Ternium S.A. (NYSE:TX) Q4 2022 Earnings Call Transcript

And so forth at least for the next few quarters, we see that facility working at much higher capacities. The exact number of the increase, we don’t have it yet clear, but we are very – working very hard with our customers to see the final demand. I think that – one thing that is also clear, Timna, is that demand in – the consumption of steel in Mexico. We are thinking that is going to increase in the future and we are seeing all the investments. Our customers, our new customers are doing, but it is coming on the time over time. Last year, apparent consumption decreased in Mexico next year when we see the kind of set of figures, it’s going to increase, but marginal. So the volumes we are gaining is against important market share. And so, that’s kind of what we are seeing in the market today Timna.

I hope with this, I clarified a little bit your question.

Timna Tanners: No that’s really helpful. So it sounds like even if AMSA were to reopen. And I’m not sure I’m quite up to-date on this telenovelas you don’t know what’s happening?

Maximo Vedoya: Convening here.

Timna Tanners: If we do see it return to operations, do you think that at least some of the volume improvement is sticky because of market share gains and against imports. It sounds like as well, yes?

Maximo Vedoya: Yes, yes you see both trends. Remember in Mexico you have, AMSA you now have ArcelorMittal, of course, with the new hot strip mill and you have us. And what we are seeing is that we are increasing market share against mainly imports and of course, AMSA is producing less tons, that’s also true. What we expect in the future, probably not next year, but you are seeing that demand is going to increase for several years to come. With this near shoring with this all the industrial manufacturers that are coming, remember that our capabilities also before the hot strip mill some of the products, we couldn’t be able to produce. So now, industrial customers, we are going through the – painful, let’s put it this way, painful certification process, a lot of industrial customers, which is. I mean, they have to do it, but this year and next year, all the certification process, are mostly completed. So, we are started to gain all that volume against imports.

Timna Tanners: Okay, great. Thanks again for the color.

Maximo Vedoya: Yes.

Operator: Your next question comes from the line of from Morgan Stanley. Your line is open.

Unidentified Analyst: Yes, hello, thank you for taking my question. I just wanted to ask, where do, you plan to divert the volumes of Ternium Brazil and to which markets. And also, I want to ask of the volumes you currently have integrated from Ternium Brazil to your Mexican operations. What percentage goes to the auto industry approximately, yes just to have some more color there?

Maximo Vedoya: Yes James, thank you for your question, very good question. Let me start with a broad answer. The capacity we have in Mexico and a little bit in Argentina we’ll put it, because Argentina also have a spare capacity of course with mill. We have capacity of roughly 7.5 million tons that need slabs. So I’m taking out the Guerrero facility, the mini mill facility. So, if we are – producing at full capacity, which were not producing yet at full capacity. But if we produce the hot strip mill in Pesquería full capacity, the Churubusco mill at full capacity and the mill in Argentina probably will need between 7.5 and 8 million tons of slabs. Brazil is producing today around 4.7 million tons. So we have a deficit that is bigger, or its kind in-line with the new capacity we are bringing in.