| Gerdau
Gerdau
| Gerdau
A historic name in Brazilian business, Gerdau’s history dates back to 1901 starting out as a nail factory in Porto Alegre, and has since grown to become the largest producer of long steel in the Americas with mills in Brazil, Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, India, Mexico, Peru, the United States, Uruguay and Venezuela. Gerdau also has the distinction of being the largest supplier of steel to the automotive industry worldwide. The legal department is made up of a number of legal counsel who utilise their excellent contract negotiation skills to successfully maintain and expand Gerdau’s presence in domestic and international markets. Gerdau now has 337 industrial and commercial units and more than 45,000 employees across 13 countries. Recently appointing a new CEO, the company has experienced a major change in its senior management structure, and with the assistance of the legal team have worked to expand its operations in Brazil. In 2016, Gerdau generated almost half of its sales in North America, 32.5% in Brazil, 15.5% in Latin America and 4.5% in Europe/Asia, evincing the importance of the country in its business plans.