30

João Gerdau and his son Hugo

lay the foundations of Gerdau

with the Pontas de Paris Nail

Factory in Porto Alegre (state

of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil).

João Gerdau businesses branch

into two separate areas: Hugo runs

the nail factory and his brother

Walter assumes responsibility

for the Gerdau Furniture Factory,

both in Porto Alegre (state of Rio

Grande do Sul, Brazil). Later,

in 1930, Hugo and Walter Gerdau

take part in the creation of the

State center for the manufacturing

industry, future Federation of

Industries of the State.

Hugo Gerdau becomes a

founding member of the Cia

Geral de Indústrias (state of

Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil),

which later becomes Fogões

Geral. He later assumes

control of the company and in

1947 leaves the business.

The Nail Factory is

expanded with construction

of a new plant in Passo

Fundo (state of Rio

Grande do Sul, Brazil),

active until 1964.

Curt Johannpeter,

son-in-law of Hugo,

takes the company’s

helm and oversees

a decisive phase of

business expansion.

The Nail Factory – today

Metalúrgica Gerdau S.A. –

becomes a public company

and begins trading on the

Porto Alegre stock exchange.

Learn about the key factsthat marked Gerdau’s history

1901 1914 19461907 1933 1947

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GERDAU ANNUAL REPORT 2012 | TIMELINE

31

Steel production begins with

Riograndense – known as Usina

Farrapos (UFA) – in Porto Alegre

(state of Rio Grande do Sul,

Brazil), with forward-thinking

conception of the mini-mill, a

model based on the use of scrap

and regional sales, enabling more

competitive operational costs.

The second Riograndense

unit starts up operation

in Sapucaia do Sul (RS).

The mill was also known

as Rio dos Sinos mill.

The Gerdau Foundation

is created, with health,

education, housing

and social assistance

programs, reinforcing

the culture of social

responsibility within

the Organization.

The São Judas Tadeu

Wire Factory is set up

in São Paulo (state

of São Paulo, Brazil),

marking the company’s

expansion into the

Brazilian southeast.

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.

Gerdau acquires the

Açonorte steel plant (state

of Pernambuco, Brazil),

whose facilities were being

transferred from Tição (in

the city of Iguarassu) to the

industrial district of Curado

(in the city of Recife).

Siderúrgica Riograndense

publicly launches shares on

the Rio de Janeiro and São

Paulo stock exchanges.

19571963

1964 19701948 1967 1969

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32

Gerdau’s executive

leadership begins

to be in the hands

of Jorge Gerdau

Johannpeter (CEO)

and Germano, Klaus,

and Frederico Gerdau

Johannpeter

(Vice Chairmen).

Construction of Cosigua mill

(RJ) begins in the Industrial

District of Santa Cruz, which

was completed in record

time of 14 months. The

project had the participation

of Thyssen ATH and was

financed by the World Bank

through the International

Finance Corporation

(IFC), among others.

Germano, Klaus,

Jorge, and Frederico

Gerdau Johannpeter

became part of

the Gerdau Board

of Directors.

Steel distribution activities start

with the first Comercial Gerdau in

the state of São Paulo (Brazil).

Gerdau assumes control of the

Guaíra plant, a steel production

pioneer in the state of Paraná (Brazil).

Beginning of

internationalization

with the acquisition of

Laisa in Uruguay.

Cosigua begins to have

its shares traded on the

Stock Exchanges in São

Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

Operation begins at

the Cearense plant

in Maracanaú (state

of Ceará, Brazil).

Cosigua shares are

publicly released,

which earns the

company more

than 60,000 new

shareholders.Second Gerdau

plant in the state of

Paraná (Brazil) begins

operation, in Araucária.

Gerdau wins its

first privatization

auction in Brazil

and acquires

the Barão de

Cocais steel mill

(state of Minas

Gerais, Brazil).

1982 19841983

19731971 1980 1988

GERDAU ANNUAL REPORT 2012 | TIMELINE

33

Acquire part of the capital

stock of Sipar rolling mill in

Argentina. In 2005, Gerdau

takes a controlling stake.

The Company acquires AZA in

Chile and Aços Finos Piratini (state

of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil).

The GG 50 rebar, a Gerdau flagship

product in Brazil, is launched.

Gerdau acquires

Siderúrgica

Pains, now called

Divinópolis mill.

Gerdau acquires

MRM in the

province of

Manitoba, Canada.

Gerdau becomes a

partner of Açominas with

a small ownership stake.

Gerdau acquires control of

Ameristeel, marking its arrival

in the United States.

Gerdau S.A., a publicly

traded company in Brazil,

is listed on the New York

Stock Exchange (NYSE).

1992 19971994 1995 1998 1999

Gerdau enters

North America with

the acquisition of

Courtice Steel,

which later took

on the name

of Cambridge in

the province of

Ontario (Canada).

Gerdau acquires

Usiba (state of

Bahia, Brazil) at a

privatization auction.

1989

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34

Gerdau celebrates 100 years

in business with an installed

steel production capacity of 8.4

million metric tons per year.

Gerdau takes a controlling

stake in Gerdau Açominas

(state of Minas Gerais,

Brazil), its largest mill.

Gerdau acquires the Cartersville

plant (United States).

The merger of Gerdau

and Co-Steel, in North

America, creates

Gerdau Ameristeel.

Diaco (Colombia) and

North Star Steel (United

States) are acquired.

Gerdau enters Europe,

acquiring 40% of Sidenor. As

a result of this acquisition, the

Company takes an indirect

stake in Aços Villares (Brazil).

The Gerdau Institute, responsible

for coordinating the Company’s

social responsibility policies and

guidelines, is created, broadening

the scope of the Gerdau

Foundation, established in 1963.

Gerdau acquires Siderperu (Peru),

Sheffield Steel (United States),

Callaway Building Products (United

States), and GSB (Spain).

The Company announces its

joint venture Pacific Coast

Steel (United States).

Gerdau São Paulo mill

(state of São Paulo, Brazil)

commences operations.

André B. Gerdau Johannpeter takes over as Chief

Executive Officer (CEO) and Claudio Gerdau

Johannpeter becomes Chief Operating Officer (COO).

Gerdau acquires Chaparral Steel, one of

the largest producers of structural steel in

the United States, thus marking the greatest

acquisition in the history of the Company.

The Company enters Mexico (Siderúrgica

Tultitlán) and Venezuela (Siderúrgica Zuliana).

The Organization also acquires a stake in the

Dominican Republic (Industrias Nacionales - Inca)

and in Aceros Corsa (Mexico), signs agreement

for purchase of Macsteel (United States), and

starts the Kalyani Gerdau joint venture (India).

Gerdau Açominas (state of Minas Gerais,

Brazil) increases its production capacity by

50% to 4.5 million metric tons per year.

20022004

20062001

20052007

GERDAU ANNUAL REPORT 2012 | TIMELINE

35

The Company acquires a 50.9%

stake in Cleary Holdings (Colombia),

a metallurgical coke producer and

holder of coking coal reserves.

Gerdau enters Central America, with a 30%

stake in Corporación Centroamericana

del Acero, in Guatemala.

Gerdau takes over Macsteel

operations (United States), a

producer of special steels.

The Várzea do Lopes mine (state

of Minas Gerais, Brazil) is initiated

with the production of iron ore.

The Company’s entering

into the flat steel sector

in Brazil is disclosed.

Company announces new

investments in India.

Gerdau incorporates Aços Villares, a special

steel producer in Brazil, in which the Company

already had an 87% direct and indirect stake.

An additional stake of 49.1% is acquired in Cleary

Holdings (Colombia), granting Gerdau 100%

ownership of the company’s capital.

Gerdau gains 100% ownership of Gerdau Ameristeel, with the

acquisition of approximately 34% of the company’s minority

shares. As a result, the company shares are no longer

traded on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges.

Gerdau acquires Tamco (United States), a leading producer

of rebars on the west coast of the United States, with

production capacity of 500,000 metric tons per year.

Gerdau invests to expand its

own production of iron ore.

Gerdau completes 110 years of business,

reaching an annual production capacity of 25

million metric tons and revitalizes its brand.

Gerdau announces new

investments in mining

to increase its annual

installed capacity to 18

million metric tons by 2016.

Later, it celebrates the

firts shipments of iron ore,

marking its entry into the

international mining market.

The Mission, Vision, Values, and Code of

Ethics are revised and unified at a global level,

strengthening Gerdau’s corporate culture.

Gerdau begins studies for commercial

exploration of part of its iron ore

resources located in Minas Gerais.

The first phase for implementing the Gerdau

Template, which aims to deploy a single system of

information technology using SAP in all countries

where the Company operates, is completed.

Gerdau announces investments to increase the installed

capacity in special steel mills in Brazil and the United States.

Production of special steel

in India begins, in order to

supply the region’s market.

The Company completes

20 years of experience in

the special steel sector.

2009 2011 20122008 2010

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