| QUARTERLY RESULTS - 4Q23
MESSAGE FROM MANAGEMENT
Given our commitment to put people’s safety at the forefront of our business, we ended
2023 with the lowest accident frequency rate1
in the Gerdau’s history: 0.70, down from
0.76 in 2022. This milestone reflects Gerdau’s commitment to the evolution of its safety
culture, which always puts people at the center of decision-making.
As for the financial and operating results, we closed the fourth quarter of 2023 with lower
shipment volumes in our Business Operations. In addition to fourth-quarter seasonality,
continued uncertainty related to the international macroeconomic environment, marked
by geopolitical conflicts, and a surplus in global steel production, which impacted the
global market, and particularly Brazil, led to a decline in shipments and pressured the
Company’s revenues.
The continued excess inflow of steel through predatory imports in Brazil, combined with
the weakening of markets in some regions where we operate, resulted in consolidated
Net Sales of R$14.7 billion and Adjusted EBITDA of R$2.0 billion in 4Q23. However,
despite this decline, we closed the quarter with a solid and healthy balance sheet in order
to ensure the sustainability and continuity of our operations through best practices and
solutions. We continue to invest in modernization and
technology updates at our units, seeking to constantly improve
profitability and productivity.
According to the Brazil Steel Institute, the steel import
penetration rate in Brazil reached 25% in December, more
than double the average of the last ten years, while the import
volume in 2023 was 50% higher than in 2022, increasing the
local competitive imbalance, chiefly due to steel imports under
predatory competition conditions. Although we are a modern
and highly efficient sector, we cannot compete with heavily
subsidized imports, which directly affect the competitiveness
of our industry and, more importantly, the jobs of thousands
of Brazilians. We closed the fourth quarter with a stable
shipment volume compared to the previous quarter in the
Brazil BD, with an Adjusted EBITDA Margin of 8.5% in 4Q23.
In the North America BD, shipments dropped 6.2% in 4Q23
compared to 3Q23, reflecting the seasonality of the period. We believe that the continuity
of U.S. government policies and programs that encourage the demand for steel in the
region such as Section 232, Inflation Reduction Act – IRA, Infrastructure Bill, Chips Act,
among others, and phenomena of company relocation in the region (reshoring) may
benefit the competitiveness of the U.S. steel industry and encourage local demand in the
long term. We closed the quarter with a healthy backlog of orders and focused on offering
a portfolio of higher-value-added products that, together with cost control and
operational efficiency initiatives, led to an Adjusted EBITDA Margin of 19.2% in the
quarter.
As for the Special Steel BD, according to the National Association of Vehicle
Manufacturers (ANFAVEA), in December, Brazilian light vehicle sales reached the highest
one-month figure of the last four years, which may point toward a recovery in demand
in the Brazilian market in 2024. However, we continue to closely monitor market trends,
given the rise of Chinese cars in the Brazilian auto market, the cost of credit, and the
reduction in the population’s consumption in the country. In the United States, the United
Auto Workers strike in the fourth quarter had a marginal impact on production and
shipments in the period, given that the auto segment represents around 75% of our
market.
The South America BD recorded a 16.2% decline in shipments in 4Q23 compared to the
previous quarter. In Argentina, although the energy and mining sectors continued to grow,
the tax and economic adjustment announced by the new administration in late 2023 and
the depreciation of the peso impacted the results of the Division. In Uruguay, steel imports
rose substantially, and, in Peru, sluggish demand reflected the contraction of the economy
in the country and delays in government construction projects.
In line with the strategy of optimizing our assets and seeking to drive the Company’s long-term growth by making our operations more competitive, on January 17, 2024, we
announced the sale of Gerdau’s entire stake in joint ventures Diaco S.A. and
Gerdau Metaldom Corp, which were part of the South America BD. The transaction amount
corresponds to a base price of US$325 million, and the transaction should be completed
in the first half of 2024, after the fulfillment of the usual conditions precedent for this type
of deal.
We point out that, despite the more challenging external environment, we continue to
follow our strategy of seeking long-term competitiveness for our assets. CAPEX totaled
R$2.0 billion in 4Q23 and R$5.7 billion in 2023, mostly focused on maintenance and
competitiveness projects. We plan to invest R$6 billion in CAPEX in 2024. We reiterate
that the strategic investments are focused on increasing the competitiveness of our
operations and expanding our presence in long, flat and SBQ steel in the Americas, sharing
value with our clients, investors, and other stakeholders.
In addition, following the ESG agenda and the
importance of metal scrap for the Company, Gerdau
won a second auction for the sustainable
decommissioning of oil platform P-33, which represents
a new source of scrap for steel production in Brazil. In
the same vein, as a pioneer in the Brazilian sector, the
Company has established an exclusive service channel
for scrap suppliers to facilitate sales to the Company.
In early 2024, the Company was selected, for the third
time, to be part of the portfolio of the Carbon Efficient
Index (ICO2), which brings together publicly held
companies committed to efficiency and transparency in
the management of greenhouse gas emissions. Finally,
Gerdau obtained for the first time an A- score in the
2023 cycle of the Climate Change report by CDP, a
global benchmark in the evaluation of sustainable actions. Gerdau’s score was higher
than both the global average and the average for the metal and metallurgy sector, and
the Company reached the “Leadership” status in the organization’s scoring scale,
reinforcing its commitment to transparency, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
As part of our commitment to return value to our shareholders, we approved the
distribution of R$175 million in dividends in the fourth quarter, totaling R$2.6 billion
distributed throughout the year (equivalent to a payout of 43.7% in 2023).
We remain confident in the transformative potential of the steel industry and its presence
as an essential sector both in the present and in the future, playing a key role in the
energy transition. In January 2024, we celebrated our 123rd anniversary, and our
business will continue to move forward, creating an increasingly safe and profitable
company in the steel chain, strengthening our presence and relevance in the Americas,
and actively contributing to an even more just and sustainable world.
We thank once again our employees, clients, suppliers, partners, shareholders, and other
stakeholders for their trust and their support as we build the Company’s history and work
towards continuous value creation.
THE MANAGEMENT
1
Indicator related to the safety of our employees.
WE CONTINUE TO INVEST IN
PROJECTS DESIGNED TO INCREASE
THE COMPETITIVENESS OF OUR
OPERATIONS, EXPANDING OUR
PORTFOLIO OF HIGHER-VALUE-ADDED PRODUCTS AND BUILDING AN
EVEN MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
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