Gerdau,
the Brazilian steel maker, (1a) is becomingone of Latin America’s
most successful (1b) companies. It (2a) is
raising productivity in its (2b) plants; it
(3a) is getting the price and timing of its takeovers of smaller companies (3b) right ; and, most important, it (4a) ..is beginning… to understand investors (4b) expectations
. Investors want a firm that’s focused and transparent, with a simple
share structure, and that’s exactly what Gerdau gives them. The only
problem in the short term is a problem of success. Gerdau (5a) is
approaching a 50%
(5b) share in its domestic market, and so it (6a) is attracting the (6b) attention of Cade, the monopolies authority.These days it’s much easier to do business in Brazil. The government is simplifying
the company-tax structure, it (7a) is
making the labour market more (7b) flexible by
changing the restrictive labour laws, and it (8a) is modernizing company (8b) law in
general.