  • Gerdau celebrates 100 years in business and joins the select group of centennial companies.

2005

Creation of the Gerdau Institute, responsible for coordinating the Company’s social responsibility policies and guidelines.

2006

Gerdau enters Peru with the acquisition of Siderperu (Peru).

2007

  • Gerdau enters Mexico with the acquisition of the Feld group.
  • André Gerdau Johannpeter takes over as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Claudio Gerdau Johannpeter becomes Chief Operating Officer (COO). It is the fifth generation in executive management.

2009

Start of iron ore production in state of Minas Gerais, Brazil).

2013

Start of flat steel productionr in the Ouro Branco mill (state of Minas Gerais, Brazil).

2014

Beginning of cultural transformation, reviewing structure and work model to become a more agile and less hierarchical company.

2018

  • Gerdau announces its first CEO from outside the family. Gustavo Werneck takes over from André Gerdau Johannpeter.
  • Launch of the purpose: “Empowering people who build the future”.
  • Conclusion of the asset sale cycle in India and focus on operations in the Americas.

2020

  • Another fifth-generation member takes office as Chairman of the Board of Directors, Guilherme Gerdau Johannpeter.
  • Launch of Gerdau Next, Gerdau's new business arm.

2021

  • Launch of Gerdau Graphene, a company that develops products with graphene applications.
  • Commitment to new clean and renewable energy matrices, with the announcement of the construction of photovoltaic parks in Minas Gerais (Brazil) and Midlothian (Texas, United States).

2022

SIDERPERU, our largest industrial operation in South America after Brazil, joins Gerdau Summit as the first, and only, steel industries in the world with B Certification.

Corporate Profile

In its 123-year history, Gerdau is Brazil’s largest steel producer and one of the main suppliers of long steel in the Americas and special steel in the world. In Brazil, it also produces flat steel and iron ore for its own consumption.

With the purpose of empowering people who build the future, the Company is present in 7 countries and has more than 30,000 direct and indirect employees in all its operations. The largest recycler in Latin America, Gerdau uses scrap as an important raw material: 71% of the steel it produces is made from this material. Every year, 11 million tonnes of scrap are transformed into various steel products. The Company is also the world’s largest charcoal producer, with more than 250,000 hectares of forest in the state of Minas Gerais.

Gerdau shares are listed on the São Paulo (B3) and New York (NYSE) stock exchanges

We are part of a large ecosystem, managing our chain in a sustainable way, valuing our people, respecting the environment and social well-being. By fostering business growth, we create value for everyone involved.

Our daily commitment is to prosper with vision, courage, empathy, knowledge and responsibility, contributing to a better life for all.

Gerdau in numbers

29 steel production
units
More than 30,000 direct and indirect employees worldwide
2 iron ore mines
250,000 hectares of forest base, including eucalyptus plantations and preservation areas
Industrial presence in 7 countries
74 Comercial Gerdau stores
Shares traded on 2 Stock Exchanges: São Paulo and New York.
R$68.9 billion in net sales in 2023

Gerdau is the largest ferrous scrap recycler
in Latin America

transforming 11 million tonnes of scrap into steel each year in its operations in Brazil and abroad.

Our Operations

Business Operation

  • (All)
  • Brazil BD
  • Special Steel BD
  • North America BD
  • South America BD
  • BD
  • BD
  • BD
  • BD
  • BD

Annual rolling capacity (thousand tonnes)

Click here for details

People's safety is one of Gerdau's non-negotiable values; it is a fundamental part of our organizational culture.

Gerdau has two iron ore mines in Minas Gerais, that supply the Ouro Branco integrated mill.

In line with Gerdau's commitment to be part of the solutions to society's challenges and to have a positive impact on the regions in which it operates, we have used only the dry stacking method to dispose of 100% of mining tailings in Minas Gerais since February 2023.

We are the largest recycler of steel scrap in Latin America, reaching 11 million tons per year, with 71% of our steel produced from this material.

Gerdau has 250,000 hectares of renewable eucalyptus forests in Minas Gerais. Of this total, 91,000 hectares are earmarked for the conservation of native forests. This is an area larger than the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Currently, we are the world's largest producer of charcoal, which is used as a bioreducer in the manufacture of pig iron.

Aware of our social and environmental responsibility, we have made environmental and social investments, including support for 456 projects in the areas of housing, recycling and entrepreneurship education, with the involvement of around 2,000 volunteer employees.

Created in 2020, Gerdau Next is our business arm aimed at diversifying the Gerdau portfolio of products and services into segments adjacent to steel, which are strategic and profitable in a transformation movement that follows the paths of sustainability, mobility and productivity in the construction sector.

Newave Energia, one of Gerdau Next's investment tracks, is developing greenfield electricity generation projects with a capacity of approximately 2.5 GW, exclusively from solar or wind sources, with generation expected to start in 2025 and 2026. Thirty percent of the energy generated by Newave Energia will be consumed by Gerdau's mills.

SIDERPERU, our largest industrial operation in South America after Brazil, joins the Gerdau Summit as the first, and only, steel industries in the world with B Certification for high ESG standards in the organization.