Metalurgica Gerdau, the world's 14th largest steel manufacturer and the number one dragon steel manufacturer in the Americas, was founded in 1869 by Johannes Heinrich Kaspar Gerdau in Brazil and is headquartered in Porto Alegre, Brazil; it is ranked in the It was founded in Brazil in 1869 by Johannes Heinrich Kaspar Gerdau and is headquartered in Porto Alegre, Brazil; it was ranked #1181 in the 2014 Global 2000;