The ProPymes Seminar brought together representatives of the SMEs that make up the Techint Group's value chain in Argentina. The meeting took place at the Buenos Aires Convention Center and included panels on innovation, technical education, and industrial development, with the participation of leaders such as Javier Martínez Álvarez, Institutional Vice President of the Techint Group; Martín Berardi, Executive President of Ternium Argentina; Ricardo Markous, CEO of Tecpetrol; Andrea Previtali, Tenaris President Southern Cone; and Oscar Scarpari, CEO of Techint E&C.

Paolo Rocca participated in the panel entitled “The value of industry and communities for an integrated Argentina,” alongside national senator Patricia Bullrich. In his speech, Rocca reviewed the evolution of the program, highlighted the importance of strengthening the value chain, and underscored the challenges facing Argentine industry in a global context marked by international competition and the need for structural reforms.

Rocca recalled the origins of the program: “This began in the midst of one of Argentina's worst crises in 2002, as a way to create unity in our value chain and bring together the few companies that were experiencing serious difficulties at the time. This program grew; we also added opportunities for interaction, training, and support to improve management, export penetration, and offer different programs to strengthen them.”

ProPymes currently brings together 1,108 companies. “Employment in all these companies, customers, and suppliers exceeds 50,000 people, and if we add the 25,000 people who work for the Techint Group in Argentina, we have almost 80,000 employees in a formal chain. An industrial chain,” he emphasized.

Regarding the global context, Rocca warned: "This year we are facing significant pressure. What are the factors affecting the chain? On the one hand, domestic consumption, after the 24 drop and the 25 improvement, October's figures are below those of October 2024. The second issue is the ability to penetrate other export markets. The first year of the US administration was a revolution in world trade and strategic relations between countries, with competition between China and the US. The reaction was the imposition of tariffs, which have been 50% for our steel-related value chain."

“Last year, I said that we need to level the playing field before Trump. Now Trump is teaching us that, in addition to leveling the playing field, we must deeply defend the industrial structure,” he remarked.

He also referred to import pressure: “China is invading the markets to which it has access. Our chain reflects its excessive participation: today China produces 50% of global capacity with a predatory attitude, under unfair trade conditions.”

Regarding opportunities for Argentina, Rocca emphasized: “It is essential to promote and defend the value chain in segments where there is significant potential for development. As a group, we are helping: we invested $1.4 billion last year; this year, $1.7 billion; next year, we have an investment program worth $2.4 billion.” To achieve this, he pointed out the need for reforms: “Labor reform is at the heart of all this, as well as tax reform that promotes investment and intelligent openness that gives us time to adapt to conditions, incorporating technology and improving competitiveness.”

Rocca also emphasized the need to adapt to an increasingly challenging global scenario: “We have to open a dialogue with the government and its authorities, and truly explain that China responds to a strategic need for hegemonic conquest. We have to be able to compete, integrating the competitiveness of our companies.”

He also highlighted the role of innovation and technology in sustaining competitiveness: “We must incorporate technology, accept that there is a transition that requires investment, and modernize our productive structure. Our chain is essential for sectors such as energy, mining, and agribusiness, where you manufacture machinery and infrastructure. In these sectors, defending the chain is very important.”

Finally, Rocca closed with a message of commitment: "This partnership has been essential for 24 years in helping all companies and our group to grow over time and become more competitive, able to compete globally and promote the growth of our communities where we are located and collaborate. From our point of view, you can count on our absolute commitment. Our commitment is to this country, to its industrial growth, and we are going to throw ourselves into this with all our strength and your support."

Bullrich elaborated on the labor reform currently being debated in the National Congress, which will help to promote and strengthen Argentina's industrial development.

Martínez Álvarez, Institutional Vice President of the Techint Group, welcomed the 24th ProPymes Seminar with a broad overview of the global context and the changes Argentina is undergoing. He highlighted recent advances: “this allows us to think of a different Argentina” and pointed out that the country now has a more solid foundation for projecting a future integrated with the world.

In his speech, he underscored the potential of three key drivers for development: agriculture, Vaca Muerta, and mining. He warned, however, that their growth will not be sufficient without an industrial strategy to accompany this momentum, and stressed that industry must play a leading role in achieving balanced and sustainable development.

Finally, when addressing the geopolitical scenario, he analyzed the global realignment, marked by tensions between the United States and China, and its effects on emerging economies. “This is the world we live in, not the one that was or the one we want it to be,” he said, emphasizing that Argentina must clearly define how to insert itself into this new global map and take advantage of the strategic opportunities it offers.

In turn, Berardi provided a precise analysis of the Chinese phenomenon and its impact on the steel industry. He warned that Asian oversupply is redefining the rules of global competition: “We have the China phenomenon, which is growing less and exporting more, and accounts for 35% of the world's manufacturing,” he said, explaining how this process has driven commercial reactions in all regions.

He described a 2026 with moderate growth and a recovery tied to steel consumption, while assessing recent macroeconomic advances. “We have to be competitive with the West; against China it's another game,” he said, highlighting the importance of strengthening internal capacities to sustain production.

“We need tax reform that does not penalize the value chain and labor reform that reduces litigation,” he said.

Markous offered an optimistic view of the energy transformation driven by Vaca Muerta and the decisive role of the value chain. He highlighted the record growth in production and the export impact of Argentine gas, emphasizing that “in 2023, the energy trade balance was even, and in 2024, we were close to a $5 billion surplus.”

“More than 600 national companies are already working at Los Toldos II Este, and we expect to reach around 1,000,” he said, highlighting the central role of SMEs in the development of the company's new project.

Finally, he emphasized the need to strengthen competitiveness in an increasingly demanding international context. He stressed that efficiency and innovation will be key to sustaining growth and called on the entire industrial chain to work in an integrated manner. “We have to work together, operators and SMEs, so that Vaca Muerta is not only synonymous with record production, but also with an industrial network with a future,” he concluded.

Previtali, Tenaris President Southern Cone, participated in the panel “Adding value to compete with industry and associated services” at the 24th edition of ProPymes. There, he shared a strategic view of the factors that led Tenaris to become a global leader, as well as the path to maintaining competitiveness in Argentina. “Seeing how an Argentine company managed to position itself in the world is a source of pride. And this speaks to competitiveness,” he said, reviewing the company's evolution.

“Industrial excellence has always characterized the way we work: operating safely, meeting quality standards and delivery times,” he emphasized.

Previtali also emphasized the importance of integration between large companies, SMEs, and the communities where they operate. He noted that many suppliers grew alongside Tenaris and now export worldwide, consolidating a solid industrial ecosystem. “Industry and community form a virtuous model of development,” he said, noting that this link is the basis for sustainable growth.

Scarpari analyzed the impact that Vaca Muerta and mining will have on the country's productive transformation. He discussed the magnitude of the opportunity and the challenge of responding to a new scale of activity. “We are competitive, efficient, and meet deadlines, but the challenge will be scale,” he warned.

“If Argentina adds mining, fertilizers, and liquefied natural gas, in addition to Vaca Muerta, ProPymes will surely have a radically different agenda. We must prepare ourselves to maximize the capture of work for everyone”, he remarked.

During the talk, the CEO highlighted that metal and non-metal mining, together with Vaca Muerta, will be the main drivers of development. “In San Juan, Salta, and Catamarca, there are projects that are geographically very close to those that currently produce millions of tons in Chile. If we manage to attract investment, we will have to maximize our value chain,” he said. According to his estimates, the potential for investment in the most advanced copper projects today exceeds US$20 billion, which requires a strategy to boost local job creation and production.