ArcelorMittal, the world's biggest steel company, seems to make deals every week or so, and all over the globe. With more than 320,000 employees in more than 60 countries, how do you go about communicating clearly with them, as all the merger integration playbooks say you should?
ArcelorMittal has developed an interesting tool: a Web TV series that was launched after Mittal's $33.5 billion takeover of Arcelor in 2006, and which is now entering its second season. The newest episode is a short, documentary-style piece on the company's expansion in Liberia. It's a good follow-on to the first 15 episodes, which give stakeholders an opportunity to
speak frankly and honestly about their experiences working for or doing
business with the company. The company says the second season will bring more of the
same, monitoring the performance and progress of ArcelorMittal, as it seeks to deliver on its brand promise of "transforming tomorrow."
Meanwhile, the deals continue. For example:
ArcelorMittal's steel service center subsidiary SSC Sverige, and BE Group will create a 50-50 joint venture to serve the Swedish market with processed flat carbon steel.
Even in a period when things like toxic credit default swaps and noxious structured investment vehicles dominate the conversation in many parts of the deal community, people are still willing to take the time to recognize skill and achievement in the strategic transactions that help those companies adapt and grow.
Juergen Lasowski
And the winners are...
