NASDAQ:ASTL Algoma Steel Group Q4 2024 Earnings Report $5.25 +0.32 (+6.49%) Closing price 04/24/2025 04:00 PM EasternExtended Trading$5.22 -0.04 (-0.67%) As of 09:14 AM Eastern Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Polygon.io. Learn more. Earnings HistoryForecast Algoma Steel Group EPS ResultsActual EPS$0.07Consensus EPS -$0.01Beat/MissBeat by +$0.08One Year Ago EPS-$0.14Algoma Steel Group Revenue ResultsActual Revenue$460.35 millionExpected Revenue$439.82 millionBeat/MissBeat by +$20.53 millionYoY Revenue GrowthN/AAlgoma Steel Group Announcement DetailsQuarterQ4 2024Date6/22/2024TimeAfter Market ClosesConference Call DateFriday, June 21, 2024Conference Call Time11:00AM ETUpcoming EarningsAlgoma Steel Group's Q4 2025 earnings is scheduled for Tuesday, April 29, 2025Conference Call ResourcesConference Call AudioConference Call TranscriptSlide DeckPress ReleaseAnnual Report (40-F)Earnings HistoryCompany ProfileSlide DeckFull Screen Slide DeckPowered by Algoma Steel Group Q4 2024 Earnings Call TranscriptProvided by QuartrJune 21, 2024 ShareLink copied to clipboard.There are 7 speakers on the call. Operator00:00:00Greetings. Welcome to Agamas Steel Group Incorporated Full Year Fiscal 20 24 Earnings Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen only mode. A question and answer session will follow the formal presentation. Please note this conference is being recorded. Operator00:00:22I will now turn the conference over to Michael Maraca, Treasurer, Investor Relations Officer. Thank you. You may begin. Speaker 100:00:29Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Algoma Steel Group, Inc. Full year fiscal 2024 earnings conference call. Leading today's call are Michael Garcia, our Chief Executive Officer and Rajat Marwa, our Chief Financial Officer. As a reminder, this call is being recorded and will be made available for replay later today in the Investors section of Algoma Steel's corporate website at www.algoma.com. I would like to remind you that comments made on today's call may contain forward looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws, which involve assumptions and inherent risks and uncertainties. Speaker 100:01:06Actual results may differ materially from statements made today. In addition, our financial statements are prepared in accordance with IFRS, which differs from U. S. GAAP, and our evening, we posted an earnings presentation to accompany today's prepared remarks. The slides for today's call can be found in the Investors section of our corporate website. Speaker 100:01:31With that in mind, I would ask everyone on today's call to read the legal disclaimers on Slide 2 of the accompanying earnings presentation and also refer to the risks and assumptions outlined in Algoma Steel's Q4 fiscal 2024 management's discussion and analysis. Please note that our financial statements are prepared using the U. S. Dollar as our functional currency the Canadian dollar as our presentation currency. Our fiscal year runs from April 1 to March 31 and our statements have been prepared for the years ended March 31, 2024 and March 31, 2023. Speaker 100:02:06Please note all amounts referred to on today's call are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted. Following our prepared remarks, we will conduct a question and answer session. I would now like to turn the call over to our Chief Executive Officer, Michael Garcia. Mike? Speaker 200:02:22Thank you, Mike. Good morning and thank you for joining us to discuss our fiscal Q4 and full year 2024 results. Ensuring the safety of our employees is a core value and top priority for our company. This unwavering commitment led to significant improvements in our lost time injury performance during fiscal 2024. As our site continues to be a hub of activity, especially with the increasing contractor involvement in our EAF project, emphasizing safety is more crucial than ever. Speaker 200:02:54We are pleased to announce the addition of Aaron Oliver as our new Vice President of Health and Safety. This is a new position on our leadership team, reporting directly to myself. Originally from Sault Ste. Marie, Erin brings a wealth of experience and a strong background in fostering health and safety initiatives across Canada. Her expertise will be instrumental in our pursuit of 0 workplace injuries. Speaker 200:03:20Next, I'll cover key events and milestones during our fiscal Q4 and subsequent to its end, as well as give an update on progress at our transformational EAF project. I will then turn the call over to Rajat for a deeper dive into the numbers and a discussion of our strong liquidity and balance sheet before closing with an update on market conditions. There are a few important themes I would like to get across on this call. Our results for the quarter were adversely impacted by previously disclosed operational challenges related to the coke making utility structure collapse and subsequent blast furnace outage in January, which was resolved and resulted in approximately 150,000 tons of lost production. Subsequent to the quarter end, we completed our planned upgrade related to the plate mill modernization project. Speaker 200:04:14The upgrades to the mill are now substantially complete and production from the plate mill is already running as expected with operations and commercial teams focused on increasing production and sales of plate products. Our primary operations are running normally following recovery from the utilities corridor collapse and completion of the plate millwork, which we expect will result in sequentially higher shipments in fiscal Q1 of 2025 and further improvement in the quarters ahead. And finally, our long term strategy remains unchanged and on track to successfully execute our electric arc furnace project and transition to being one of the leading producers of green steel in North America. Now let me give you some additional color on those key themes. Our results for the fiscal Q4 of 2024 were in line with our previously disclosed guidance for both shipments and adjusted EBITDA. Speaker 200:05:12They reflected approximately 3 weeks of lost production related to the utilities corridor collapse at our coke making facility and related blast furnace outage. That outage highlighted the challenges of operating facilities that in some cases are over 70 years old, but also put on full display the professionalism and expertise of our workforce and their ability to rapidly recover from that incident. It also highlights the benefits we expect to realize as we shift from legacy blast furnace steelmaking to state of the art electric arc furnace operations starting next year. Somewhat offsetting the lost production in the quarter was higher pricing. Due to the lagging nature of our order book, realized pricing in the quarter reflected higher index pricing from the end of calendar year 2023 flowing through our contract order book. Speaker 200:06:06Subsequent to quarter end, we successfully completed the planned outage related to the modernization of our plate mill. Our team successfully installed new equipment across the facility, which has achieved enhanced product quality and paved the way for higher plate shipments. Despite the facility being offline for 3 weeks, our plate production in the fiscal Q1 of 20 25 is expected to be approximately 65 1,000 tons. That would be in line with past quarters that had no maintenance outage and indicative of the higher run rate we expect going forward. On a very positive note, the team was able to accelerate additional work during the outage and the vast majority of the modernization project at the facility is now substantially complete. Speaker 200:06:54We expect any remaining items to be addressed with other planned maintenance activities over the coming year, providing significant efficiencies on downtime. So what does that mean for performance? In the upcoming quarter, we expect plate mill production to reach approximately 90,000 tons. Our operations and commercial teams are focused on ramping up production and sales of plate products over the balance of the fiscal year, putting us on a path towards our expected annual run rate capacity of over 650,000 net tons. As previously announced, we have begun our exit from the wide coil market, which will be completed over the balance of the fiscal year. Speaker 200:07:37This strategic shift will allow us to prioritize plate production and sales, taking advantage of our position as Canada's only discrete producer of plate products, resulting in a more favorable product mix that is expected to drive meaningful margin enhancement. With the blast furnace recovered from the unplanned outage in the quarter and the plate mill upgrade complete, our operations are running normally and we expect solid production levels in the second half of calendar twenty twenty four. Next, I'll give an update on our progress during the quarter on our transformational electric arc furnace or EAF project. The EAFs will ultimately increase our throughput capacity by a third, allowing us to reach a shipping capacity of approximately 3,000,000 tons, utilizing our 2 state of the art electric arc furnaces. The higher output will match our expanded downstream finishing capacity including increased capacity at our modernized plate mill. Speaker 200:08:40Transitioning to EAF steelmaking will improve overall product mix and lower our carbon emissions by approximately 70% when fully operational. When factoring in the makeup of our power supply when we switch to EAF operations, we expect to be one of the greenest producers of steel in North America. During the quarter, cumulative investment in the EAF project reached $563,000,000 To date, we have committed contracts totaling approximately $800,000,000 with approximately 93% tied to fixed price contracts. Progress to date on both the construction of the project and the contracted portion of work yet to be completed has significantly derisked the project budget as we progress towards the expected start of commissioning in late calendar 2024. As a reminder, our start up plan continues to include normal production from our existing steelmaking facility, while ramping up steel production from our EAF in calendar 2025, followed by a complete switch to EAF production. Speaker 200:09:51In summary, the quarter was a challenging one operationally and market conditions the last several weeks have shown near term softness. But we are focused on what we can control, operating our existing facilities safely, completing the important upgrades at our plate mill and advancing the EAF project on schedule and on budget. I'd like to once again thank all of our employees for their hard work, dedication and professionalism, particularly their ability to rapidly and safely bring our facilities back to normal production levels during a challenging period. Now I will pass the call over to Rajat to go over our financial results for the quarter. Rajat? Speaker 300:10:36Thanks, Mike. Good morning and thank you all for joining the call. As a reminder, all numbers are expressed in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted. Our 4th quarter results included adjusted EBITDA of $41,500,000 which reflects an adjusted EBITDA margin of 6.7 percent and cash generated from operating activities of $121,200,000 We finished the quarter with a strong balance sheet including $98,000,000 of cash and availability of $347,000,000 under our revolving credit facility. Subsequent to the quarter end, we raised US350 $1,000,000 in the form of high yield bonds, bearing interest at 9.125%. Speaker 300:11:25Mike provided details earlier on the coke making corridor collapse. From a financial perspective, we estimate the resultant outage negatively impacted hot metal production in the quarter by approximately 150,000 tons and reduced adjusted EBITDA by approximately $120,000,000 to $130,000,000 We have been working closely with our insurance providers and adjusters as they complete their assessments. While we do expect to recover a significant amount of the losses, the amount and timing of these recoveries are still to be determined. Now let me dive into the key drivers of our performance. We shipped 451,000 tons in the quarter, down 21.1% versus the prior year quarter. Speaker 300:12:13The decrease in shipments were largely attributable to the utility corridor collapse at our coke making facility that resulted in the shutdown of a blast furnace that Mike previously discussed. This was offset somewhat by producing and shipping some product from available inventories of slabs and finished goods. Net sales realization averaged $12.60 per ton, up 18.2% versus the prior year period. The increase versus the prior year level reflects the lagging effect of our order book and the strong pricing around the ending of calendar year. Plate pricing continued to enjoy a significant premium relative to hot rolled coil during the quarter driven by resilient demand. Speaker 300:13:00This resulted in steel revenue of $568,000,000 in the quarter, down 6.7% versus the prior year period. On the cost side, Algoma's cost per ton of steel products sold averaged $11.82 in the quarter, up 21.1% versus the prior year period. The main drivers of the increase versus the prior year period include lower volumes, the cost of replacing internally produced coke with purchased coke and high natural gas. Cash flow from operations totaled $121,000,000 for the quarter, up from $95,000,000 in the prior year period. The main driver of cash flow in the quarter was a net change in non cash working capital. Speaker 300:13:44Inventories at fiscal year end were $808,000,000 down from $886,000,000 at the end of the fiscal third quarter. Looking at our fiscal 2024 full year results, we shipped 2,100,000 tons for the year, up 4.1% as compared to the prior year. Net sales realization averaged $12.20 per ton, down 4.1% versus the prior year, reflective of soft market condition on average across the fiscal year. This resulted in steel revenue of $2,500,000,000 relatively flat year over year. On the cost side, Algoma's cost of steel products sold averaged $10.18 per tonne for the year, an increase of 1.5% over the prior year. Speaker 300:14:33The main drivers of this increase were higher purchase coke use, higher natural gas use and labor cost, which more than offset the higher shipments. Adjusted EBITDA for the full year was 313,000,000 and an adjusted EBITDA margin of 16.3 percent in fiscal 2023. The decrease was primarily attributable to lower price realizations and higher cost, which more than offset higher shipments. Cash flow from operating activities for fiscal 2024 was $295,000,000 up from $177,000,000 in fiscal 2023. The increase year over year was primarily due to the net change in non cash working capital, partially offset by the decrease in operating income. Speaker 300:15:27Working capital decreased from $875,000,000 at the end of fiscal 2023 to $830,000,000 at the end of fiscal 2024. We initially expected to release a higher amount of working capital during the period. However, as I mentioned on the last call, we released lower amounts on account of the unplanned outage in the quarter. We remain focused on driving down working capital levels and continue to expect a release of at least $100,000,000 in fiscal 2025. Now I'll touch on the financing activity we completed in early April. Speaker 300:16:03Our indirect wholly owned subsidiary ASI issued an aggregate US350 $1,000,000 of 9.125 percent senior secured second dien notes due in April, 2029. This move enhanced the strength and flexibility of our balance sheet. The successful issuance reflects the positive view that credit investors have of our company and their confidence in our strategic direction and financial stability. All told, the cash on hand undrawn capacity available on our ABL revolver at fiscal year end, plus the additions of the proceeds from the issuance of these notes represents over $900,000,000 of liquidity. Now turning to our outlook for the Q1 of fiscal 2025. Speaker 300:16:54Based on our operations to date in the quarter, our order book and our expectations for shipments to the end of the month, we expect to deliver solid fiscal Q1 adjusted EBITDA in a range of $30,000,000 to $40,000,000 and total shipments of steel of 500,000 to 510,000 tons. I'd now like to turn the call back over to our CEO, Michael Garcia, for closing comments. Mike? Speaker 200:17:21Thanks, Rajat. Looking at the state of the North American steel market, prices have been volatile year to date. Since the beginning of January, index pricing for U. S. Midwest domestic hot rolled coil have fallen approximately US400 dollars per ton. Speaker 200:17:38Current market weakness reflects ample spot supply, short lead times, economic uncertainty and buyers being cautious into the operating our facilities safely to best capture market opportunities as they arise. Our results are supported by the fact that plate pricing continues to demonstrate a significant premium as overall demand for plate products remains high. This in turn continues to benefit our average price realizations, especially as we see higher production levels from the plate mill following the most recent planned outage and upgrade. The next several quarters represent an exciting time in the story of Algoma as we continue to execute work towards the start of commissioning of our transformative EAF project by year end. This will usher in the next phase of our company that defines the future of Algoma, provides the foundation for long term value creation for our stakeholders and solidifies our leadership position at the forefront of green steel production in North America. Speaker 200:18:51Thank you very much for your continued interest in Algoma Steel. At this point, we would be happy to take your questions. Operator, please give the instructions for the Q and A session. Operator00:19:04Thank Our first question is from David Ocampo with Cormark Securities. Please proceed. Speaker 400:19:32Thanks for taking my questions, everyone. I guess my first one is just on shipments for the June quarter. I mean that's running below the normal run rate even though plate shipments seem pretty solid at 65,000 tons. Just curious what the lower volumes are attributed to? Is it mainly just weaker industry conditions or is there some other factors that are contributing to that? Speaker 300:19:54Hi, David. Nice to talk to you. You're absolutely right. It's a touch lower. But normally when we take such kind of outages, which is the 20 day outage that we took for the plate mill, it and the ramp up, we normally lose around 50,000 to 60,000 tonnes both from the plate mill as well as the strip mill attached to it. Speaker 300:20:19So normally our shipment should be below 500, but the plate mill really came back solid after the outage and recovered some of that losses. So we will be in the $500,000,000 to $510,000,000 range, but the main reason for that is the outage that we took, which it's normally 20 days and the ramp up takes a little bit longer. Speaker 400:20:42Again, that's very helpful there, Rajat. And then maybe for you as well, just on the CapEx in the quarter, I think it was close to $120,000,000 $50,000,000 of that went to the EAF. Curious what the other $70,000,000 was attributable to? Did some of that CapEx leak into the coke ovens that you guys had to repair? Speaker 300:21:05Yes, you're absolutely right. That's the CapEx related to the coke oven and some of the blast furnace issues. It's all because of the coke oven collapse, the utility corridor. And we are discussing with the insurance providers on that aspect as well, so which will be recovered once it's settled and it will probably come into the following quarter following year, this year, 2025 fiscal. Speaker 400:21:32Okay. So the CapEx potential recovery from insurance providers, that's on top of the $120,000,000 to $130,000,000 of lost EBITDA that you guys are trying to call back? Speaker 300:21:44That's correct. Speaker 400:21:45Okay. And then just the last one for me before I hand the call over. I mean, you guys are nearing the completion of your EAF project. So just curious, when we think about the range of outcomes for the total cost, what are the risks that are still out there that would push you guys above the top end of your guidance? And then on the flip side, what would cause you guys to come in closer to that $825,000,000 number just given that $800,000,000 does appear to be locked in that contract prices already? Speaker 200:22:14Hi, David. This is Mike. Really, we've substantially de risked the project in terms of schedule and budget given where we're sitting right now. There's always risk around weather delays, any labor disruptions. We don't see any of those right now that we are concerned about. Speaker 200:22:40A small, probably under 10%, probably under 8% of the work is being done on time and materials. So there would theoretically be a risk that the time and materials exceeds the placeholders we have in there right now are assumptions of where they'll come in. But again, that's less than 10% of the of our intended total spend. So we don't see that as a significant risk. On the flip side in terms of potential for bringing it in under that range between $825,000,000 $875,000,000 Again, because most of the work is contracted, there's not a lot of upside to be captured there. Speaker 200:23:23There could be some efficiencies that we identify that would allow us to gain a little bit on some of the time and material work. And then we have a handful of contracts still to award on the remaining scope of work. There's probably only 2 contracts of moderate to significant size, one being the material handling system and fire protect and the second one being the fire protection system. So the team is spending a lot of time working with the contractor base to give them the right engineering package to be able to bid on both those pieces of work. We feel good about where they're going to come in. Speaker 200:24:09But again, we won't know until the actual contracts are awarded. Does that help? Speaker 400:24:15Yes. And I guess those two pieces of contracts that are left to be awarded, is that $25,000,000 or $50,000,000 or what's the order of magnitude that needs to be contracted still? Speaker 200:24:28I don't have the number for you right now. I can talk to the team and maybe get something for you. Speaker 400:24:35Okay. That's helpful. I'll hand the call over. Thanks a lot. Thank Operator00:24:52Our next question is from Ian Giles with Stifel. Please proceed. Speaker 500:24:58Good morning, everyone. Speaker 400:25:01Good morning, Speaker 100:25:02Ian. Could you as we get closer to the start up Speaker 500:25:06of the EAF, could you is there any update you can provide around the Speaker 400:25:09scrap strategy and where you Speaker 500:25:09think you're at on that front? Speaker 400:25:16Point? Speaker 200:25:19Sure. So as we've shared before, our methodology or mechanism for sourcing scrap for the EAFs will be through our joint venture that we formed at the beginning of this project with Triple M Metals. That joint venture has been operationalized. It's staffed. The members of Triple M or ATM, Algoma, Triple M is the name of the venture. Speaker 200:25:47They've been out in the market discussing with future and current scrap suppliers that we'll be buying from. So they've spent a lot of work in the market. We know who we'll be buying scrap from. We know how we'll be moving it to Sault Ste. Marie. Speaker 200:26:03We spent a lot of time on the supply chain, making sure we have efficient logistics on rail, truck and across the Great Lakes. The joint venture is currently buying scrap for our ongoing operations. It's not near the magnitude of the scrap we'll be buying in the future, but we do buy scrap for our basic oxygen furnace steelmaking shop right now. So we feel good about understanding the scrap market, who we'll be buying from. But again, we won't be buying those large quantities till further down the ramp up curve in the latter half of calendar year 2025. Speaker 200:26:45So it's hard to predict exactly what the market will look like or feel like at that time. Speaker 400:26:51Okay. That's helpful. Speaker 500:26:56On the plate side, the ramp is obviously going to be pretty material over the next, call it, 4 to 6 quarters. Can you talk a little bit more about how your commercial team is capturing market share and tends to capture market share there because I mean plate price has been quite weak in recent weeks? Speaker 200:27:15Sure. So the whole team is really delighted about our plate offering now. We've made substantial improvements in surface quality and flatness and dimensional tolerance with the improvements we've made in the plate mill over the last 2 years. We have made substantial improvement in the delivery performance of our plate over the last 18 months or so. And I think with those two combinations, the commercial team has a stronger selling proposition to our current and potential plate mill customers. Speaker 200:27:56We actually had a grand opening of our plate mill modernization here in Sault Ste. Marie earlier this week and we had around 25 plate customers here in the mill. We toured them through the new facility. They got to meet the crews. They got to see the product. Speaker 200:28:13They got to see the new assets in place and running. And so from this point, it's having those 1 on 1 conversations with our plate customer base and potential plate customers, some of them who were frankly historical customers of plate in the past. And for whatever reason, we haven't had a big position with over the last 5 or 10 years. So it's that type of selling, understanding the customer needs, understanding what the customer wants and how they win in their marketplace and with their customers and just doing that type of work with the customers to either grow our share of wallet with existing customers or establish a position with customers where we aren't yet established. Speaker 500:29:06Okay. That's helpful. With that, I'll turn it back over. Speaker 200:29:10Thanks, Ian. Operator00:29:12Our next question is from Katya Jantek with BMO Capital Markets. Please proceed. Speaker 600:29:20Hi. Thank you for taking my questions. Maybe starting off on the CapEx for fiscal year 2025, can you provide an update what the total expected CapEx is going to be? Speaker 300:29:31Sure. So our normal maintenance CapEx, as usual, will be in the range of $100,000,000 to $120,000,000 probably on the higher end considering where the legacy assets are. Our EAF CapEx should be roughly $250,000,000 $270,000,000 for the fiscal 2025 and this is all without any recovery from the government. And yes, I think those will be the 2 substantial ones that you will see in the fiscal 2025. Speaker 600:30:18Is there still any incremental from the coke ovens that's going to spill into? Speaker 300:30:24Yes, there will be incremental on the coke oven related, but all of that will be offset by the recovery that we'll see during the year and some more to offset the ones that we have spent in this year. So that should offset each other once we finalize, but those things are yet to be finalized. The amount that probably we'll be spending will be in the $30 odd 1,000,000 range, $30,000,000 to $40,000,000 on the coke side during the year. So if no recovery happens, that is what in addition you'll see. But the discussions with the insurers are going on, on that side. Speaker 600:31:10Okay. And then maybe on the volume side. Currently what is the normalized volume you think per quarter you can reach in a more normalized environment? Speaker 300:31:24Yes. We've always said $550,000,000 is a normal that we will reach and that's what we benchmark against and that should start improving once the EAF stabilizes. And again, that's all considering where our primary operations are. So that's what we feel as a more normal over the next couple of quarters. And as we as I said, as we stabilize the EAF, we will start the increase happening. Speaker 600:31:56And maybe on that, how quickly do you think you can ramp up the EAF or how quickly can it stabilize? Speaker 200:32:06Katya, this is Mike. So the EAF will begin producing on the first EAF deal in the 1st calendar quarter of 2025. Commissioning is actually going to start before the end of this year, but we don't expect to be striking an arc and making heats until the 1st calendar quarter of 2025. Like all startups, it will be deliberate and a lot of work for the startup team, but we have all the crews identified. We have training going on. Speaker 200:32:41We have a production plan and we expect to see volume on those EAFs ramp up through the balance of 2025. But and we'll share that at the appropriate time. But frankly, it's we're not we're cautious of over committing or over stretching on exactly how much metal we'll be making out of those EAS especially in the first half of 2025. And that's why we plan to continue to run our current steelmaking assets and flow path at full production as we move into 2025 and through the balance of that year. Speaker 600:33:24Okay. So just to confirm, during the start up, basically the blast furnace will operate as usual or as normal. So it should be reaching normal production levels. In other words, 5.50, let's say, per quarter? Speaker 200:33:39Correct. We don't want to take a large any dip in quarterly shipments during that startup year because it's a startup year. Speaker 600:33:50Okay. Maybe just one more if I may. Mike, I think you said this quarter or in the first quarter, the plate production is about 65,000 tons. And did I understand correctly, next quarter, it should go to 90? Correct. Speaker 600:34:10Okay. Thank you. Operator00:34:14At this time, there are no further questions. I would like to turn the conference back over to management for closing remarks. Speaker 200:34:25Thank you again for Speaker 100:34:25your participation in our full year fiscal 2024 earnings conference call and your continued interest in Algo Musteel. Look forward to updating you on our results and progress when we report our fiscal Q1 results scheduled for August. Thank you. Operator00:34:39Thank you. This will conclude today's conference. You may disconnect your lines at this time and thank you for your participation.Read morePowered by Conference Call Audio Live Call not available Earnings Conference CallAlgoma Steel Group Q4 202400:00 / 00:00Speed:1x1.25x1.5x2x Earnings DocumentsSlide DeckPress ReleaseAnnual report(40-F) Algoma Steel Group Earnings HeadlinesAlgoma Steel to Announce 2025 First Quarter Results April 29, 2025April 22 at 5:30 PM | globenewswire.comAlgoma Steel Group (NASDAQ:ASTL) Downgraded to Hold Rating by Stifel CanadaApril 19, 2025 | americanbankingnews.comFeds Just Admitted It—They Can Take Your CashHere’s the cold truth: If your money is sitting idle in a bank account, it’s vulnerable. That’s why thousands of smart, forward-thinking individuals are making the move—out of the system and into real, untouchable assets. Because once your funds are frozen, it’s too late.April 25, 2025 | Priority Gold (Ad)Canada steel, aluminum plants lay off workers due to US tariffsMarch 26, 2025 | msn.comAlgoma Steel price target lowered to C$15 from C$18 at BMO CapitalMarch 17, 2025 | markets.businessinsider.comAlgoma Steel price target lowered to C$15.25 from C$21 at StifelMarch 14, 2025 | markets.businessinsider.comSee More Algoma Steel Group Headlines Get Earnings Announcements in your inboxWant to stay updated on the latest earnings announcements and upcoming reports for companies like Algoma Steel Group? Sign up for Earnings360's daily newsletter to receive timely earnings updates on Algoma Steel Group and other key companies, straight to your email. Email Address About Algoma Steel GroupAlgoma Steel Group (NASDAQ:ASTL) produces and sells steel products primarily in North America. The company provides flat/sheet steel products, including temper rolling, cold rolled, hot-rolled pickled and oiled products, floor plate, and cut-to-length products for the automotive industry, hollow structural product manufacturers, and the light manufacturing and transportation industries; and plate steel products that consist of rolled, hot-rolled, and heat-treated for use in the construction or manufacture of railcars, buildings, bridges, off-highway equipment, storage tanks, ships, and military applications. Algoma Steel Group Inc. was founded in 1901 and is headquartered in Sault Ste. Marie, Canada.View Algoma Steel Group ProfileRead more More Earnings Resources from MarketBeat Earnings Tools Today's Earnings Tomorrow's Earnings Next Week's Earnings Upcoming Earnings Calls Earnings Newsletter Earnings Call Transcripts Earnings Beats & Misses Corporate Guidance Earnings Screener Earnings By Country U.S. Earnings Reports Canadian Earnings Reports U.K. Earnings Reports Latest Articles Market Anticipation Builds: Joby Stock Climbs Ahead of EarningsIs Intuitive Surgical a Buy After Volatile Reaction to Earnings?Seismic Shift at Intel: Massive Layoffs Precede Crucial EarningsRocket Lab Lands New Contract, Builds Momentum Ahead of EarningsAmazon's Earnings Could Fuel a Rapid Breakout Tesla Earnings Miss, But Musk Refocuses and Bulls ReactQualcomm’s Range Narrows Ahead of Earnings as Bulls Step In Upcoming Earnings Cadence Design Systems (4/28/2025)Welltower (4/28/2025)Waste Management (4/28/2025)AstraZeneca (4/29/2025)Booking (4/29/2025)DoorDash (4/29/2025)Honeywell International (4/29/2025)Mondelez International (4/29/2025)PayPal (4/29/2025)Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (4/29/2025) Get 30 Days of MarketBeat All Access for Free Sign up for MarketBeat All Access to gain access to MarketBeat's full suite of research tools. Start Your 30-Day Trial MarketBeat All Access Features Best-in-Class Portfolio Monitoring Get personalized stock ideas. Compare portfolio to indices. Check stock news, ratings, SEC filings, and more. Stock Ideas and Recommendations See daily stock ideas from top analysts. Receive short-term trading ideas from MarketBeat. Identify trending stocks on social media. Advanced Stock Screeners and Research Tools Use our seven stock screeners to find suitable stocks. Stay informed with MarketBeat's real-time news. Export data to Excel for personal analysis. Sign in to your free account to enjoy these benefits In-depth profiles and analysis for 20,000 public companies. Real-time analyst ratings, insider transactions, earnings data, and more. Our daily ratings and market update email newsletter. Sign in to your free account to enjoy all that MarketBeat has to offer. Sign In Create Account Your Email Address: Email Address Required Your Password: Password Required Log In or Sign in with Facebook Sign in with Google Forgot your password? Your Email Address: Please enter your email address. Please enter a valid email address Choose a Password: Please enter your password. Your password must be at least 8 characters long and contain at least 1 number, 1 letter, and 1 special character. Create My Account (Free) or Sign in with Facebook Sign in with Google By creating a free account, you agree to our terms of service. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
There are 7 speakers on the call. Operator00:00:00Greetings. Welcome to Agamas Steel Group Incorporated Full Year Fiscal 20 24 Earnings Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen only mode. A question and answer session will follow the formal presentation. Please note this conference is being recorded. Operator00:00:22I will now turn the conference over to Michael Maraca, Treasurer, Investor Relations Officer. Thank you. You may begin. Speaker 100:00:29Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Algoma Steel Group, Inc. Full year fiscal 2024 earnings conference call. Leading today's call are Michael Garcia, our Chief Executive Officer and Rajat Marwa, our Chief Financial Officer. As a reminder, this call is being recorded and will be made available for replay later today in the Investors section of Algoma Steel's corporate website at www.algoma.com. I would like to remind you that comments made on today's call may contain forward looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws, which involve assumptions and inherent risks and uncertainties. Speaker 100:01:06Actual results may differ materially from statements made today. In addition, our financial statements are prepared in accordance with IFRS, which differs from U. S. GAAP, and our evening, we posted an earnings presentation to accompany today's prepared remarks. The slides for today's call can be found in the Investors section of our corporate website. Speaker 100:01:31With that in mind, I would ask everyone on today's call to read the legal disclaimers on Slide 2 of the accompanying earnings presentation and also refer to the risks and assumptions outlined in Algoma Steel's Q4 fiscal 2024 management's discussion and analysis. Please note that our financial statements are prepared using the U. S. Dollar as our functional currency the Canadian dollar as our presentation currency. Our fiscal year runs from April 1 to March 31 and our statements have been prepared for the years ended March 31, 2024 and March 31, 2023. Speaker 100:02:06Please note all amounts referred to on today's call are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted. Following our prepared remarks, we will conduct a question and answer session. I would now like to turn the call over to our Chief Executive Officer, Michael Garcia. Mike? Speaker 200:02:22Thank you, Mike. Good morning and thank you for joining us to discuss our fiscal Q4 and full year 2024 results. Ensuring the safety of our employees is a core value and top priority for our company. This unwavering commitment led to significant improvements in our lost time injury performance during fiscal 2024. As our site continues to be a hub of activity, especially with the increasing contractor involvement in our EAF project, emphasizing safety is more crucial than ever. Speaker 200:02:54We are pleased to announce the addition of Aaron Oliver as our new Vice President of Health and Safety. This is a new position on our leadership team, reporting directly to myself. Originally from Sault Ste. Marie, Erin brings a wealth of experience and a strong background in fostering health and safety initiatives across Canada. Her expertise will be instrumental in our pursuit of 0 workplace injuries. Speaker 200:03:20Next, I'll cover key events and milestones during our fiscal Q4 and subsequent to its end, as well as give an update on progress at our transformational EAF project. I will then turn the call over to Rajat for a deeper dive into the numbers and a discussion of our strong liquidity and balance sheet before closing with an update on market conditions. There are a few important themes I would like to get across on this call. Our results for the quarter were adversely impacted by previously disclosed operational challenges related to the coke making utility structure collapse and subsequent blast furnace outage in January, which was resolved and resulted in approximately 150,000 tons of lost production. Subsequent to the quarter end, we completed our planned upgrade related to the plate mill modernization project. Speaker 200:04:14The upgrades to the mill are now substantially complete and production from the plate mill is already running as expected with operations and commercial teams focused on increasing production and sales of plate products. Our primary operations are running normally following recovery from the utilities corridor collapse and completion of the plate millwork, which we expect will result in sequentially higher shipments in fiscal Q1 of 2025 and further improvement in the quarters ahead. And finally, our long term strategy remains unchanged and on track to successfully execute our electric arc furnace project and transition to being one of the leading producers of green steel in North America. Now let me give you some additional color on those key themes. Our results for the fiscal Q4 of 2024 were in line with our previously disclosed guidance for both shipments and adjusted EBITDA. Speaker 200:05:12They reflected approximately 3 weeks of lost production related to the utilities corridor collapse at our coke making facility and related blast furnace outage. That outage highlighted the challenges of operating facilities that in some cases are over 70 years old, but also put on full display the professionalism and expertise of our workforce and their ability to rapidly recover from that incident. It also highlights the benefits we expect to realize as we shift from legacy blast furnace steelmaking to state of the art electric arc furnace operations starting next year. Somewhat offsetting the lost production in the quarter was higher pricing. Due to the lagging nature of our order book, realized pricing in the quarter reflected higher index pricing from the end of calendar year 2023 flowing through our contract order book. Speaker 200:06:06Subsequent to quarter end, we successfully completed the planned outage related to the modernization of our plate mill. Our team successfully installed new equipment across the facility, which has achieved enhanced product quality and paved the way for higher plate shipments. Despite the facility being offline for 3 weeks, our plate production in the fiscal Q1 of 20 25 is expected to be approximately 65 1,000 tons. That would be in line with past quarters that had no maintenance outage and indicative of the higher run rate we expect going forward. On a very positive note, the team was able to accelerate additional work during the outage and the vast majority of the modernization project at the facility is now substantially complete. Speaker 200:06:54We expect any remaining items to be addressed with other planned maintenance activities over the coming year, providing significant efficiencies on downtime. So what does that mean for performance? In the upcoming quarter, we expect plate mill production to reach approximately 90,000 tons. Our operations and commercial teams are focused on ramping up production and sales of plate products over the balance of the fiscal year, putting us on a path towards our expected annual run rate capacity of over 650,000 net tons. As previously announced, we have begun our exit from the wide coil market, which will be completed over the balance of the fiscal year. Speaker 200:07:37This strategic shift will allow us to prioritize plate production and sales, taking advantage of our position as Canada's only discrete producer of plate products, resulting in a more favorable product mix that is expected to drive meaningful margin enhancement. With the blast furnace recovered from the unplanned outage in the quarter and the plate mill upgrade complete, our operations are running normally and we expect solid production levels in the second half of calendar twenty twenty four. Next, I'll give an update on our progress during the quarter on our transformational electric arc furnace or EAF project. The EAFs will ultimately increase our throughput capacity by a third, allowing us to reach a shipping capacity of approximately 3,000,000 tons, utilizing our 2 state of the art electric arc furnaces. The higher output will match our expanded downstream finishing capacity including increased capacity at our modernized plate mill. Speaker 200:08:40Transitioning to EAF steelmaking will improve overall product mix and lower our carbon emissions by approximately 70% when fully operational. When factoring in the makeup of our power supply when we switch to EAF operations, we expect to be one of the greenest producers of steel in North America. During the quarter, cumulative investment in the EAF project reached $563,000,000 To date, we have committed contracts totaling approximately $800,000,000 with approximately 93% tied to fixed price contracts. Progress to date on both the construction of the project and the contracted portion of work yet to be completed has significantly derisked the project budget as we progress towards the expected start of commissioning in late calendar 2024. As a reminder, our start up plan continues to include normal production from our existing steelmaking facility, while ramping up steel production from our EAF in calendar 2025, followed by a complete switch to EAF production. Speaker 200:09:51In summary, the quarter was a challenging one operationally and market conditions the last several weeks have shown near term softness. But we are focused on what we can control, operating our existing facilities safely, completing the important upgrades at our plate mill and advancing the EAF project on schedule and on budget. I'd like to once again thank all of our employees for their hard work, dedication and professionalism, particularly their ability to rapidly and safely bring our facilities back to normal production levels during a challenging period. Now I will pass the call over to Rajat to go over our financial results for the quarter. Rajat? Speaker 300:10:36Thanks, Mike. Good morning and thank you all for joining the call. As a reminder, all numbers are expressed in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted. Our 4th quarter results included adjusted EBITDA of $41,500,000 which reflects an adjusted EBITDA margin of 6.7 percent and cash generated from operating activities of $121,200,000 We finished the quarter with a strong balance sheet including $98,000,000 of cash and availability of $347,000,000 under our revolving credit facility. Subsequent to the quarter end, we raised US350 $1,000,000 in the form of high yield bonds, bearing interest at 9.125%. Speaker 300:11:25Mike provided details earlier on the coke making corridor collapse. From a financial perspective, we estimate the resultant outage negatively impacted hot metal production in the quarter by approximately 150,000 tons and reduced adjusted EBITDA by approximately $120,000,000 to $130,000,000 We have been working closely with our insurance providers and adjusters as they complete their assessments. While we do expect to recover a significant amount of the losses, the amount and timing of these recoveries are still to be determined. Now let me dive into the key drivers of our performance. We shipped 451,000 tons in the quarter, down 21.1% versus the prior year quarter. Speaker 300:12:13The decrease in shipments were largely attributable to the utility corridor collapse at our coke making facility that resulted in the shutdown of a blast furnace that Mike previously discussed. This was offset somewhat by producing and shipping some product from available inventories of slabs and finished goods. Net sales realization averaged $12.60 per ton, up 18.2% versus the prior year period. The increase versus the prior year level reflects the lagging effect of our order book and the strong pricing around the ending of calendar year. Plate pricing continued to enjoy a significant premium relative to hot rolled coil during the quarter driven by resilient demand. Speaker 300:13:00This resulted in steel revenue of $568,000,000 in the quarter, down 6.7% versus the prior year period. On the cost side, Algoma's cost per ton of steel products sold averaged $11.82 in the quarter, up 21.1% versus the prior year period. The main drivers of the increase versus the prior year period include lower volumes, the cost of replacing internally produced coke with purchased coke and high natural gas. Cash flow from operations totaled $121,000,000 for the quarter, up from $95,000,000 in the prior year period. The main driver of cash flow in the quarter was a net change in non cash working capital. Speaker 300:13:44Inventories at fiscal year end were $808,000,000 down from $886,000,000 at the end of the fiscal third quarter. Looking at our fiscal 2024 full year results, we shipped 2,100,000 tons for the year, up 4.1% as compared to the prior year. Net sales realization averaged $12.20 per ton, down 4.1% versus the prior year, reflective of soft market condition on average across the fiscal year. This resulted in steel revenue of $2,500,000,000 relatively flat year over year. On the cost side, Algoma's cost of steel products sold averaged $10.18 per tonne for the year, an increase of 1.5% over the prior year. Speaker 300:14:33The main drivers of this increase were higher purchase coke use, higher natural gas use and labor cost, which more than offset the higher shipments. Adjusted EBITDA for the full year was 313,000,000 and an adjusted EBITDA margin of 16.3 percent in fiscal 2023. The decrease was primarily attributable to lower price realizations and higher cost, which more than offset higher shipments. Cash flow from operating activities for fiscal 2024 was $295,000,000 up from $177,000,000 in fiscal 2023. The increase year over year was primarily due to the net change in non cash working capital, partially offset by the decrease in operating income. Speaker 300:15:27Working capital decreased from $875,000,000 at the end of fiscal 2023 to $830,000,000 at the end of fiscal 2024. We initially expected to release a higher amount of working capital during the period. However, as I mentioned on the last call, we released lower amounts on account of the unplanned outage in the quarter. We remain focused on driving down working capital levels and continue to expect a release of at least $100,000,000 in fiscal 2025. Now I'll touch on the financing activity we completed in early April. Speaker 300:16:03Our indirect wholly owned subsidiary ASI issued an aggregate US350 $1,000,000 of 9.125 percent senior secured second dien notes due in April, 2029. This move enhanced the strength and flexibility of our balance sheet. The successful issuance reflects the positive view that credit investors have of our company and their confidence in our strategic direction and financial stability. All told, the cash on hand undrawn capacity available on our ABL revolver at fiscal year end, plus the additions of the proceeds from the issuance of these notes represents over $900,000,000 of liquidity. Now turning to our outlook for the Q1 of fiscal 2025. Speaker 300:16:54Based on our operations to date in the quarter, our order book and our expectations for shipments to the end of the month, we expect to deliver solid fiscal Q1 adjusted EBITDA in a range of $30,000,000 to $40,000,000 and total shipments of steel of 500,000 to 510,000 tons. I'd now like to turn the call back over to our CEO, Michael Garcia, for closing comments. Mike? Speaker 200:17:21Thanks, Rajat. Looking at the state of the North American steel market, prices have been volatile year to date. Since the beginning of January, index pricing for U. S. Midwest domestic hot rolled coil have fallen approximately US400 dollars per ton. Speaker 200:17:38Current market weakness reflects ample spot supply, short lead times, economic uncertainty and buyers being cautious into the operating our facilities safely to best capture market opportunities as they arise. Our results are supported by the fact that plate pricing continues to demonstrate a significant premium as overall demand for plate products remains high. This in turn continues to benefit our average price realizations, especially as we see higher production levels from the plate mill following the most recent planned outage and upgrade. The next several quarters represent an exciting time in the story of Algoma as we continue to execute work towards the start of commissioning of our transformative EAF project by year end. This will usher in the next phase of our company that defines the future of Algoma, provides the foundation for long term value creation for our stakeholders and solidifies our leadership position at the forefront of green steel production in North America. Speaker 200:18:51Thank you very much for your continued interest in Algoma Steel. At this point, we would be happy to take your questions. Operator, please give the instructions for the Q and A session. Operator00:19:04Thank Our first question is from David Ocampo with Cormark Securities. Please proceed. Speaker 400:19:32Thanks for taking my questions, everyone. I guess my first one is just on shipments for the June quarter. I mean that's running below the normal run rate even though plate shipments seem pretty solid at 65,000 tons. Just curious what the lower volumes are attributed to? Is it mainly just weaker industry conditions or is there some other factors that are contributing to that? Speaker 300:19:54Hi, David. Nice to talk to you. You're absolutely right. It's a touch lower. But normally when we take such kind of outages, which is the 20 day outage that we took for the plate mill, it and the ramp up, we normally lose around 50,000 to 60,000 tonnes both from the plate mill as well as the strip mill attached to it. Speaker 300:20:19So normally our shipment should be below 500, but the plate mill really came back solid after the outage and recovered some of that losses. So we will be in the $500,000,000 to $510,000,000 range, but the main reason for that is the outage that we took, which it's normally 20 days and the ramp up takes a little bit longer. Speaker 400:20:42Again, that's very helpful there, Rajat. And then maybe for you as well, just on the CapEx in the quarter, I think it was close to $120,000,000 $50,000,000 of that went to the EAF. Curious what the other $70,000,000 was attributable to? Did some of that CapEx leak into the coke ovens that you guys had to repair? Speaker 300:21:05Yes, you're absolutely right. That's the CapEx related to the coke oven and some of the blast furnace issues. It's all because of the coke oven collapse, the utility corridor. And we are discussing with the insurance providers on that aspect as well, so which will be recovered once it's settled and it will probably come into the following quarter following year, this year, 2025 fiscal. Speaker 400:21:32Okay. So the CapEx potential recovery from insurance providers, that's on top of the $120,000,000 to $130,000,000 of lost EBITDA that you guys are trying to call back? Speaker 300:21:44That's correct. Speaker 400:21:45Okay. And then just the last one for me before I hand the call over. I mean, you guys are nearing the completion of your EAF project. So just curious, when we think about the range of outcomes for the total cost, what are the risks that are still out there that would push you guys above the top end of your guidance? And then on the flip side, what would cause you guys to come in closer to that $825,000,000 number just given that $800,000,000 does appear to be locked in that contract prices already? Speaker 200:22:14Hi, David. This is Mike. Really, we've substantially de risked the project in terms of schedule and budget given where we're sitting right now. There's always risk around weather delays, any labor disruptions. We don't see any of those right now that we are concerned about. Speaker 200:22:40A small, probably under 10%, probably under 8% of the work is being done on time and materials. So there would theoretically be a risk that the time and materials exceeds the placeholders we have in there right now are assumptions of where they'll come in. But again, that's less than 10% of the of our intended total spend. So we don't see that as a significant risk. On the flip side in terms of potential for bringing it in under that range between $825,000,000 $875,000,000 Again, because most of the work is contracted, there's not a lot of upside to be captured there. Speaker 200:23:23There could be some efficiencies that we identify that would allow us to gain a little bit on some of the time and material work. And then we have a handful of contracts still to award on the remaining scope of work. There's probably only 2 contracts of moderate to significant size, one being the material handling system and fire protect and the second one being the fire protection system. So the team is spending a lot of time working with the contractor base to give them the right engineering package to be able to bid on both those pieces of work. We feel good about where they're going to come in. Speaker 200:24:09But again, we won't know until the actual contracts are awarded. Does that help? Speaker 400:24:15Yes. And I guess those two pieces of contracts that are left to be awarded, is that $25,000,000 or $50,000,000 or what's the order of magnitude that needs to be contracted still? Speaker 200:24:28I don't have the number for you right now. I can talk to the team and maybe get something for you. Speaker 400:24:35Okay. That's helpful. I'll hand the call over. Thanks a lot. Thank Operator00:24:52Our next question is from Ian Giles with Stifel. Please proceed. Speaker 500:24:58Good morning, everyone. Speaker 400:25:01Good morning, Speaker 100:25:02Ian. Could you as we get closer to the start up Speaker 500:25:06of the EAF, could you is there any update you can provide around the Speaker 400:25:09scrap strategy and where you Speaker 500:25:09think you're at on that front? Speaker 400:25:16Point? Speaker 200:25:19Sure. So as we've shared before, our methodology or mechanism for sourcing scrap for the EAFs will be through our joint venture that we formed at the beginning of this project with Triple M Metals. That joint venture has been operationalized. It's staffed. The members of Triple M or ATM, Algoma, Triple M is the name of the venture. Speaker 200:25:47They've been out in the market discussing with future and current scrap suppliers that we'll be buying from. So they've spent a lot of work in the market. We know who we'll be buying scrap from. We know how we'll be moving it to Sault Ste. Marie. Speaker 200:26:03We spent a lot of time on the supply chain, making sure we have efficient logistics on rail, truck and across the Great Lakes. The joint venture is currently buying scrap for our ongoing operations. It's not near the magnitude of the scrap we'll be buying in the future, but we do buy scrap for our basic oxygen furnace steelmaking shop right now. So we feel good about understanding the scrap market, who we'll be buying from. But again, we won't be buying those large quantities till further down the ramp up curve in the latter half of calendar year 2025. Speaker 200:26:45So it's hard to predict exactly what the market will look like or feel like at that time. Speaker 400:26:51Okay. That's helpful. Speaker 500:26:56On the plate side, the ramp is obviously going to be pretty material over the next, call it, 4 to 6 quarters. Can you talk a little bit more about how your commercial team is capturing market share and tends to capture market share there because I mean plate price has been quite weak in recent weeks? Speaker 200:27:15Sure. So the whole team is really delighted about our plate offering now. We've made substantial improvements in surface quality and flatness and dimensional tolerance with the improvements we've made in the plate mill over the last 2 years. We have made substantial improvement in the delivery performance of our plate over the last 18 months or so. And I think with those two combinations, the commercial team has a stronger selling proposition to our current and potential plate mill customers. Speaker 200:27:56We actually had a grand opening of our plate mill modernization here in Sault Ste. Marie earlier this week and we had around 25 plate customers here in the mill. We toured them through the new facility. They got to meet the crews. They got to see the product. Speaker 200:28:13They got to see the new assets in place and running. And so from this point, it's having those 1 on 1 conversations with our plate customer base and potential plate customers, some of them who were frankly historical customers of plate in the past. And for whatever reason, we haven't had a big position with over the last 5 or 10 years. So it's that type of selling, understanding the customer needs, understanding what the customer wants and how they win in their marketplace and with their customers and just doing that type of work with the customers to either grow our share of wallet with existing customers or establish a position with customers where we aren't yet established. Speaker 500:29:06Okay. That's helpful. With that, I'll turn it back over. Speaker 200:29:10Thanks, Ian. Operator00:29:12Our next question is from Katya Jantek with BMO Capital Markets. Please proceed. Speaker 600:29:20Hi. Thank you for taking my questions. Maybe starting off on the CapEx for fiscal year 2025, can you provide an update what the total expected CapEx is going to be? Speaker 300:29:31Sure. So our normal maintenance CapEx, as usual, will be in the range of $100,000,000 to $120,000,000 probably on the higher end considering where the legacy assets are. Our EAF CapEx should be roughly $250,000,000 $270,000,000 for the fiscal 2025 and this is all without any recovery from the government. And yes, I think those will be the 2 substantial ones that you will see in the fiscal 2025. Speaker 600:30:18Is there still any incremental from the coke ovens that's going to spill into? Speaker 300:30:24Yes, there will be incremental on the coke oven related, but all of that will be offset by the recovery that we'll see during the year and some more to offset the ones that we have spent in this year. So that should offset each other once we finalize, but those things are yet to be finalized. The amount that probably we'll be spending will be in the $30 odd 1,000,000 range, $30,000,000 to $40,000,000 on the coke side during the year. So if no recovery happens, that is what in addition you'll see. But the discussions with the insurers are going on, on that side. Speaker 600:31:10Okay. And then maybe on the volume side. Currently what is the normalized volume you think per quarter you can reach in a more normalized environment? Speaker 300:31:24Yes. We've always said $550,000,000 is a normal that we will reach and that's what we benchmark against and that should start improving once the EAF stabilizes. And again, that's all considering where our primary operations are. So that's what we feel as a more normal over the next couple of quarters. And as we as I said, as we stabilize the EAF, we will start the increase happening. Speaker 600:31:56And maybe on that, how quickly do you think you can ramp up the EAF or how quickly can it stabilize? Speaker 200:32:06Katya, this is Mike. So the EAF will begin producing on the first EAF deal in the 1st calendar quarter of 2025. Commissioning is actually going to start before the end of this year, but we don't expect to be striking an arc and making heats until the 1st calendar quarter of 2025. Like all startups, it will be deliberate and a lot of work for the startup team, but we have all the crews identified. We have training going on. Speaker 200:32:41We have a production plan and we expect to see volume on those EAFs ramp up through the balance of 2025. But and we'll share that at the appropriate time. But frankly, it's we're not we're cautious of over committing or over stretching on exactly how much metal we'll be making out of those EAS especially in the first half of 2025. And that's why we plan to continue to run our current steelmaking assets and flow path at full production as we move into 2025 and through the balance of that year. Speaker 600:33:24Okay. So just to confirm, during the start up, basically the blast furnace will operate as usual or as normal. So it should be reaching normal production levels. In other words, 5.50, let's say, per quarter? Speaker 200:33:39Correct. We don't want to take a large any dip in quarterly shipments during that startup year because it's a startup year. Speaker 600:33:50Okay. Maybe just one more if I may. Mike, I think you said this quarter or in the first quarter, the plate production is about 65,000 tons. And did I understand correctly, next quarter, it should go to 90? Correct. Speaker 600:34:10Okay. Thank you. Operator00:34:14At this time, there are no further questions. I would like to turn the conference back over to management for closing remarks. Speaker 200:34:25Thank you again for Speaker 100:34:25your participation in our full year fiscal 2024 earnings conference call and your continued interest in Algo Musteel. Look forward to updating you on our results and progress when we report our fiscal Q1 results scheduled for August. Thank you. Operator00:34:39Thank you. This will conclude today's conference. You may disconnect your lines at this time and thank you for your participation.Read morePowered by