OREANDA-NEWS. November 23, 2012. More than 38,000 organizations are participating in this year's Award for Micro and Small Companies

(MSEs) Brazil, an initiative that recognizes the best management practices of micro and small companies in Brazil. The Award is granted annually by Gerdau in a partnership with Sebrae Nacional, the Competitive Brazil Movement (MBC), and the National Quality Foundation (FNQ). The number of participants in 2012 is 18% larger than in 2011, when 32,000 organizations participated in the selection process.

The participating organizations answered a self-assessment questionnaire including questions based on the Management Excellence Model® (MEG) of the National Quality Foundation (FNQ). The initiative will recognize the best management practices in the categories of Industry, Trade, Services, Tourism, Information Technology (IT), Health, Education, and Agribusiness, plus the highlights of Best Practices in Social Responsibility and Innovation. In the 2012 competition, over 80 Gerdau employees are working as volunteer assessors. Gerdau supports the award MPE Brasil through the Gerdau Institute which is responsible for the Company's social responsibility policies and guidelines.

Gerdau is the leader in the segment of long steel in the Americas and one of the main suppliers of special long steel in the world. With over 45,000 employees, it has industrial operations in 14 countries—in the Americas, Europe, and Asia—which together represent an installed capacity of over 25 million metric tons of steel per year. It is the largest recycler in Latin America; and in the world, it transforms each year millions of tons of scrap steel, reinforcing its commitment to sustainable development in the regions where it operates. Gerdau is listed on the stock exchanges of Sao Paulo, New York, and Madrid and has over 140,000 shareholders.