Creating a culture “unique to itself”

Gonzalo Urquijo is a member of the Group Management Board and Head of Long Products and Distribution. Here he spells out the gains the merger is bringing and the path now being taken to create a new Arcelor Mittal culture.

“As the wealth of know-how around the Group gets shared, the integration process is creating a new culture. It is not that of either the old Arcelor or the old Mittal, but something unique to itself. Neither side is imposing its way of doing things on the other. This really is a merger of equals,” he says.

In three months, Urquijo has visited 16 Arcelor Mittal plants around the world. He is convinced that the merger has brought together two businesses that are a natural fit –in terms of geography, customers or complementary strengths, and, above all, people and know-how.

In many ways, he says, the integration should create less friction than the merger that created Arcelor, because Arcelor and Mittal were both strong in different markets and had different customers.

How does Mr Urquijo sum up integration progress to date? “It is going very well. Most of the key issues – human, industrial, commercial – have been addressed and are on track. We know where we are going and how to get there.”