Gerdau Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Special Steel Production in the United States

This milestone reinforces the Company’s commitment to the U.S. market

Today, Gerdau celebrates 50 years of special steel operations in the United States. On May 13, 1974, the Special Steel North American division cast its first special steel billet at its Jackson, Mich. facility, which has transitioned into a downstream facility with heat treating, turning, inspecting and cutting operations for critical safety applications, such as camshafts for the automotive industry.

“This is an exciting moment for us,” says Gustavo Werneck, CEO of Gerdau. “As a company that has been in business for 123 years, we are constantly innovating and adapting ourselves in order to meet current and future demands. Our Jackson facility remains a critical part of our special steel operation in the U.S. and our footprint in North America.” In November, the Company’s Fort Smith, Ark. special steel mill will celebrate 40 years in operations.

Gerdau Special Steel North America produces special bar quality steel for the automotive, commercial vehicle, agricultural, construction, distribution and energy markets. The division is headquartered in Jackson, Michigan and operates steel manufacturing plants in Monroe, Michigan and Fort Smith, Arkansas with additional finishing and heat treating facilities in Jackson, Mich. and Huntington, Indiana. Gerdau Special Steel is a wholly owned subsidiary of Gerdau.

“This important milestone reinforces our commitment to the North American market, “says Rodrigo Belloc, president of Gerdau Special Steel North America. “We’ve continuously invested into our operations over these last 50 years.”

Gerdau has been a leader in clean steels technology for the last decade, and recently introduced its new brand – Performa™ Clean Steels. The automotive industry is driving this need for high-strength steel parts with lightweight design, increased fatigue life and better performance. Gerdau’s Performa™ steels are produced with special chemistry and property controls that minimize inclusions, which are known to reduce fatigue life on parts exposed to continuous stresses.

“Our teams are motivated by the challenges of tomorrow and we are prepared to continue supplying our customers the best quality SBQ,” says Belloc. “We look forward to working with our customers to solve the challenges that come over the next 50 years and are committed producing cleaner steels using sustainable processes.”