At the current level of development of modern society, a world without the use of steel is unimaginable. Its production has a significant value in the economic development of a country and its consumption grows in proportion to the number of constructions of buildings and public works, installation of media, and production of equipment. It is a material so present in our daily lives that it often goes unnoticed. It is no accident that this metallic alloy won a day to be celebrated in Brazil, the National Steel Day, celebrated on April 9th.
Present in all moments of life, whether for leisure or work, steel is there, in equipment, in cars, in buildings, in squares, in houses. Resistant, durable and 100% recyclable, steel is an essential raw material in civil construction, vehicle production, housewares and consumer goods in general. And the most important: its use in the production of the most diverse products is great, but it costs little for the final consumer. In times of high costs, it is good for those who buy to know that they can count on a cheap ally in the production of the most diverse goods, which reflects positively on the prices of the final products. This was pointed out by a recent study by the Institute for Technological Research (IPT), at the request of the Steel Brazil Institute, which dismantled two cars, a stove and a refrigerator and found that more than 50% of the weight of the raw material used in the production of cars and refrigerators, for example, are steel, but the participation in the sale value of these goods is less than 10%.
In the case of buildings in general, steel is present from the base to the finishes, providing security and stability for the entire structure, but it represents only 4.6% of the total cost of the work and 2.0% in the sale value of an average building. These civil construction data come from a study by the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV – SP), carried out in December 2009, considering the averages of the characteristics of properties in the metropolitan region of São Paulo.
To complete, in addition to being the most recyclable and recycled material in the world and of low cost, the steel production chain still employs millions of workers in Brazil, creating new local and regional economies, generating income, consumption and quality of life through a virtuous circle. Only the Steel Cearense Group, consisting of five companies, is responsible for the generation of around five thousand direct jobs and another 60 thousand indirect jobs. Without a doubt, steel is one of the most economically viable, socially fair and environmentally friendly sectors in our country.
Ian Corrêa, Vice-President of Grupo Steel Cearense
