Gerdau wins IT Company of the Year and Product Innovation of the Year from American Metal Market

TAMPA, Fla., June 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Gerdau's North American long steel business division, (NYSE: GGB, gerdau.com/longsteel) earned two American Metal Market Awards for Steel Excellence, including "Information Technology Company of the Year" and "Product Innovation of the Year." It is only the second time a company has won two awards from the organization in one year.

"The winners of the AMM Awards for Steel Excellence represented the best companies in their respective segments of the global steel industry, embodying innovation and ingenuity," said Bristol Voss, editor-in-chief at American Metal Market. "We had a record number of nominations for this year's awards, and finalists represented world-class innovation in their respective fields. To be named a winner truly signifies excellence in products, processes and people. Gerdau won in two categories against very stiff competition."  

Gerdau won "Information Technology Company of the Year" for the e-commerce platform, eGerdau, which was launched in November 2014. The new eGerdau brings technology enhancements based on customer's needs that are mutually beneficial to Gerdau as well. The tool saves both parties time, increases customer engagement, downloads and retrieves customer documents and facilitates the ease of doing business.

Gerdau was also awarded the "Product Innovation of the Year" award for GGMULTI, a merchant bar quality product with 10 different grades and standards. It is designed for high performance, achieving consistent strength specifications with low carbon content. It is offered in varying shapes and sizes of angles, channels and flats. By combining several grades into one, there are many benefits for both Gerdau and the customer such as reduced inventory and simplification on the purchasing and warehouse processes.

"We are honored to have received two awards because it represents how our teams raised the bar this year to create products that differentiate us from the rest of the industry," John Coll, vice president of sales and marketing, said. "We have a strong sales force that provides excellent support to our customers, while keeping close personal relationships, and eGerdau and GGMULTI helps us better serve them." 

Winners were announced at the sixth annual American Metal Market Awards for Steel Excellence on June 9 during the Steel Success Strategies XXX conference.

About Gerdau

Gerdau is the leading producer of long steel in the Americas and one of the largest suppliers of special long steel in the world. It has over 45,000 employees and industrial operations in 14 countries with operations in the Americas, Europe, and Asia, which together represent an installed capacity of over 25 million metric tons of steel per year. It is the largest recycler in Latin America and around the world it transforms millions of metric tons of scrap into steel every year. Gerdau is listed on the stock exchanges of Sao Paulo, New York, and Madrid and has approximately 140,000 shareholders.

Media contacts:

Kimberly M. Selph
Senior Manager, Communications and Public Affairs
Gerdau Long Steel North America
Tel. (813) 362-6394
[email protected] 

Kaley E. Goodfellow
Specialist, Communications and Public Affairs
Gerdau Long Steel North America
Tel. (813) 207-2235
[email protected]

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SOURCE Gerdau