The “Empresas Mais” ranking, of the 1500 largest companies in the country, was released this morning, 14, by the newspaper O Estado de São Paulo, during an event in São Paulo.

“This recognition is very important, as it is an external vision, with an independent methodology, which also confirmed that we are following firmly on the path we seek, which is stability, based on continuous improvement and operational excellence. ”, Said João Batista. “This achievement is the result of a robust project, which is Albras, which started over 30 years ago; and a highly dedicated team, with managers and employees committed to the strategic objectives of our company. It is an award for each one of us, who work for a better, bigger and greener Albras ”, he added.

In addition to Albras, the companies Acelormittal and CBMM were also awarded in the Metallurgy and Steel category.

The event was attended by the Minister of Finance, Henrique Meirelles, as well as journalists and representatives of companies from all 22 sectors of the economy evaluated.

Meirelles stated that, after a difficult year, the country began to record the fall in inflation and the recovery of various sectors of the industry, such as Metallurgy, which reached a growth rate higher than in December last July 2016, when a period of crisis began. He also scored the GDP growth projection for the fourth quarter of this year, at 2.7%, when compared to the same period in 2016.

The minister also stressed the importance of recognizing companies that stood out in this recovery process. “It is very important, in a moment of economic recovery, that we have an event like this, because as we recognize the best practices used in companies, we encourage all companies to follow the same path”, he highlighted.

The “Empresas Mais” ranking is a partnership between Estadão and Fundação Instituto de Administração (FIA), Agência Broadcast and Boavista Serviços. The publication lists the 1,500 largest companies in Brazil, classified according to size and financial performance.

The publication will be available on newsstands from September 29th.