core sector communique

ArcelorMittal announces third season of its Web TV: ‘2010: The Road to Recovery’

Luxembourg, 17 March, 2010 - ArcelorMittal today announces the launch of ‘2010: The Road to
Recovery’, the third season of its award winning Web TV at www.arcelormittal.tv. Web TV 2010 explores the impact of the global economic crisis and the cautious path to recovery. Through a series of video episodes and a blog section, the season looks at how the company was affected by the unexpected economic crisis, how it adapted to this unprecedented shock and how as therecovery progresses the focus it puts on maintaining its leadership position.

Exploring the values and its commitment to its stakeholders, the Web TV takes a transparent approach to tell the story of the global economic downturn and its consequences on the business.The new season starts with an episode that encapsulates the essence of the last 18 months, from the sudden downturn to the realization of what this meant for the company. With insightful and personal reflections from members of the senior management including the Chairman and CEO, Lakshmi Mittal, as well as from shop floor employees, the first episode highlights the various ways that the company was affected and the challenges it faced.

Lakshmi Mittal, Chairman and CEO, said: “2009 was a very difficult year for us as well as for many other companies. In order to adapt to a very challenging environment we had to look hard at how the company operated and make whatever changes were necessary in order to be resilient in the face of the worst economic downturn since the Second World War. Whilst we would all have preferred not to have lived through that period, nevertheless the business has learned some valuable lessons which will make us a stronger company in the long-term. The Web TV is a perfect platform to explore and explain this by sharing our experiences in a very transparent way with all our stakeholders.”

Nicola Davidson, Vice President Corporate Communications, said: “People often focus on the financial impact that an economic crisis has on a company, but there are many other aspects of the company that can be affected, for example relationships with customers and suppliers, and the motivation and morale of employees. We wanted to utilize the Web TV to examine all these aspects in closer detail, as well as exploring the decisions that helped us through the crisis, such as cost competitiveness, and the projects and opportunities that will lead us back to growth and maintain our competitive edge.”

Launched in 2007, the two previous award winning series had pioneered the concept of Web TVs and given stakeholders a transparent view inside ArcelorMittal. With almost 3 million unique visitors in the two previous seasons, the ArcelorMittal Web TV has become an essential tool in the group’s internal and external communication.

In parallel to the episodes, the site has been developed as a rich community-oriented space where visitors are encouraged to get involved with the content, react to the stories, and take active part in ‘2010: The Road to Recovery’.