The scenario after the international crisis and its perspectives for Latin America and Argentina were the central focus of the meeting.

More than 500 representatives of the metallurgical sector met in Buenos Aires and shared experiences and progress in respect to the development program “ProPymes” (for Small- to Medium-Sized Enterprises) that offers training and support to industrial, financial, commercial. Representatives of the media, business leaders and special guests shared the day with reflection on its eight consecutive years.

Paolo Rocca, Chairman of Ternium, emphasized the challenge that is represented in continuing to move forward with projects and new investments: “We are positive the next year, and coinciding with what was said in the seminar, the challenge is to grow and take advantage of opportunities. Strengthening of the value chain is an anticrisis measure,” he stated. And, the outcome can be a summary on what constituted the objective and the situation. In the different panels or tables that followed (Steel Industry Situation, Political Scene, Global View, Small- and Medium-Size Enterprises Education and Strategies after the crisis) the international financial topic and how to react to it was the constant nucleus.

Ternium CEO Daniel Novegil in his presentation highlighted the recent recovery and volatility in the steel industry: “The world is recuperating from the crisis but in an uneven form, with the emerging countries at the head of this improvement. Latin America is well positioned in costs and market participation to face a very competitive scenario and the challenge that it presents now is to sustain the industrial development long term.

After Novegil’s presentation, the analysis of the national political context continued on the part of the journalist Carlos Pagni who was presented by Director General of Ternium Siderar, Martín Berardi. Much later economist José María Fanelli shared his view on the crisis, moderated by Luca Zanotti, CEO of Exiros.

The opinion of our clients:

The seminar where the SMEs that are clients and providers to The Techint Group meet annually to assess the balance of the program management had large gathering. Among the group, some business leaders shared how they faced the adverse panorama of the year that just finished. With an optimistic balance, Jorge Martín Vismara Vasalli, of Vasalli SA, (grains harvester) perceived a growth in the economy. “2009 finished good, though it began badly with the crisis and the drought. We did not dismiss people because of low sales and production. The internal market fell apart but today the perspectives seem much more positive. Clearly a level of optimism has arrived in our sector, but yes we see a positive trend growing. This encounter serves us as a business to know how to better plan our decisions.”

For his part, Julio Piccat, of Ingersoll Argentina, manufacturer of agricultural machinery parts can sell to Brazil and come out ahead of the last year. “We are devoting half of our production for the local market and the rest to the external. The first half of the year we had a strong fall of 60 percent, then we were slowly recovering, but the decline continues. The commercial channels are saturated with merchandise.” In spite of it, this confirmed the business could be reinstated, through the Brazilian market and “to recovery, at least in part, the activity lost.” Finally, Carlos Montano, of the Crucianelli Metallurgical Workshops (agricultural seeds), reveals a rapid improvement in its sales. “We began the year badly, in all the first four months, then we recovered the sales and today we are much better, almost at a level similar to 2008.” Crucianelli exports to Russia, Ukraine and Uruguay, and plans to continue expanding.