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The Brazilian Center of Steel Construction

Civil construction is currently the most important consuming sector for steel in the world. Continuing technological improvements in the steel industry, which develop products with the necessary quality demanded by project designers and the increasing needs of the market, have fostered the expansion of steel consumption in the construction sector.

This phenomenon is repeated in Brazil, though in isolated initiatives which do not make full use of the existing sinergies among the involved segments, nor take advantage of all potential benefits for users and producers of steel.

Unlike other intense steel-consuming sectors of the economy, in which few producers hold a major portion of the market and have conditions of sponsoring studies and experiments aiming at reinvigorating the production process, the demand in metallic construction is still non-significant. There are few companies capable of affording initiatives in this regard or offering the necessary experience to establish long-term partnerships with customers. Furthermore, the respective producing chains also lack the cultural tradition in joint work.

In an attempt to overcome such drawbacks and with the purpose of learning solutions found in other countries that handled the same problems successfully, Cosipa and Usiminas started, in 1997, a joint work aiming at developing the market for steel construction. The GSCM - Steel Group of Metallic Construction was created in 1999 constituted by CSN, CST, Usiminas and Cosipa, which were later joined by Açominas.

The decision of creating the CBCA - Brazilian Center of Steel Construction - in Brazil was based on the analysis made by the founders of GSCM on the experiences and difficulties of other countries, specially those engaged in fostering the use of steel in construction, such as Great Britain, the USA and Japan, where entities, such as the Steel Construction Institute (SCI), the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and the Kozai Club, played a major role in the development and consolidation of steel construction in their respective markets. The CBCA also joins the efforts of national organizations congregating representatives of the local industry, entities and professionals related to steel construction, such as ABCEM - Brazilian Association of Metallic Construction and other regional associations of similar nature.

This decision was taken to the Board of Management of IABR, which approved the creation of CBCA, under the form of "condominium of expenses", through cooperation agreements with companies, entities and professionals, with IABR in charge of management.

CBCA is not a commercial entity.