History of Gerdau at a glance

About Gerdau :

Its history dates back to 1901, when it started as a nail factory in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Today, we have hundreds of locations in 14 countries around the world and our products are present in the daily lives of millions of people. Annually, millions of tons of scrap are recycled and turned into quality steel, which serves the construction, industrial, agricultural and automotive sectors. 

Gerdau believes its steel has the strength of transformation, and since the beginning of its history, it has aimed to transform lives. Steel turns projects into reality, developing communities and making them better places to live. Gerdau is the leading producer of long steel in the Americas, and one of the largest suppliers of special long steel in the world. Additionally, it is the largest supplier to the automotive industry worldwide. In Brazil, Gerdau also produces flat steel and iron ore, which expands our product mix and improves the competitiveness of its operations.

History :

1901 : João Gerdau and his son Hugo lay the foundations of company with the Pontas de Paris Nail Factory in Porto Alegre (state of Rio Grande do Sul).

1946 : Curt Johannpeter, son-in-law of Hugo, takes the helm of the Company and oversees a decisive phase of business expansion.​​​

1947 : The Nail Factory – today Metalúrgica Gerdau S.A. - becomes a public Company and begins trading on the Porto Alegre stock exchange.​

1948 : Steel production begins in Porto Alegre (state of Rio Grande do Sul) with forward-thinking conception of the mini-mill, a model based on the use of scrap and regional sales, enabling more competitive operational costs.​​​

1957 : ​The second Riograndense steel production unit starts up operation in Sapucaia do Sul (state of Rio Grande do Sul).

1964 : Germano, Klaus, and Jorge Gerdau Johannpeter take on leadership positions in the Company, and in 1971 Frederico Gerdau Johannpeter also becomes part of the board.​​

1969-1971 : It starts to produce steel in the Northeast and Southeast regions of Brazil, and enters into the steel distribution business with the first Comercial Gerdau store in São Paulo.​​

1980 : It internationalization began with local production in Uruguay. The 80s also marks a significant expansion of operations in Brazil, mainly through acquisition of mills.​​

1983 : Its executive leadership begins to be in the hands of Jorge (CEO), Germano, Klaus, and Frederico Gerdau Johannpeter (Vice-Presidents).

1989 : It enters in North America with the acquisition of a mill in the province of Ontario (Canada).​​

1992 : Acquisition of an operation in Chile and a producer of special steel in Brazil.​​

1998 : Acquisition of part of the capital stock of a rolling mill in Argentina, whose share control becomes to our company in 2005.​​

1999 : Entrance into the US market with the acquisition for controlling a US Company. Over the following decades Gerdau significantly expands its operations in the United States by acquiring mills in the major markets in the country, becoming the second largest mini mill producer in the US. Gerdau S.A., a public Company in Brazil, is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).​

2001 : It celebrates its 100 years in the business and takes on a controlling stake in the Ouro Branco mill (state of Minas Gerais), its largest industrial plant in the world.​​

2004 : It becomes the main steel producer in Colombia, through the acquisition of a local Company.

2005 : It makes its entry into Europe, with the acquisition of a stake in a spanish company focused on the special steel segment. It also takes on an indirect stake in a company that produces special steel in Brazil.

The Gerdau Institute is created, which is responsible for coordinating our social responsibility policies and projects, broadening the scope of the Gerdau Foundation that was created in 1963.​

2006 : The company Siderperu (Peru) is acquired.

2007 : A new Executive Committee (CEG) is created  under the leadership of André B. Gerdau Johannpeter, who takes on the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO). 

It enters in Mexico, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic. It also acquires a leading producer of special steel in the United States and starts up its operations in India, both initiatives with a focus on the automotive market. The following year it starts to produce also in Guatemala.

2009 : Starts up of its own production of iron ore in Minas Gerais state, Brazil.​

2011 : It celebrates 110 years in business with installed steel production capacity of 25 million metric tons per year.

2013 : It starts its own production of flat steel in Brazil.

2014 : It merged its operations in the Dominican Republic with the Company Metaldom, creating Gerdau Metaldom, which is focused on

meeting markets in Central America and the Caribbean.

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