Manufacturing

The Honeywell name is most often associated with thermostats, but the company known today as Honeywell International is the result of the takeover of Honeywell Inc. by the conglomerate AlliedSignal in 1999. The old Honeywell was a frequent target of antiwar protests during and after the Vietnam War because of its role in making deadly munitions such as fragmentation bombs. Responding to those pressures as well as financial problems within its defense segment, Honeywell announced in 1990 that it was spinning off most of its military operations into a new company called Alliant TechSystems.

Aluminum Corporation of China Limited (Chalco) has masterminded its way into mixing alumina and aluminum. Chalco is the only maker of alumina -- which is refined from bauxite and a key material in producing aluminum -- in China. The company produces about 9 million tons of alumina products (including alumina, alumina hydrate and alumina chemicals), which makes it the second-largest maker of alumina in the world. Chalco also produces a million tons of primary aluminum annually. In 2007 the company agreed to acquire sister company Baotou Aluminum for about $2 billion.

One of the largest private economic conglomerates in Brazil, the Votorantim Group has large positions in cement and concrete, mining and metals (aluminum, zinc, nickel and steel), as well as paper and pulp production. Described by the Wall Street Journal as "a tropical style General Electric," Votorantim also produces concentrated orange juice and specialty chemicals, and is involved in a number of electric generation projects (often to service its own industrial operations). Its financial arm is Banco Votorantim.

The Gerdau Group is the world´s 14th largest steelmaker and the largest producer of long steel in the Americas. It has 272 industrial and commercial facilities, five joint ventures and two associated companies. Gerdau operates in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the United States, Canada, Spain and India. Currently, Gerdau has an installed capacity of 23.2 million metric tons of steel per year and supply steel for civil construction, industry and agriculture.

Embraer, the Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica S.A., is a Brazilian aerospace conglomerate. The company produces commercial, military, and corporate aircraft, as well as providing related aerospace services. From 1999 to 2001 it was Brazil's largest exporter and is one of the three main exporters in Brazil. Among all aircraft manufacturers, it currently has the third largest yearly delivery of commercial aircraft (behind Boeing and Airbus) and the fourth largest workforce (behind Boeing, Airbus and Bombardier).

Companhia de Tecidos Norte de Minas, or COTEMINAS. The Group's principal activity is to produce fabrics for the manufacture of bed linen, tablecloths, bath towels, curtains and clothing. It also manufactures fabrics and materials for the production of its own range of clothes such as T-shirts, socks and underwear for sale in the Brazilian, United States, European and Mercosul markets.

Vale (known until 2007 as Companhia Vale do Rio Doce) is a diversified mining multinational corporation and one the largest logistics operators in Brazil. In addition to being the second-largest mining company in the world, Vale is also the largest producer of iron ore, pellets, and nickel. Vale is also a world-class producer of manganese, ferroalloys, copper, bauxite, potash, kaolin, alumina and aluminum. In the electric energy sector, the company participates in consortia and currently operates nine hydroelectric plants.

Tenaris [TS: NYSE, Buenos Aires, Mexico and TEN: MTA Italy] is a company that is a global manufacturer and supplier of seamless and welded steel pipe products and provider of pipe handling, stocking and distribution services to the oil and gas, energy and mechanical industries. It is also a leading regional supplier of welded steel pipes for gas pipelines in South America.

Nike is the world's leading supplier of athletic shoes, apparel and sports equipment with revenue in excess of $16 billion USD in 2007. Operating in more than 160 countries around the globe Nike and is subsidiaries can be found in most shoe retailing stores. In addition to manufacturing their products Nike also runs a chain of retail stores known as Niketown.

Goodyear is the third largest tire manufacturers in the world, behind Bridgestone and Michelin. Goodyear operates more than 50 plants worldwide, as well as about 1,800 retail tire and auto centers. The company has sold its Engineered Products division to The Carlyle Group.