ALPEK, S.A.B. de C.V. ($ALPEKA)

Earnings Call Transcript · April 23, 2026

BMV MX Materials Chemicals Earnings Calls 48 min

Highlights from the call

In the first quarter of 2026, Alpek, S.A.B. de C.V. reported a notable increase in financial performance, with comparable EBITDA reaching $150 million, a 50% sequential improvement and an 80% increase year-over-year. Revenue and earnings figures were not explicitly stated, but management indicated strong operational execution and favorable market conditions contributed to this performance. Looking ahead, management expects comparable EBITDA for Q2 to reach or exceed $200 million, signaling a positive outlook despite ongoing geopolitical tensions affecting supply chains.

Main topics

  • Strong EBITDA Growth: Alpek's comparable EBITDA reached $150 million, reflecting a 50% sequential improvement and an 80% increase year-over-year. Management noted, 'this was ahead of our expectations,' indicating strong operational execution and favorable market conditions.
  • Geopolitical Impact on Margins: Management highlighted that geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have positively influenced margins, stating, 'Market dynamics were positively influenced in March due to geopolitical tension in the Middle East.' This has resulted in tighter supply levels and increased global margins.
  • Asset Monetization Progress: The completion of the sale of the Beaver Valley site is expected to increase free cash flow by $10 million in Q2, as part of Alpek's nonstrategic asset monetization plan. Management stated, 'We expect another $30 million to $50 million in the second half on asset sales.'
  • Operational Challenges: One PTA site in Mexico faced temporary production losses due to steam supply disruptions from a third-party provider, which management acknowledged but deemed manageable. This highlights potential risks in operational continuity.
  • Future Guidance: Management expects Q2 comparable EBITDA to reach or exceed $200 million and anticipates achieving the higher end of their EBITDA guidance range of $550 million for the year. They remain cautious about providing full-year guidance due to market uncertainties.

Key metrics mentioned

  • Comparable EBITDA: $150 million (vs $100 million previous quarter, +50% QoQ, +80% YoY)
  • Net Debt: $1.77 billion (reduced by $72 million from prior quarter)
  • Operating Free Cash Flow: $90 million (driven by higher EBITDA and marginal net working capital investment)
  • Volume: 1.1 million tons (improvement of 9% QoQ)
  • Leverage Ratio: 3.9x (improved from 4.4x at year-end 2025)
  • CapEx: $38 million (primarily related to maintenance and key initiatives)

Alpek's strong Q1 performance and positive outlook for Q2 position the company favorably in a volatile market. Investors should monitor geopolitical developments and their impact on supply chains, as well as the company's progress in asset monetization and working capital management as potential catalysts for future performance.

Earnings Call Speaker Segments

Barbara Amaya

Executives
#1

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to Alpek's First Quarter 2026 Earnings Webcast. I am Barbara Amaya, IRO, and I am pleased to be here with Jorge Young, our CEO; Jose Carlos Pons, our CFO; and Rodrigo Prieto, our incoming CFO, who will be joining us for the first time. Today's presentation will cover the following topics. Jorge will begin with an overview of the quarter. Next, Jose Carlos will review the company's financial performance, followed by an update of our outlook from Jorge. Then Rodrigo will share brief remarks as he transitions into the CFO role. And finally, we will conclude with a Q&A session. Please note that the information discussed today may include forward-looking statements regarding the company's future financial performance and prospects, which are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially, and the company cautions the market not to rely unduly these forward-looking statements. Alpek undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements whether it is as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. We express our financial results in U.S. dollars, unless otherwise specified. For your convenience, this webcast is being recorded and will be available on our website. Jorge, I'll turn the call over to you.

Jorge P. Young Cerecedo

Executives
#2

Good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining us. Over the last 3 years, we have executed key actions set on enhancing Alpek's global competitiveness aligned to its strategic pillars, including cost reduction through global footprint optimization, reinforcing financial flexibility by prioritizing cash flow generation, and expanding our product portfolio through growth initiatives. These actions have positioned the company to respond effectively amid the ongoing volatility in the industry, allowing us to convert operational readiness into solid results. This was evidenced by our first quarter performance. Market dynamics were positively influenced in March due to geopolitical tension in the Middle East, supporting higher margins. Importantly, during the quarter, [ our sites ] in the region did not experience material disruptions as we quickly adapted our operational strategies. We continue to actively manage risk and closely monitor the situation to ensure the safety for employees, operations and supply chains. I would like to take this moment to recognize our teams everywhere in Alpek, but especially in Oman, Dubai and Saudi Arabia, for their commitment during this challenging environment. Regarding our global operations, Alpek had very solid performance in its core segments as most facilities ran steadily, with the only exception being 1 of our [ PTA ] sites in Mexico which experienced temporary production losses due to steam supply disruptions from a third-party provider. Additionally, in our emerging business segments, natural gas contributed with incremental profitability following the severe winter storm in the Gulf Coast region in January. As a result, comparable EBITDA reached $150 million, exceeding our initial expectation and a notable 50% improvement over the previous quarters. Turning to key developments. We continued advancing our strategic priorities across our key pillars. We strengthened our core business by further optimizing our footprint through the shutdown of recycling sites in Reading, Pennsylvania and Pacheco, Argentina. These actions align our asset base with current market conditions, including increased demand for virgin PET while relocating our PET production to our other more competitive sites. [ We will reinforce ] our financial flexibility through the completion of the sale of the Beaver Valley site in Pennsylvania, marking progress on Phase I of our nonstrategic asset monetization plan. This will result in an increase of $10 million in free cash flow in the second quarter. In parallel, we are advancing actions across our broader portfolio to monetize additional nonstrategic assets in the U.S. and Mexico. Regarding our Monterrey site, land development and regulatory processes are ongoing. And as such, project monetization is not expected earlier than 24 months. We also advanced 2 selected growth initiatives. First, the completion of an EPS exclusion project in the United States that will enable us to produce different grades, including [ grade ] EPS and product with recycled [indiscernible]. And second, the initiation of a $70 million investment over the next 3 years in our polypropylene plant that is focused on expanding our portfolio of differentiated products. Finally, we continue to make progress in energy commercialization, supporting diversification while creating additional value, additional avenues for long-term value creation. All these actions remain fully aligned with our strategy and our focus on disciplined execution. With that, I will turn the call over to Jose Carlos.

José Pons

Executives
#3

Good morning, everyone. Let's delve deeper into financial performance. The first quarter reflected both strong execution across the organization and a more supportive market backdrop towards the end of the period. I'll start with the results for the Polyester segment. Comparable EBITDA reached $76 million, driven by stronger operational execution, improved volume levels and higher margins, particularly towards the end of the quarter. Additionally, Chinese reference margins, notably last month, averaged $246 per ton. Moving to the Plastics & Chemicals segment. Comparable EBITDA increased to $60 million, driven by higher volumes and stronger performance, partially offset by lower reference margins. In terms of our consolidated results, volume reached 1.1 million tons, an improvement of 9% on a quarter-on-quarter basis. Reported EBITDA totaled $162 million, benefiting from favorable inventory adjustment from higher raw materials prices offsetting restructuring costs. Comparable EBITDA reached $150 million, representing a substantial 50% sequential improvement and an 80% increase year-over-year, and as Jorge mentioned, ahead of our expectations. Overall, the quarter reflects our company's solid execution amidst favorable industry conditions. Turning to cash flow and capital allocation. During the quarter, Alpek generated operating free cash flow of $90 million, driven by higher EBITDA and a marginal net working capital investment. CapEx totaled $38 million, primarily related to maintenance and the key initiatives within our Plastics & Chemicals segment, aligned with our long-term strategy to increase our portfolio share of higher-value solutions. Moving to our balance sheet and financial position. Net debt was $1.77 billion. This included a significant $72 million reduction. As a result, combined with a stronger last 12 months EBITDA, leverage improved to 3.9x, compared to 4.4x at the end of the last year. These results represent a meaningful step forward in strengthening our balance sheet and highlight our commitment to deleveraging the strategy. Based on current performance levels, we believe we are well positioned to continue accelerating our path towards our target of 2.5x. With that, I'll turn the call back to Jorge to discuss our outlook for the year.

Jorge P. Young Cerecedo

Executives
#4

Looking ahead, we continue to see evolving geopolitical dynamics influencing the petrochemical landscape. Let me discuss what we see across the industry. Current market conditions reflect tighter supply levels, primarily driven by interruptions to petrochemicals and feedstocks both from the Middle East. These developments have led to operational disruptions across the world, but mainly in Europe and Asia, impacting trade dynamics and increasing global margins. At the same time, increased competition for available raw materials across regions has further tightened the market. Regions with feedstock access and proximity to end customers like the Americas have been comparatively more resilient. Thus far in Q2 volumes are trending well. Chinese PET reference margins are approaching $300 per metric ton, while ocean freight costs to South America are hovering near $110 per metric ton. In addition, polypropylene margins are expected to increase by at least $0.04 per pound in [indiscernible]. In this context, Alpek has been able to leverage its global network and we expect a relevant sequential improvement in second quarter performance with comparable EBITDA reaching or exceeding $200 million. While we remain well positioned to further capitalize current market conditions, our second quarter results will also be influenced by the duration of the supply disruptions stemming from the Middle East conflict. Based on our current visibility, we would expect to reach or exceed the higher end of our EBITDA guidance range of $550 million. However, it is still very difficult to forecast the second half of the year. Thus, we are not providing yet full year guidance, and we'll provide an update next quarter should conditions allow. Summing up our outlook. Our priorities remain clear: maintaining operational efficiency, reinforcing our competitive position as a reliable domestic supplier, sustaining our focus on financial discipline through cash flow generation, working capital management, capital allocation, and seeking growth opportunities as potential avenues for long value creations. Before opening the call to your questions, I would like to take a moment to recognize Jose Carlos for his leadership and valuable contributions to Alpek over the past 7 years. During his tenure, Jose Carlos played a key role in several transformational milestones for the company, including the acquisition of Octal as well as the execution of the spinoff from Alfa and the subsequent merger with [ Controladora ] Alpek, which position the company as a fully independent publicly-traded entity. Jose Carlos, I would like to thank you for your dedication and commitment and wish you a great success in the future.

José Pons

Executives
#5

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for the past 7 years. It's been my pleasure and my honor to work alongside Alpek's stakeholders in advancing towards a stronger and more competitive and independent company. Especially thanks to Jorge, the rest of the management team, our analysts, our key lenders and especially to our shareholders. Thank you all. I hope to see you soon in a different role.

Jorge P. Young Cerecedo

Executives
#6

Thank you, Jose Carlos. Thank you again. Now I'm pleased to welcome Rodrigo Prieto as Alpek's new Chief Financial Officer, who will be assuming the role as of May 1. Having worked with him for many years at Alpek, I'm confident in his ability to contribute meaningfully to advance our strategy for long-term value creation, and I'm looking forward to achieving great results together.

Rodrigo Prieto

Executives
#7

Thank you, Jorge. Hello, everyone. Glad like to be here with you today. It is an honor to assume this new role at Alpek. Having been part of the organization for over 2 decades, I look forward to building on the solid foundation already in place and supporting the continued execution of our strategy, to further strengthen the company's financial position. I am committed to maintaining clear and consistent communications for our investment community. And I look forward to meeting you all personally over the coming months. Barbara, I'll turn the call back to you.

Barbara Amaya

Executives
#8

Before we begin, I'd like to remind you that the presentation materials webcast recording and transcript will be available on our website. We will now proceed with Q&A.

Barbara Amaya

Executives
#9

[Operator Instructions] Our first question comes from Thiago Casqueiro from Morgan Stanley.

Thiago Casqueiro

Analysts
#10

And before I jump into the questions, I just wanted to say thanks to Jose Carlos for all the support over the years and wish you all the best in your next chapter. And for Rodrigo, congratulations on the new role. I wish you all the success in this new position also. So my first question is on capital allocation. On the last earnings call, I asked about the likelihood of paying dividends this year. And at the time, you emphasized that deleveraging was the top priority, make dividends unlikely. I know deleveraging remains a key priority of the company. But given the recent geopolitical developments, could you update us on how are you thinking about shareholder remuneration for the year? And then the second question is on the emerging segment. As per my understanding, the strong result this quarter was mainly driven by the storms in January. But I would like to know if you could provide more details on the dynamics that drove this very strong performance. And what should we expect for this segment going forward, specifically in 2026?

José Pons

Executives
#11

First of all, Thiago, thank you. I think it's been a pleasure -- I don't think. It's been a pleasure to work with you, and thank you for the cooperation that we had for the last year. So I'll try to answer the first question regarding the dividend. Yes, of course, this situation is improving. So we are on the positive side towards what we were expecting. We believe that we're going to be able to reach the 2.5x sooner than we originally expected. However, for the conversation of a dividend to come we need to have a -- to be at 2.5x and have a forecast that gives us confidence that we will be on the long term toward meeting that level. So in that sense, if we're closer to that level of 2.5x, and we're confident that we have this forecast on a consistent base for meeting our target, I think the conversation on a dividend come back -- can come back.

Jorge P. Young Cerecedo

Executives
#12

Jorge here. On your question on the energy commercialization on our emerging business segment. Yes, what happened is we -- during the storms, there was an opportunity to capitalize on daily pricing of natural gas. And so the business, let's say, benefited from an extra $3 million to $5 million, maybe closer to $5 million, in the first quarter. Those are -- those events are difficult to forecast, right? And there might be years where -- the last time we experienced something meaningful like that was in 2021. But it was, again, an opportunity to capitalize on daily pricing. The balance of the year continues at the pace that we -- I think we mentioned the last time here, circa $25 million on an annualized base. So we might be above the year expectation because of this additional bump in the first quarter.

Barbara Amaya

Executives
#13

Our next question comes from Leonardo Marcondes from Bank of America.

Leonardo Marcondes

Analysts
#14

First, as Thiago, I would like to wish Jose Carlos all the best in his future endeavors. And thank you for all the work and help here with us. And also wish all the success to Rodrigo in his new role at the company. So my first question is regarding the PET spreads, right? So first, if you could share with us what are you seeing in terms of PET margins currently in this [indiscernible] week of April? And also, how are the current expectations for the PET integrated margins until the end of the year? I mean we know that there has been a lot of volatility, but if you could share maybe the forecast for the [ consulting firms ] for 2026 and maybe 2027 would also help a lot. And one last point regarding the PET spreads. If you could also share how much each $10 per ton increase in PET integrated margins could impact your EBITDA in a year. My second question is regarding the PP spreads, right? They have also been up since the beginning of the war. And what are the levels that you guys are seeing for it right now? And what are the expectations for 2026?

Jorge P. Young Cerecedo

Executives
#15

Integrated PET spreads in China, which are very representative of Asia on the global dynamics, in April are trending towards $300 per ton. I think it's very uncertain. Honestly, I don't think anybody would give you a good forecast now. What you would expect is if the conflict in the Middle East, or the supply disruption rather, continues and [indiscernible] feedstock in Asia continues to be challenging, you would expect the PET spreads to stay elevated. And once the conflict is resolved, you would expect, obviously, a moderation. But that might take -- it might take some time to normalize to spreads that we saw previous to the war. If you look at the spreads in January and February, prior to the war, they were increasing already to like $160 and $170, driven by, I would say, very low margins, even the largest Chinese producers were starting to take action to address such low margins. And then the conflict came, and they have been increasing and trending because, again, the flows remain disrupted, then they seem to be reaching $300. And from thereafter, it's a matter of when the conflict is resolved, how quickly the supply comes back. And it could be a matter of a couple of months or it could be a matter of a few more months. You have these varying opinions in the industry. So that's why we're hesitant to forecast the -- if we have a theory, we would have already provided guidance for the balance of the year, but we are still hesitant to provide that. So next quarter, I think we will have a much better basis to do so. On the impact -- yes.

Leonardo Marcondes

Analysts
#16

Just a follow-up on this regarding the -- I don't know if you guys could provide a sensitivity on how much a $10 per ton could increase your -- could impact your EBITDA guidance for the year.

Jorge P. Young Cerecedo

Executives
#17

Roughly about $10 million a year, roughly. I think right now, like, let's say, in this year, it might be a little more than that because we were not running all our assets completely full. So we have, again, some room to increase volumes. And so you might see also, again, some value because of additional volume at least during the immediate upcoming months. But on the margin alone, roughly $10 per ton corresponds to about $10 million per year. And then you have a question on polypropylene spreads. Polypropylene spreads have been steady on the low side for the last couple of years, with many months the -- particular reference we show in our presentations to you all has been showing $0.13 per ton. And that is, just to clarify, that is the nonintegrated spread. That's the spread between polypropylene reference price and propylene monomer reference price. That is the one that in my remarks, I said it's likely to increase by $0.04 per pound in April, and perhaps more. It depends on how the conditions last. You might be reading elsewhere that polypropylene margins are increasing more than that, and that is the case for somebody who has integration to monomer. And we show the one that is relevant to us for a nonintegrated product. But like PET, there is a trend in the near future of increases, of course.

Barbara Amaya

Executives
#18

Our next question comes from Joao Barichello from UBS.

Joao Pedro Barichello

Analysts
#19

My first question is, if the conflict lasts for longer, what should we expect in terms of demand impacts and other operational challenges that Alpek might face, especially on the logistics and feedstock side? How is Alpek exposed to potential supply chain disruption or sourcing alternatives for key raw materials? And are there any contingent plans in place if these conditions persist? And my second question is, if we see an escalation of the confidence, how long do you expect this better spread environment to persist? Additionally, has anything changed in the usual terms of volumes contract signed post war? Would this scenario require a larger working capital consumption going forward? And if so, how material this could be? That's it.

Jorge P. Young Cerecedo

Executives
#20

Those were a lot of questions in -- but yes, of course, if the duration extends, especially if the flows remain restricted, we would expect to see elevated margins to persist. And obviously, that's conducive of supporting our results. As far as risks, I mean we run a plant not too far from the conflict area. We have 1 of our key assets is in Oman. However, it's outside of the Persian Gulf. It's in the southwest of the country. But notwithstanding it's in the region, we continue to run that site with significant agility and adaptation from our people, for which I am very, very thankful. So again, we are monitoring hour-by-hour developments. And so far, we continue to run again, not normally. We have made adaptations in our supply chains to manage that. Right now, our feedstock position in general remains well supplied. We source most of our raw materials from within the Americas, but we still saw some secondary raw materials and a percentage of our special or [indiscernible] supplies from overseas, including the Middle East, which currently is not flowing, but we have replaced with more supply from the Americas, from Europe. And we can still access raw materials from Asia. So again, I would say those are our key risks identified, 1 facility that is closer to the geography of the conflict. And that in our supply chains, we still rely from overseas imports, but not for the majority of our volume. And our contingency plans, continue to purchase the raw materials, reach for alternative suppliers. In some cases, to access and to secure the raw materials, it implies an extra cost. But we have been willing to incur the extra cost to support our customers in our key domestic markets in the Americas and other countries. That continues to be our mitigation strategy, to make sure we have a healthy supply chain of raw materials. You pointed out a good point, working capital. We would expect to see a working capital increase in the second quarter. We're still determining the magnitude. We expect to be with some improvement in second quarter regarding the days of working capital, because this is an opportunity for us to sell slower-moving inventory, to maintain our inventories very focused in our targets to ensure good supply. But the overall prices are increasing. So it will be probably the overall levels of price increases will -- net of the improvement in days of working capital, at the end, we expect some investment in working capital. But we are yet working on that forecast. And then your last question is about contracts. We have a combination of things. We still have some room in our facilities that was not contracted, that is allowing us to increase volume and capitalize current market conditions. We also have volumes where the prices are linked to total market prices. So in those agreements, we also can take advantage or benefit from increased spreads. And we also have an important volume on contracts that are tied up to the raw materials, with a fixed spread. So the raw materials increase and we can pass through the increase in the raw material, but there is a fixed spread. However, we have had discussions and agreements with our customers. And I appreciate your support in particular in this regard to consider to differing levels of degrees some surcharges, for charge that allows to increase price, but mainly to recoup the relevant costs that, as I mentioned, we are incurring to secure the supply of raw materials. Bringing some raw materials from overseas is more expensive. Sometimes there are premiums over the spot prices, secondary raw materials. Again, there has been a very constructive discussion with key customers that have been very supportive in general, most of them, in agreeing to some level of additional pricing, but only to offset the extraordinary costs and disruption that we're seeing with the supply. So we are managing, but those remain our key risks in this period. Let me know if you have any questions on these remarks.

Barbara Amaya

Executives
#21

Our next question comes from Pablo Ricalde with Itau. [Operator Instructions] Our next question comes from Chelsea Colon from Nuveen Asset Management. [Operator Instructions] Our next question is from Alejandra Andrade from JPMorgan.

Alejandra Andrade Carrillo

Analysts
#22

I just have a quick one. Obviously, I mean, the outlook is much stronger than you were initially envisioning and you'll have more cash at your disposal. You're saying that you'll trend towards a 2.5x net leverage quicker. And I was just wondering in terms of debt repayment, how are you thinking about what to prioritize in this market in terms of debt reduction, if any, to kind of lock in that deleveraging?

Jorge P. Young Cerecedo

Executives
#23

Well, it's a good question. The first way to deliver more cash flow generation in the upcoming quarters, as I mentioned in the previous question, we have -- we expect some investment in working capital. But the overall trend is what you say, from this event, is in the grand scheme of things for Alpek, the balance or the impact on our financials is going to be more positive. And once we have the cash flow generation -- this came so quickly. We're still working on our decisions on how to reduce debt when the cash is materialized. There could be a combination on reduced debt in our maturities that are closer to us and there could be other strategies, right, that we are still working. So that's still an early phase.

Barbara Amaya

Executives
#24

Okay. So we have a couple of questions through the Q&A. I will proceed to read them. These are from [ Lucas Noveras ] from [ Forts Hill ] Capital. So the first question, it's related to the PP project. Can you give you more color on the $70 million CapEx in polypropylene lines? How much can that improve your margins? And what is annual EBITDA contribution that you expect from this? Also, is this on top of the previous CapEx guidance? The next question is related to working capital. Working capital, you were able to report almost neutral investment compared to prices that rallied in March. Do you expect any impact in the second quarter? And finally, are you seeing any demand distractions or order delays given higher prices?

Jorge P. Young Cerecedo

Executives
#25

On the first question about the polypropylene project, I think it's a good opportunity for Rodrigo to provide his insight to this question, as his most recent assignment is from the polypropylene business, including strategic planning. Rodrigo, please?

Rodrigo Prieto

Executives
#26

Sure. First of all, this is a $70 million CapEx. It's a multiyear. So specifically as to the question on guidance, yes, the allocation of the CapEx of the project for this year is included in the guidance. And this project considers the investment of [indiscernible] to increase our capacity to produce specialty products, specifically for polymers. It's not incremental capacity for the resin, but it's for specialty materials. These materials incorporate ethylene into the reaction, and this creates improved performance such as impact strength, flexibility thermal resistance. And they are used in applications such as automotive and home appliances. So these products achieve a premium pricing. In terms of the margins, this is a [ 3G ] project. We expect that after execution and running at steady state, we could see about $20 million to $30 million EBITDA increase.

Jorge P. Young Cerecedo

Executives
#27

And on the question about working capital, you correctly pointed that we did not have a material working capital investment in the first quarter. But we would expect to see that in the second quarter with increasing price levels. As I mentioned in the -- from the previous questions, we would expect to also improve our days of working capital, but I expect a net investment. We're still working on those estimates. And obviously, you will see the actual figures next quarter. And on the questions about higher prices and impact on demand, for most of our products, demand is more resilient. I mean [ PET ] has seasonality, but the overall level of consumption is less sensitive to overall prices, at least in the range we're seeing as of now. In our polypropylene business, there are some segments that are also very resilient from others that could be less resilient. But our capacity in the plant is still around 30% or 40% -- represents, sorry, 30% or 40% of the Mexico market. So we would expect to continue to be able to sell again most of our production and capacity. And our business that is more sensitive to economic cycles, particular, housing, because of insulation and construction, is EPS. EPS, even at the higher prices as a percentage of the cost that it represents in a home, is still very, very small. So in that business, it's more about the recovery on housing than on the absolute prices yet. But again, we are monitoring. It's not for us like other industries, demand destruction because of higher nominal prices is not a major concern to us.

Barbara Amaya

Executives
#28

Our next question comes from [ Hindem Barello ] from PGIM.

Unknown Analyst

Analysts
#29

Just a quick question for me following up from a previous question. Regarding your contracts with the customers, mentioned some contracts where pricing is via market pricing and some tied to raw materials with kind of a fixed spread. Can you just directionally give more color as far as what percent is customers with exposure to more market pricing and how much is tied with the raw materials and spreads?

Jorge P. Young Cerecedo

Executives
#30

Yes, it varies by product and segment. But let me give you maybe an overall Alpek answer. We're probably 50% to 60% more related to raw materials, 40% to 50% to market prices. Maybe in the current conditions, because we have some available -- still have some available capacity, maybe we are closer to 50-50. So we have exposure on both.

Barbara Amaya

Executives
#31

Our next question is from [ Christo Ambibi ] from BTG, from the Q&A function. I will proceed to read it. You were able to sell the Beaver Valley facility in Pennsylvania on April. Is there any other asset sales that we can expect this year? Which sites are in your pipeline for that?

Jorge P. Young Cerecedo

Executives
#32

Yes, we would expect other assets to be sold later in the year. Probably the next ones will be during third and fourth quarter. We have a list of smaller assets, pieces of land. It will be still a long list to probably -- to name them individually here. But let's say, we would expect another $30 million to $50 million in the second half on asset sales. Potentially more, but these -- sometimes these are contracts that are still -- these are industrial properties, these are subject to longer due diligence and -- but that will be our goal. I mean we were thinking earlier, in previous calls, we mentioned a goal to seek about $50 million. And I think we're still looking to meet that. it's coming a little later, right? I'm very glad that we have 1 already completed and consummated. It actually happened earlier this week. And again, we expect more to come in the second half, again to another $30 million to $50 million. And this is, as we said in our prepared remarks, this not includes our Monterrey asset, which we just said is going to take probably about 2 years to complete all the preparation work. But based on all our analysis so far, we think that's the best strategy to maximize the value in about that time frame.

Barbara Amaya

Executives
#33

Our next question is from [ Luis Serrano ] from JPMorgan through the Q&A function. Can you provide an update on the credit lines you are working on to refinance debt?

José Pons

Executives
#34

Yes. As you know, we have sufficient credit lines revolving that are not -- unused and they are basically they're there for any type of emergency for liquidity. The number varies a little bit, but it's in the order of $500 million. Yes, there are some lines that are maturing this year. They mature until the second half of this year. We're working already with the lenders for renewing them. And we believe that by the summer, we will be able to renew them. So I think everything is in order, and we will be maintaining the liquidity as we have -- always did in the past.

Barbara Amaya

Executives
#35

Our next question is from [indiscernible] from Eternal Capital. In case you haven't discussed this yet, how are your contracts renewal conversations evolving? Can you provide timing for renewals?

Jorge P. Young Cerecedo

Executives
#36

Yes. So most of the contract renewals follow calendar years. So for the most part, we have contracted 2026, discussions for 2027. Normally, those will take place towards the end of the third quarter, early fourth quarter. We might -- we are seeing some interest to start some discussion on -- some of those discussions sooner, but we are yet to start those. So I expect this year, it will happen over the summer. And as I mentioned the last time, we have a combination of contracts where the pricing is tied up to the current market conditions. So that means we can benefit from the increase in the margins. We have contracts where we are linked to the raw materials with a fixed spread. Normal conditions, we don't benefit from the margin changes. But in this case, because of the extraordinary situation with the war, those costs that we have incurred to secure raw materials or additional freights and other things resulting from the war, we have had a very positive and supportive discussions from customers to capture those as well. So again, very appreciative for our customers in that regard. For the timing, for 2027 and beyond, we'll probably start in the summer and peak in the third and early fourth quarters. The last question that we had for today. I think before closing the call, I just wanted to make sure it's -- the following. Alpek remains very, very focused in the things that are controllable to us. That means running our plants well and safely. That means keeping our supply chains healthy and serving our customers very well. And that continues to be our -- clearly our focus. Of course, developing growth avenues and things we have mentioned today in our pillars. The event of the disruptions coming from the Middle East is -- are providing tailwinds. And it's also our goal and objective to prove over this period of time that for those customers that have been relying more on imports, that we can be a better solution. And it's our goal also, besides the short-term aspects of the margins and volumes that this brings, is to, again, to grow and diversify our customer base and to grow our value as a domestic supplier. And that will totally depend on how we execute over the next few quarters. But again, we are focused on what we can control: stay agile on all this volatility in the markets. And we're also seeking to prove our value to our customers and expand our relationships with them for long-lasting value creation.

Barbara Amaya

Executives
#37

On behalf of Alpek, thank you all for your participation and continued interest. You know that the IR team remains available for any question or follow-up. This concludes today's webcast. Have a great day.

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