Alacero said in a press release today that despite signs of recovery for two consecutive years, Latin America has been struggling from the effects of China and Turkey imports. The main theme discussed throughout the Alacero-59 Congress this week was the concern about increased imports and declining exports in the region, despite the prospect of ending 2018 growing slightly in crude steel production in Latin America in comparison to 2017.
According to the general director of Alacero, Francisco Leal, “the global and regional industry continues to be affected by the overcapacity, where China is the main country that contributes to this issue.”
Also, “the imposition of US steel duty by Section 232 and the added global capacity puts a red flag for the region’s steel industry. Since it happened, in addition to China, imports are increasing with Turkey and other countries of Asia,” Leal added.
Among the topics discussed in the Congress are the challenges and opportunities of automation. Rizwan Janjua, Chief Technology Officer from World Steel, shared the advantages of industry 4.0 and reflected about things that cannot be automated, such as human skills: critical thinking and creativity.
According to Imelda Restrepo, ANDI’s vice president of Economic Development and Competitiveness, “we cannot do the same thing we have been doing for some years now. We need to think about the future. “
About future millennial steel consumers, she adds: “We used to make our products and we were looking for ways to sell it. Now we have to think the other way around, which is to know the world’s needs and adapt as quickly as possible. “
As part of the closing ceremony, Alacero announced the composition of its new Executive Committee for 2019. The executives were elected at the Alacero’s Council Meeting and have assumed their positions today.
Máximo Vedoya, CEO of Ternium, assumes the presidency of Alacero. Jefferson de Paula was named first vice president, Gustavo Werneck was named secretary, and Martín Berardi was named treasurer. New directors include Marcos Faraco, Carlos Zuluaga, Fernando Reitich and Raúl Gutiérrez.