Steel solutions for the civil construction,
industry, agriculture and automotive sectors
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| • | The Gerdau Group services the civil construction, industry, agriculture and automotive markets with a full line of products that includes concrete reinforcing bars, profiles, wire rod, wires, nails, specialty steels, billets, slabs, blooms and fabricated rebars. |
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| • | Its commercial activities are structured in market sectors and geographical regions, based on the principle of "think globally, act locally." This philosophy allows the sales force to respond to national policies, maintaining decentralized operations that meet the specific needs of each region and market sector. |
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| • | By positioning itself close to its customers, Gerdau has been able to create increasingly favorable conditions for dealing with international competition and ensuring customer loyalty. |
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| • | Throughout its history, Gerdau has invested in the transformation of steel and commodities into branded products that are recognized in the Brazilian market for their added value, such as the GG50 rebar, the first in the country to carry a quality guarantee. |
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| • | The sales force has a fundamental role as a business consultant for customers, offering technical support to ensure the best use of its products. This vendor/consumer relationship allows Gerdau to identify customers' needs and coordinate the development of new products and technologies by the industrial units. |
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| • | The commercial network, with its broad distributor base, is an essential part of the Group's performance, ensuring extensive contact with the end-users of Gerdau products, and promoting brand recognition. |
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| • | The quality of Gerdau products and services - the basis of customer satisfaction - is evaluated by means of systematic surveys, and undergoes constant fine-tuning in the search for new standards of excellence. |
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| • | The business and general websites have brought greater flexibility to Gerdau's customer service and greater connection with the market. In 2001, the number of customers using the e-business website reached 1,500. |
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| • | An important technological tool is being installed in a number of Gerdau units - the Vendor Management Inventory (VMI) system. The VMI will carry out electronic inventory management for customers, automatically ordering products when inventories drop to a pre-determined level. |
