Brazil's King of Steel, by Leonardo Gottems - 0 views
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Leonardo Gottems on 31 Mar 12A German immigrant in Brazil, Johann Heinrich Gerdau, or just João Gerdau, bought a nail factory in the Southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre in 1901. Shortly prior to the death of João Gerdau, his son, Hugo Gerdau started to manage the company. It seems a very simple story, but when Hugo Gerdau took over the nail factory in 1917, the expansion was so signficant that this is considered one of the major facts contributing to the end of the state of Rio Grande do Sul dependency of imports. Later in 1946, it was time to pass the control of the business to Curt Johannpeter, Hugo's brother-in-law. Two years later, they were buying a steel mill called Siderúrgica Riograndense. Therefore, the Gerdau group was created. And that was the first step to Jorge Gerdau Johannpeter to become years ahead Brazil's king of steel and the largest long steel producer in the Americas.
