Moses Ola's questions to OUTOKUMPU OY /FI (OUTKY) leadership • Q1 2024
Question
Moses Ola requested quantification of the delivery impact from the Q1 strike, asked if the lower pricing in Mexico poses a risk to the U.S. market, and inquired about the appropriateness of the Ferrochrome division's utilization rate given its inventory build-up.
Answer
CFO Pia Aaltonen-Forsell explained that while they initially expected a 10% volume increase, deliveries were flat quarter-on-quarter due to the strike, with mitigation actions reducing the total impact. CEO Heikki Malinen stated that historically, they have not seen price weakness from Mexico flow through to the U.S. market. Regarding Ferrochrome, Pia Aaltonen-Forsell noted that one furnace remains temporarily closed to balance the system and that they expect inventories to be somewhat lower by the end of Q2.