Argos ONE

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2018, un año de hitos estratégicos para Cementos Argos

En el marco de su Asamblea de Accionistas, Argos, empresa de cemento del Grupo Argos, presentó los resultados financieros y los principales hitos de 2018. Durante el año, la compañía creció de forma significativa en el ebitda y en la utilidad neta, refrendó su compromiso con los clientes, mejoró su estructura de costos, disminuyó el endeudamiento e incrementó la flexibilidad financiera, dejando así sembradas todas las semillas para que 2019 sea un año extraordinario.

 

Con respecto a los resultados operacionales, de manera consolidada, Argos despachó 16 millones de toneladas de cemento y 10,3 millones de metros cúbicos de concreto, que representaron ingresos por 8,4 billones de pesos. Además, obtuvo un ebitda de 1,54 billones de pesos, con crecimiento del 8% y un margen ebitda de 18,3%. Por su parte, la utilidad neta cerró en 178.563 millones de pesos, creciendo de forma sustancial frente al año anterior.

 

CIFRAS del negocio por regionales

“Quiero agradecerles a nuestros accionistas y clientes por depositar su confianza en nosotros para seguir edificando juntos la historia de esta gran compañía que es Argos: una empresa que tiene la indeclinable voluntad de construir sociedad, al facilitar la materialización de sueños en vivienda e infraestructura que impactan la calidad de vida de millones de personas. Hoy somos una multinacional en crecimiento que opera en 15 países y llega a más de 34 destinos, enfocada en crear valor a partir de soluciones y productos innovadores, sinergias logísticas y un balance de negocios entre economías emergentes y desarrolladas”, indicó Juan Esteban Calle, presidente de Cementos Argos.

 

Estructura de capital

 

La organización terminó el 2018 con un índice de deuda neta sobre ebitda más dividendos de 3,7 veces, con un mejoramiento significativo respecto del indicador de 4,6 presentado al cierre de 2017, como resultado de la optimización de capex, el esfuerzo en liberación de capital de trabajo y una ejecución exitosa de desinversiones no estratégicas. Por su parte, la deuda total cerró en 7,1 billones de pesos, disminuyendo 473.000 millones en el año. 

 

En el marco de la gestión y sustitución de pasivos para optimizar la estructura de duración y costo financiero de la deuda, en junio de 2018 Argos colocó bonos ordinarios por 500.000 millones de pesos con una vida media de 9,5 años, en una emisión que tuvo una sobredemanda de 1,8 veces el monto inicial ofrecido. También obtuvo un crédito sindicado por 600 millones de dólares, que mejoró significativamente el perfil de deuda al ampliar en cinco años los pagos que estaban programados para 2019 y 2020.

 

Una compañía orientada al cliente

 

Con el objetivo de ser cada día más eficiente, en 2018 Argos comenzó la implementación de BEST en las regionales Estados Unidos, y Caribe y Centroamérica, donde replicará la optimización de costos y gastos que ha realizado en Colombia. Gracias a todo ese esfuerzo en eficiencia, logró los niveles de productividad que le permitieron enfocar el año en la profundización del relacionamiento con los clientes y el fortalecimiento de sus capacidades, con el fin de entregarles la mejor propuesta de valor.

 

Un ejemplo de ello es el avance en su apuesta por la digitalización de la industria a través de la plataforma Argos ONE, que se continúa desplegando secuencialmente en todos los mercados y posiciona a la organización a la vanguardia del sector. Con Argos ONE, los clientes tienen información en línea para seguir la entrega de sus órdenes, realizar pedidos, pagos y análisis de cali­dad, lo que se traduce en productividad para sus proyectos. 

Además, en el último trimestre del año lanzó en Colombia el chatbot corporativo Sara, la asistente virtual de Argos que usa inteligencia artificial para simular una conversación sin la ayuda de un ser humano y que tiene como objetivo bridar un servicio extraordinario a los clientes. Lo anterior, convierte a la compañía en la primera de la industria en implementar esta herramienta.

 

Soluciones innovadoras

 

En la actualidad más del 30% de los ingresos de la compañía provienen de innovaciones, y en 2018 obtuvo ahorros por más de 25.300 millones de pesos, derivados de iniciativas de innovación. 

 

Durante el año Argos continuó con la ampliación y especialización de sus productos de valor agregado. En Colombia lanzó una nueva línea de morteros secos, compuesta por tres referencias, y desarrolló alrededor de 250 nuevas formulaciones de concreto dentro de las cinco líneas ya existentes en el mercado. En Estados Unidos amplió la cobertura de productos de valor, y en Caribe y Centroamérica complementó el portafolio de Puerto Rico, comenzó la exportación de cemento puzolánico y cal a mercados de Caribe Oriental y presentó nuevos cementos en Honduras. 

 

De cara al futuro

 

La compañía continuará enfocando sus esfuerzos en innovar y servir todos los días mejor a sus clientes, en fortalecer la posición competitiva en los distintos mercados, crecer el ebitda, optimizar costos y gastos, capturar sinergias, desinvertir activos no operativos y no estratégicos, gestionar responsablemente el capital de trabajo y en reducir el capex, para potenciar el retorno sobre el capital empleado y alcanzar mayor flexibilidad financiera que redunden en la generación de valor. 

 

Finalmente, en la Asamblea de Accionistas celebrada hoy, 22 de marzo, se aprobó un pago de 242 pesos anuales como dividendo tanto para las acciones ordinarias, como para las preferenciales. Este será pagado en efectivo en cuatro cuotas trimestrales de 60,5 pesos por acción.

 

Para información adicional puedes contactar a:


Piedad Monsalve, gerente de Comunicaciones | pmonsalve@argos.com.co
Raquel Yepes, directora de Comunicaciones Externas | ryepess@argos.com.co
Recuerda ingresar a la sala de prensa virtual: https://argos.co/sala-de-prensa/

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PIEDAD MONSALVE

Gerente de Comunicaciones
pmonsalve@argos.com.co
(57 4) 3198700

DANIELA VALLE

Directora de Comunicaciones
dvalle@argos.com.co

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Atmospheric emissions

We are committed to reducing our emissions through actions that achieve more efficient processes and the implementation of abatement measures, contributing to good air quality in the places where we operate.  Our cement-, concrete- and aggregate-production processes generate punctual and scattered particulate matter (PM) emissions, as well as emissions of sulfur oxides (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the clinkering furnaces of the cement plants.

  • For society:  To contribute to mitigating the impact on air quality in the areas where we operate, acting responsibly and promoting relationships of trust with our Stakeholders.

 

  • For the company:  To develop more efficient processes that allow us to reduce our atmospheric emissions and contribute to responsible production, complying with local regulations in the countries where we operate and – in some cases – going beyond compliance with said regulations, contributing to the profitability of the business and preparing to face future challenges.

The “Emissions” pillar of our Environmental Strategy focuses on: Working on the adequate measurement, control and reduction of SO2, NOx and particulate-material (PM) emissions generated by our production processes in the cement business and on the prevention and mitigation of our dispersed emissions of particulate material (dust), originated mainly by the activities of transportation, transfer, unloading and storage of materials in the cement, concrete and aggregate processes. The foregoing, through operational control, optimization and renewal of emission-control systems to achieve continuous improvement.

Industry positioning

We position ourselves as strategic allies for the development of the territories where we are present, directly and through the empowerment of our value chain.  We do it through the construction of housing and sustainable infrastructure that enables the closing of socioeconomic gaps, the generation of employment, the improvement of the quality of life and the reduction of the impacts generated.

  • For society:  To sustainably respond to the growing demand for housing and infrastructure of the world population with the aim of improving people's quality of life, interconnecting regions and developing innovative solutions. 

 

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    For the company:  To be strategic allies of the actors in our value chain in order to maintain the Company's leadership in the market, ensure its competitiveness over time and increase the generation of sustainable value.

We are committed to the role we have as a Company in the achievement of the 2030 Agenda goals, the consolidation of territorial development plans where we operate, and the economic reactivation of the countries affected by the pandemic. Therefore, we focus our efforts in the development of sustainable housing and infrastructure projects that contribute to closing socioeconomic gaps, generating employment under safe conditions, environmental protection, and investment in improving people’s health systems and quality of life. 

Our work unfolds in three large lines:

 

Cities for everyone:

 

With nearly 54% of the world  population living in urban areas, the pandemic made inequality of those who live in the cities of the world

manifest. Nearly 90% of the COVID-19 cases are concentrated in the urban

centers that have, among others, challenges associated with access to basic services and decent housing conditions. For this reason, we work together with our value chain to develop projects that benefit the lessfavored population, facilitate access to housing, and promote development in

the areas of influence.

 

Interconnected cities

 

The need to connect urban areas with rural areas to expand the coverage

of basic services, such as health, has been a priority of developing countries

since before the pandemic. Therefore, during 2020, we continued working on creating innovative solutions that allow us to be present in the large projects of the countries and territories where we are present.

 

Intelligent cities

 

In recent years, the acuteness of the effects of climate change became the

risk of greatest impact to the world. Therefore, in the global stage, a need

has grown to transition to a low-carbon economy, an opportunity that becomes more relevant amid post-pandemic recovery scenarios and the effort we are making as a Company to generate new business models that respond to environmental and social challenges. For this reason, our Climate-Change Strategy includes actions aimed at mitigating the impacts associated with our productive processes, adapting our operating model and innovating from the identification of optimization opportunities.

Supplier management

Supplier management is a fundamental pillar of our Supply Chain Strategy; it seeks to build and strengthen relationships with strategic allies who have the ability to contribute to the Company in terms of efficiency, productivity, customer service and innovation.  For this reason, we carefully select our suppliers, transfer knowledge to promote their development, promote good practices and recognize those who are an example of sustainable, innovative, safe and responsible management.

  • For society:  To develop our suppliers, promote transparent practices and responsible conduct, to improve the productivity and competitiveness of our society and support the construction of a better future.

 

  • For the company:  To seek to add value throughout the Company's supply chain, from the purchase of goods and services to the delivery of products to clients.  Through the mitigation of risks and potentiation of opportunities, the implementation of good contracting practices and service excellence, we create relationships of trust and turn suppliers into business allies.

Our management is divided into five stages:

  1. Identification: We determine the goods and services required for our operation and the category to which they belong, according to our Category Tree. This groups our suppliers into macro-categories which – in turn – are subdivided into two more specific levels.
  2. Pre-Selection: We validate the suitability of suppliers through due diligence and review aspects of sustainability and financial health to ensure long-term relationships.
  3. Negotiation: We select suppliers with high standards, considering technical, economic, sustainability and service aspects.
  4. Retention and evaluation: We carry out knowledge-transfer processes with those suppliers with growth potential.
    • We characterize our suppliers as critical suppliers or with potential risk in sustainability.
    • We measure the management of critical suppliers through performance evaluations in terms of quality, service, occupational health and safety, having constant feedback and identifying key factors for their development.
    • We apply the Sustainability Index to suppliers with potential sustainability risks, to identify challenges, opportunities, and to develop joint action plans in environmental, economic, social and Human-Rights matters.
    • We implement additional controls and development plans to suppliers belonging to categories where the greatest potential risks have been identified. This is how, for example, we develop road-safety strategies for our logistics suppliers; with mining suppliers, we carry out a more rigorous pre-selection process, and with contractors, we have special controls on occupational health and safety.
    • We have a Transparency Line for Stakeholders to report possible improper actions and to implement the pertinent corrective actions. 
  5. Recognition:  Every two years, through Growing Together (Creciendo Juntos), we recognize the suppliers that have shown outstanding performance in innovation, sustainability, health and safety and development and comprehensiveness.

 

Additionally, we have:

 

Contracting manual: transparent action framework that guides the negotiation and contracting of our suppliers to allow the process to be agile, make use of best practices and carry out adequate risk management.

 

Code of conduct for suppliers: in which we define the principles and behaviors that we expect from our allies in terms of respect for human rights, protection of workers, environmental management, business ethics and responsible business practices.

Ethics and compliance

We are convinced that ethics and integrity are fundamental and non-negotiable; that is why we live by these principles, integrating them into our operations, processes, and strategy, thus generating value responsibly for our business, our Stakeholders, and for society.  Through the Global Governance and Compliance Program, our ethics and business conduct system, we seek to promote that our actions are consistent with the pillars of corporate culture and integrity as the guiding principle of our business activity.

  • For society:  To promote transparent, competitive, and sustainable business environments that strengthen trust and ethics in business, generating positive impacts for the market and society.

 

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    For the company:  To promote that our actions are consistent with the pillars of culture and that integrity is the inspiring principle of all members of the Organization.  This is how we consolidate ourselves as a competitive, reliable company in the eyes of investors and other Stakeholders.

We have voluntarily adopted a self-regulatory framework that confirms our commitment to business ethics as a way to promote transparent practices that contribute to the development of competitive environments. This framework* incorporates mandatory principles of ethics and conduct:

 

 

For the proper implementation and application of these guidelines, the strengthening of the ethical culture, the prevention and control of incorrect actions, our Board of Directors approved the Global Governance and Compliance Program (GGCP, in Spanish). The program structure incorporates international best practices to evaluate compliance programs, such as ISO 37001, ISO 19600 and the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) guidelines. The program has the following scope:

 

 

Likewise, it systematically groups together the activities carried out to promote integrity in the Company's actions, its employees, and members

of the value chain, which allow the updating and permanent strengthening

of the program. Operating Scheme:

 

Efficiency and productivity

We materialize our Corporate Strategy through actions aimed at the efficient use of resources, the improvement of our financial flexibility and the maximization of income generation and business profitability.  We focus on the application of efficient, safe production processes and circular economy models, on the diversification of energy management models and on the efficient management of the supply chain.

  • For society:  To provide solutions and products that meet the needs of our clients through the responsible, appropriate use of resources and the incorporation of raw materials and alternative energy sources.

 

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    For the company:  To guarantee business sustainability, optimize working capital and capital investments, reduce costs and the level of indebtedness, and mitigate risks regarding the availability of resources necessary for our operation and the emergence of new business realities, environmental requirements and new regulations.

Creamos valor construyendo relaciones sólidas que transforman el futuro de la sociedad

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Creamos valor a través de nuestro compromiso con el desarrollo responsable y transparente de nuestras actividades.

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