Latin American steel association, Alacero, has moved its headquarters from Santiago, Chile, to Sao Paulo, Brazil, the trade group said this week.
Alacero’s president, Jefferson de Paula, said moving the association’s headquarters to Sao Paulo after decades in Santiago was a “strategic decision.”
“It means to be present in the main steel market of the region and in a world-class industrial center. This will allow us to intensify and strengthen our relationship with our entire value chain,” he said in a statement.
Alacero said Brazil has been a hub for Latin America’s steel industry. The country’s economy has started to rebound after years of a meltdown.
“Despite the scenario of internal and external uncertainties, Brazil presents robust figures and good prospects. It is the region’s largest crude steel producer, with 53 percent of the (region’s) total production. The country is expected to close the year with a production of 35 million mt of crude steel, up 2 percent from last year,” the Alacero press release said.
Alacero said it named Francisco Leal as the association’s general director.
“We at Alacero believe the steel industry is one Latin America’s economic and social development pillars,” the press release said. “We also know that the current levels of per capita steel consumption in the continent remain well below the world average and we have a long way to change this scenario.”