Steel generations XX – A series ends but our steel generations live on
Over the past 2 months, we have been taking you on a virtual trip around our ArcelorMittal world in the form of our Steel generations’ stories. One of our most popular series to date, it has provided us with a great opportunity to discover how, even though we may be far apart, many of the steel histories sound similar – and the common thread is a sense of pride. The series has also shown us how our industry is closely linked to the growth of several cities, and thus how their histories are intertwined. We thank everyone who has sent us in stories. Now, for the final article, we let Lucas de Barros Machado Vilela tell you the story of Monlevade, Brazil, a city that evolved together with our Company.
“João Monlevade is a small town in Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The main economic activity is mining and steelmaking, activities which have been historically lead by our Group. The steel tradition of this city started in the early 19th Century, when a French engineer named Jean Felix Dissandes de Monlevad came to Brazilian lands.
Thanks to the growth of the steel and mining business in the area, the village also kept growing as our Company provided necessary infrastructure such as; education, medical assistance, leisure facilities… In 1948, the city was even renamed “João Monlevade” to pay a tribute to its first inhabitant.
Nowadays, ArcelorMittal preserves the old farmhouse constructed by Jean Felix Dissandes de Monlevad and also runs a museum which shows the machines which were used in the old forge.
It is easy to see how so many families in João Monlevade have their history deeply rooted in our industry. To show the close link that still exists between our people and our industry, in 2006 we initiated a campaign which was also called Steel Generations. The main protagonists are the employees and their relatives who worked at some point in their life for our Company. Their photo is displayed on billboards, advertisements and internal posters all over the site. One of our best examples of Steel generations are the Braganças, whose steel tradition ranges over a total of 169 man-years… so far. In fact, these families are well set to write many more pages of Monlevade’s steel history…”
2 comments
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July 27th, 2009 by Mary Carey
This series was one of our most popular to date. It really struck a chord with many proud steel people across our Group and across countries and language barriers. We are still receiving Steel Generations stories but due to space and time we simplyhad to pick a deadline for the series to end. We also could not publish everyone’s story although we are keeping all contributions in case we start the series up again in the future. In the meantime, please feel free to send your comments and small stories via the blog comment box so others in the Group can read about you. You are the steel generations community and one thing is clear – you are all proud of what you do!
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July 27th, 2009 by Emanuelle Freitas
I work at ArcelorMittal João Monlevade and I know all these families that make history inside the plant everyday. It’s very bealtiful these histories and these people, because they show that the great workers works with love and complishment, and João Monlevade has this felings about ArcelorMittal.
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