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Cementos Argos entrega el mejor resultado trimestral en su historia, con un margen ebitda del 24 %

  • Durante el tercer trimestre del 2023, el margen ebitda de la cementera registró un crecimiento de 506 puntos básicos en comparación con 2022.
  • Acumulado a septiembre, Argos registró ingresos consolidados por COP 9,8 billones, 15,7 % superiores a los del año anterior.
  • En el programa de recompra de acciones, que fue aprobado en junio, se han recomprado 862.000 acciones ordinarias y 204.000 preferentes, equivalentes a COP 4.900 millones. Con la finalidad de
    ejecutar los COP 125.000 millones aprobados para la primera fase de este programa antes del cierre del
    primer trimestre de 2024, se anunció la iniciación de recompras de acciones a través del Mecanismo Independiente de la BVC.
  • El 7 de septiembre, la compañía anunció el acuerdo para combinar sus operaciones en Estados Unidos con Summit Materials con el objetivo de crear una plataforma líder de materiales de construcción con escala nacional listada en la Bolsa de Valores de Nueva York, NYSE.

 

Argos, empresa de cemento del Grupo Argos, registró en el tercer trimestre de 2023 resultados financieros que evidencian los avances alcanzados en términos de eficiencia operacional y de generación de valor en línea con la exitosa ejecución que viene presentando el programa SPRINT . En este periodo se obtuvieron ingresos consolidados por 3,1 billones de pesos, manteniéndose estables al compararse con 2022. Por su parte, el ebitda alcanzó 742.000 millones de pesos, creciendo 25,4 % con respecto al mismo peri odo del año anterior. El margen ebitda se situó en 24 %, lo que representa un aumento de 506 puntos básicos en comparación con 2022 y constituye el mejor resultado trimestral alcanzado por la compañía en su historia.

 

Los despachos totales de cemento alcanzaron 4 millones de toneladas, con una contracción del 4,5 %, explicada, principalmente, por un ligero debilitamiento de la demanda del mercado local en Colombia y un evento operativo , ya en Newberry, una de las plantas en Estados Unidos. Los volúmenes de concreto se ubicaron en 1 7 millones de metros cúbicos, con una disminución del 10,8 % versus 2022, debido a un ajuste en
la demanda en Florida y Texas, como resultado de una menor dinámica en el segmento residencial y de la desaceleración en el nivel de iniciaciones de vivienda que se viene presentando en Colombia.

 

“El tercer trimestre fue muy importante para seguir consolidando los avances del programa SPRINT y desarrollando el plan estratégico de Argos. Los resultados particularmente en Estados Unidos, Colombia, Panamá y República Dominicana fueron muy positivos y resaltan el buen posicionamiento de la compañía con nuestros clientes y el foco de todos los equipos en seguir evolucionando nuestras propuestas e impulsando el crecimiento rentable de los negocios con el fin de generar valor para nuestros accionistas y todos los grupos de interés en los 16 países y territorios donde estamos operando”.
Juan Esteban Calle, presidente de Cementos Argos.

 

Durante el tercer trimestre, Cementos Argos presentó avances significativos en el despliegue de su programa SPRINT (Share Price Recovery Initiative), Iniciativa para la Recuperación del Precio de la Acción, orientada a fortalecer las iniciativas para la creación de valor a sus accionistas y grupos de interés. Entre otros logros, la cementera alcanzó:

 

  1. Foco en la rentabilidad: el margen ebitda se expandió en 506 puntos básicos durante el tercer trimestre y 320 puntos básicos en lo corrido del año.
  2. Incrementar el pago de dividendos a los accionistas: de los COP 322,5 por acción, aprobados para ser pagados en 2023, se han pagado a la fecha COP 245,95 por acción, y el pago final se realizará en diciembre.
  3. Recompra de acciones por 250.000 millones de pesos: el 27 de septiembre se inició la ejecución de la primera fase del programa de recompra de acciones. Al momento, se han readquirido 862.000 acciones ordinarias y 204.000 preferentes, equivalentes a 4.900 millones de pesos, que representan el 4 % de los 125.000 millones de pesos aprobados para esta primera fase.

  4. Listamiento del negocio en Estados Unidos en la Bolsa de Valores de Nueva York: como se anunció el 7 de septiembre, Cementos Argos acordó combinar sus operaciones en Estados Unidos con Summit Materials. El proceso avanza de manera satisfactoria, y espera que la transacción se complete en el primer trimestre de 2024.
  5. Mejorar la liquidez de las acciones: la acción ordinaria ha sido seleccionada para operaciones repo en el mercado colombiano por tercer trimestre consecutivo, en virtud de mejores condiciones de liquidez. En comparación con el cuarto trimestre de 2022, el volumen de operaciones diario promedio mejoró un 235 %.

 

Estados Unidos

Durante el trimestre se registró en la regional un ebitda de 108 millones de dólares, un 42 % mayor con respecto a 2022, y el margen ebitda fue 633 puntos básicos más alto que el mismo periodo del año pasado. Los ingresos sumaron 437 millones de dólares, 5,5 % más que el tercer trimestre del año anterior.

 

Los volúmenes de cemento disminuyeron 4 %, debido, en gran medida, a eventos operativos en la Planta Newberry, en Florida. Los despachos de concreto premezclado presentaron una contracción de 11,5 % versus el mismo periodo del año anterior debido a cambios coyunturales en la demanda, así como a un enfoque de priorización de negocios rentables.


Colombia

 

Las estrategias orientadas a la obtención de eficiencias, especialmente en la disciplina de costos, así como la búsqueda constante de rentabilidad explican los buenos resultados alcanzados en Colombia. Durante el ejercicio, el ebitda alcanzó 209.000 millones de pesos y aumentó 32,6 % respecto al mismo trimestre del año pasado, como resultado de una estrategia integral ejecutada en toda la cadena de valor. El margen ebitda fue del 27 %, 481 puntos básicos por encima de 2022 y el más alto para cualquier trimestre desde 2016.

 

En términos de volúmenes de cemento, las exportaciones de Cartagena aumentaron 19,2 %, alcanzando 380.000 toneladas durante el trimestre y 1 millón de toneladas en lo corrido del año. Los volúmenes de cemento del mercado local, por su parte, disminuyeron un 4,8 % durante el tercer trimestre en comparación con el mismo período del año pasado; no obstante, Argos superó el desempeño de la industria debido a que el indicador de los volúmenes de cemento gris en el país disminuyó un 6,2 %.

 

Caribe y Centroamérica

El desempeño financiero de la región mantuvo una evolución positiva durante el periodo, con un crecimiento del ebitda del 5,3 %, registrando 33 millones de dólares y un margen ebitda creciente, que alcanzó el 24,6 %.

 

Durante el periodo, particularmente en Centroamérica, los despachos de cemento aumentaron 3,7 %, impulsados por una dinámica positiva en Panamá. En el Caribe, por su parte, los volúmenes fueron 2,8 % inferiores, por la situación política y social en Haití, deterioro compensado en gran medida por el buen desempeño del mercado de República Dominicana. El volumen de la división de trading tuvo una disminución interanual del 44 %, por cuenta de una mayor utilización de la capacidad de exportación desde Colombia.

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PIEDAD MONSALVE

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

RAQUEL YEPES

Directora de Comunicaciones
ryepess@argos.com.co
(57 4) 3198700 | Extensión: 64318
313 791 6901

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

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