Patrick Cunningham's questions to Ecovyst Inc (ECVT) leadership • Q4 2024
Question
Patrick Cunningham inquired about the financial impact of customer and internal turnarounds on Q1 results, the timing of price-cost dynamics for virgin sulfuric acid, and the drivers behind the cited weakness in polyethylene demand.
Answer
CFO Michael Feehan quantified the turnaround impacts, stating that both internal and customer turnarounds would each have a negative impact of a 'few million dollars' in Q1. CEO Kurt Bitting clarified that the polyethylene demand issue is primarily related to customer order timing, with inventory builds in Q4 leading to a lighter Q1, but noted that the full-year outlook for the advanced silicas business remains positive.