OREANDA-NEWS. May 29, 2014. ArcelorMittal is proud to announce it has won ‘Deal of the Year’, ‘Lifetime Achievement’ and ‘Industry Leader’ at this year’s Platts Global Metals Awards. The annual awards, which recognise excellence and accomplishments in the global metals industry, were presented in London.

ArcelorMittal won the deal of the year category for its acquisition of ThyssenKrupp Steel USA, in a joint venture with Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation (NSSMC). The complex transaction - which completed in February this year - was one of the biggest in the steel industry for years, resulting in ArcelorMittal and NSSMC owning the flagship steel finishing plant AM/NS Calvert in Alabama, USA.

Accepting the award on behalf of ArcelorMittal, Bill Steers, general manager, Americas communications and corporate responsibility, highlighted the importance of this milestone deal for the company:

"It is gratifying to receive recognition from Platts Global Metal awards, highlighting the successful completion of this deal for ArcelorMittal. Along with NSSMC we are now the owners of the most modern steel finishing facility in the world, which will allow us to meet rising demand for steels in the automotive, energy and other important NAFTA markets.”

Greg Ludkovsky, vice president for global research and development at ArcelorMittal, took home the prestigious lifetime achievement award, for his unique contribution over the past four decades to innovation in the steel industry. Accepting the award, he spoke of his passion for his chosen profession: “I am very honoured to have been awarded this recognition from Platts. I like to tell people to ‘find a job you like - and you will not be working for a single day in your life’ – this is how I feel about my work, innovating to create and design new steels for the world”.

Speaking about Greg, Lou Schorsch, CEO of ArcelorMittal Americas and Group Management Board member responsible for strategy, technology, R&D, global automotive and commercial co-ordination, said: “Even decades ago, Greg was recognised as an outstanding R&D scientist and manager bringing steel applications to our customers.  Today he leads the R&D function at ArcelorMittal with operations on five continents and activities in almost every product category.  Despite the scope of these responsibilities Greg continues to be an incredibly fertile source of innovative ideas and solutions, particularly as our customers set ever higher targets for our product.  Greg’s leadership is ultimately responsible for breakthrough products like our proprietary door ring – used in the Honda SUV MDX”.

The third award of the night recognised ArcelorMittal’s leadership in the steel industry. With the steel industry having changed beyond recognition in the last 30 years as a result of extensive restructuring and consolidation, the judges awarded ArcelorMittal for its status as the only truly global steelmaker, its leadership in developing new products, its approach to corporate responsibility and the strength of its brand.

The black-tie gala was held in Plaisterers’ Hall, London and attracted more than 200 metal leaders from around the world, with around 30 companies reaching the final stages of the awards.

Image top: Greg Ludkovsky (centre) and Bill Steers (centre right) accept the industry leadership award for the steel industry