Steelplant Technological Development in Latin America: A Comparative Study of the Selection and Upgrading of Technology in Plants in Argentina, Brasil, Colombia, Mexico and Peru

The steel industry is a classic symbol of industrialization. It has been taken as such in Latin America and promoted as a "leading sector" carrying with it the flag of national pride and prestige. This paper is based on five detailed case-studies of individual Latin American steel firms, namely: Acindar, in Argentina (the leading private-sector Argentine firm which produces non-flat products), USIMINAS in Brazil (one of the big three Brazilian state steel firms, producing flat products), AHMSA in Mexico (the largest state steel firm producing both flat and non-flat products), Acerías Paz del Rio in Colombia (the largest Colombian steel firm, producing mainly non-flat products), and the state-owned Siderúrgica de Chimbóte in Peru, later renamed SIDERPERU.