Issue 55 - Year 04
Read breaking news about the Gerdau Group in the world. Enjoy!
Highlights
» Gerdau Ameristeel concludes the acquisition of Chaparral
» Gerdau Best of the Land Award celebrates 25 years with record entries
» Gerdau Group helps earthquake victims in Peru
» Sipar Gerdau invests in education
» Jorge Gerdau Johannpeter receives the insignia of merit of the Santas Casas in Brazil
» Gerdau Structural Profiles will be sold in Viña del Mar
» Competitiveness awards hit record entries
Gerdau Ameristeel concludes the acquisition of Chaparral
On September 14, 2007, Gerdau Ameristeel officially completed the acquisition of Chaparral Steel
Company; thereby increasing its product portfolio with a broad range of structural steel products and
making it the second largest producer of structural steel in North America.
The acquisition gives Gerdau Ameristeel two additional mini mills (one located in Midlothian, Texas and
the other in Petersburg, Virginia), approximately 1,400 additional employees and an additional installed
capacity of 2.8 million short tons annually.
Gerdau Best of the Land Award celebrates 25 years with record entries
The 25th edition of the Gerdau Best of the Land Award, which encourages increased productivity in the
field, had eleven winners: nine machines and pieces of agricultural equipment and two scientific projects.
This year, the award had record participation with exactly 600 entries.
In order to evaluate entries in the Highlight category, the judging commission covered more than 42874.
61224 miles and interviewed 592 equipment users. Entries in the New Product category were evaluated
on the companies' stands at Expointer before the fair opened. The entries competing in this category were
technological innovations already on the market for a maximum of one year, and participants of this
year's event. Scientific project entries in the Research and Development category were evaluated by a
commission made up of six agricultural machinery specialists.
Meet the 2007 winners:
Category
Highlight
New Product
Research and
Development
Equipment / Project
Company / Author
City /
Country
Gold Award: Rice Sprayer
TARRAN 3000
Stara S/A indústria de Implementos
Agrícolas
Não-Me-Toque
(RS - Brazil)
Silver Award: Corn
Harvesting Platform
GTS do Brasil Ltda.
Lages
(SC - Brazil)
Silver Award: Multiple
Hydraulic Sower SHM
15/17
Semeato S/A Indústria e Comércio
Passo Fundo
(RS - Brazil)
Special Award: Cabezal
para Cosecha de Maiz
Modelo 2000
Carlos Mainero y Cia
Argentina
Special Award: Rodillo
Moldeador
Jaime Quijada
Chile
Gold Award: Selfpropelled Grain Harvester
- MF 9790 ATR/AGCO
AGCO do Brasil Comércio e Indústria
Ltda
Canoas
(RS - Brazil)
Silver Award: Agricultural
Tractor TT3880F
CNH Latin América Ltda
Curitiba
(PR - Brazil)
Silver Award: Total Area
Fodder Harvester CAT
1200
Nogueira Industria e Comércio de
Implementos e Máquinas Agrícolas S.A.
São João da
Boa Vista
(SP - Brazil)
Special Award: Poultry
Scales - Integra-PRO SP22
Agromarau Indústria e Comércio Ltda
Marau
(RS- Brazil)
Professional: "Mobile
Auxiliary Harvest Unit
(UNIMAC) for Table
Tomatoes"
Marcos David Ferreira (researcher),
Oscar A. Braunbeck (professor) and
Augusto César Sanchez (academic in
Agricultural Engineering)
UNICAMP Faculty of
Agricultural
Engineering Brazil
Student: "Development of
System of Radio
Acquisition of Data for
Moisture and Soil
Temperature Sensoring
and Performance in
Irrigation Systems"
Clemilson C. Santos (masters student
in Electrical Eng. in the Dept of
Electrical Eng.), Adunias dos S. Teixeira
(professor of the Dept of Agricultural
Eng.); Giovanni C. Barroso (professor
of the Dept of Physics); Francisco J. F.
Canafístula (technician), Sérgio Daher
(researcher, Dept of Electrical Eng.)
Federal
University of
Ceará (UFCBrazil)
The 11 winners celebrated receiving the award at an event which brought
together 1,200 people in Sapucaia do Sul (in the state of Rio Grande do Sul)
Gerdau Group helps earthquake victims in Peru
The employees of Siderperu, the Gerdau Group mill
in Peru, pulled together in a show of solidarity for
the victims of the earthquake which hit the southern
part of the country in August. Money, clothes and
provisions were donated.
US$ 200,000 was given to the Reconstruction Fund
set-up by the Peruvian government. The money was
used to help those areas most seriously affected by
the earthquake, including the purchase of food and
water for the victims. Also, the employees and the
plant raised an additional US$ 31,000, which was
used to buy 500 tools that helped with the debris
clean-up work in the area.
Siderperu employees managed to raise
five tons of clothes and provisions
Sipar Gerdau invests in education
Sipar Gerdau, the Gerdau Group's unit in Argentina,
launched the Secondary School project, the
objective of which is to stimulate learning among its
employees. This initiative is being developed in the
municipality of Pérez, where the Group's industrial
plant is based.
In total, 25 people have already begun school
activities. The three year course has the support of
the Municipal Council and the Provincial Ministry of
Education.
The first project group of 25 people
Jorge Gerdau Johannpeter receives the insignia of merit of the Santas Casas in Brazil
President of the Gerdau Group Board and of the
Competitive Brazil Movement (MBC), Jorge Gerdau
Johannpeter, received the Insignia of the Order of
Merit of Mercy during the XVII National Congress of
the Santas Casas and Philanthropic Hospitals, in
Brasilia. The honor is in recognition of his
contribution on behalf of the quality of the public
and private Brazilian institutions, especially for work
developed at Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Porto
Alegre (capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul).
At the event, a mutual agreement was signed
between the Gerdau Group and the Santas Casas de
Misericórdia Confederation (CMB) to train managers
of 200 philanthropic hospitals and Santas Casas
linked to the organization. The program will be
developed by the Gerdau Institute, which
coordinates the the Gerdau Group's policies and
guidelines for community initiatives and projects.
Jorge Gerdau Johannpeter was honored for
his actions on behalf of the quality of
public and private institutions
Gerdau Structural Profiles will be sold in Viña del Mar
Os Gerdau Structural Profiles were introduced to more than 300 people in Vinã
del Mar, one of the most important cities for the steel market in Chile. At the
event, the advantages of using rolled steel structural profiles in construction and
architectural projects were highlighted. Among the guests were structural
engineers, representatives from construction companies and foremen from the
region.
Os Gerdau Structural Profiles are aimed at the civil construction industry,
where they are used in building structures, commercial and industrial sheds,
foundations and restraints. They are also used in industry, particularly for the
mechanical, naval and oil sectors.
Competitiveness awards hit record entries
This year, the competitiveness awards, which seek to stimulate the competitiveness of small businesses,
had a record number of entries from the Brazilian states. In Santa Catarina, the number of participants in
the Entrepreneurial Talent Award practically doubled. In total, there were 6,128 entries; 2,378 more than
in 2006. In Ceará, the Business Success Award had a total of 837 entries. The Paraná Business Success
Award attracted 572 competing companies in 2006 and 951 this year.
The objective of the award is to recognize the entrepreneurial efforts and actions that have resulted in
improved management practices, quality, productivity and profitability gains and which consequently
contribute to the betterment of society. The initiative is promoted by the Gerdau Group in national
partnership with the Competitive Brazil Movement (MBC), Sebrae and the National Quality Foundation
(FNQ). In each state, partnerships are created with local organizations that contribute to promoting the
initiative and help with the evaluation process.
The Gerdau Group supports incentive awards for the development of small businesses in nine states: São
Paulo (Outstanding Business), Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina (Entrepreneurial Talent), Paraná
(Business Success), Minas Gerais (Business Excellence), Rio de Janeiro (Top Business), Pernambuco
(Business Highlight), Ceará (Business Success) and Bahia (Business Prominence).