The main event for the steel industry in all of Latin America gathered CEOs, corporate directors, government authorities, and international organizations on October 29 and 30 at the Hilton Hotel Buenos Aires, where they discussed the sector’s challenges before more than 700 participants.
Under the theme “Markets and Geopolitics in Steel,” renowned economist Ricardo Amorim addressed the competitiveness challenges for LATAM in light of the threat from China, with a special focus on Brazil. Andrés Malamud, senior researcher at the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon, presented a socio-political overview, while American economist Shannon K. O’Neil delved into the trend toward the regionalization of global supply chains. At the end of the first day, Paolo Rocca, CEO of the Techint Group, delivered a keynote address.
As part of the panel on “Competitiveness of the LATAM value chain,” Rafael Lucchesi, Chairman of the BNDES Board, analyzed Brazil’s paths toward reindustrialization as a strategy for economic and social development. Likewise, in the panel “Regionalization and Nearshoring,” Mexican economist Gerardo Esquivel and Máximo Vedoya discussed Mexico’s industrial experience and the factors leading to its success.
Understanding the importance of building increasingly competitive and integrated value chains, Vagner Loyola from Vale and Rafael Chang from Toyota shared their views on shared expectations and challenges. To conclude and complete the analysis of the regional steel industry’s perspectives and challenges, Jefferson de Paula from ArcelorMittal, Gustavo Werneck from Gerdau, and Máximo Vedoya from Ternium closed the day with the CEOs panel.
New this year was the first Decarbonization Forum, which presented technological and environmental challenges for the industry’s future. In this “Sustainability” section, international speakers discussed the path, progress, and challenges facing the Latin American industry in moving toward low-CO? steel.
The steel industry in Latin America supports 1.4 million direct and indirect jobs and is key to various strategic economic sectors, including construction, automotive, and the manufacture of machinery and appliances. However, it faces a significant threat from the growing import of steel from China, which does not adhere to market rules. Over the past year, these imports reached a historic record of nearly 10 million tons, representing a 45% increase and creating a critical situation for the local industry.
The reconfiguration of value chains and the trend toward regionalization open up new possibilities for Latin America, which produces steel with one of the lowest carbon footprints in the world and boasts a competitive, integrated metalworking value chain.
See how the event went by pressing play on the image below.