“If key copper and lithium projects move, the amount of work will be massive, and domestic manufacturers across categories will be fully deployed.”
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Can you provide an overview of Group Pipe?
We produce polyethylene pipes to serve potable water distribution, natural gas distribution, mining process lines, fire networks, irrigation systems, specific oil and gas applications, electrical conduit, and other utilities. In addition, we produce large coils for energy and steel-pipe casing applications. On the non-pressure side, we manufacture corrugated pipe systems for gravity service and external loads, which are used in roads, drainage, culverts, and protection ducts.
What product and material innovations are you bringing to mining applications?
We have invested in multilayer technology, specifically three-layer pipes, tailored to the mining industry. For operations that lay pipes fully exposed to sun, cold and thermal cycling, the line movement can become a serious problem. Our approach is to deliver a white outer layer to manage solar heating and reduce expansion, combined with black and red internal layers. For very abrasive and sometimes freezing media, such as lithium brines that can obstruct lines when temperatures drop, we specify a special inner layer material that improves abrasion resistance and reduces friction so the product slips more easily. The three-layer construction lets us put the premium material exactly where it is needed without an unnecessary cost penalty.
In parallel, we continue to develop new resin options, including polyamide for aggressive products and higher working pressures, and we are pursuing a new line for fuels. Innovation in mining is challenging because projects arrive with fixed specifications and international standards already embedded in the engineering packages, but we keep pushing in materials and construction, where clients see clear performance gains.
How has your mining portfolio evolved?
Over time, we have supplied a comprehensive set of miners and contractors in Argentina. In gold, we have provided projects such as Veladero across multiple phases, and in the south, we have supplied sites including operations in Santa Cruz and surrounding provinces. On the lithium side, the sector became a significant part of our sales when that wave accelerated.
What is the current market environment in Argentina from your vantage point as a manufacturer?
The last two years have been slow on investment. Many industries are waiting for the RIGI regime to be fully effective and for the political calendar to clear, so there is a general wait-and-see posture through the midterm cycle. In public works, we are seeing early movement with requests for quotations and some tenders, but it is still gradual. The narrative about major road and school programs circulates, but those promises have circulated for years.
Argentina is a highly political country, and while it has a diverse range of natural resources—gold, copper, lithium, agriculture, gas, oil, tourism, and skilled labor—confidence has been the core issue. That lack of confidence has weighed on investment decisions. If large mining projects move at scale, the amount of work would be enormous, and domestic supply would be stretched to cover it.
What is your biggest challenge as an Argentine manufacturer?
The first is a structural cost issue tied to import duties on raw materials. We pay duties on resins, while Chilean manufacturers do not, and once they certify origin and export to Argentina, they can avoid the tariff that we face on inputs. Recent policies reduced some of those taxes, which helps, but there is still a gap. Logistics across the Andes into salt flats like Hombre Muerto are very efficient from the Chilean side, and that plays against us on specific projects. To level the field, we are working with authorities to ensure that our resins and inputs are included in the RIGI supplier framework. If our raw materials are recognized within the nomenclator for RIGI projects, we can import inputs without the duty burden and compete on equal terms for RIGI projects.
What do you expect for the next 12–24 months?
If key copper and lithium projects move, the amount of work will be massive, and domestic manufacturers across categories will be fully deployed. We are ready. We have the capacity and product breadth, ranging from 20 to 1,200 millimeters across pressure and gravity lines, as well as multilayer and specialty materials for harsh media, and the ability to engineer project-specific components. We are waiting for the sector to reactivate, and we are prepared to scale quickly when it does.
Can you provide an overview of Group Pipe?
We produce polyethylene pipes to serve potable water distribution, natural gas distribution, mining process lines, fire networks, irrigation systems, specific oil and gas applications, electrical conduit, and other utilities. In addition, we produce large coils for energy and steel-pipe casing applications. On the non-pressure side, we manufacture corrugated pipe systems for gravity service and external loads, which are used in roads, drainage, culverts, and protection ducts.
What product and material innovations are you bringing to mining applications?
We have invested in multilayer technology, specifically three-layer pipes, tailored to the mining industry. For operations that lay pipes fully exposed to sun, cold and thermal cycling, the line movement can become a serious problem. Our approach is to deliver a white outer layer to manage solar heating and reduce expansion, combined with black and red internal layers. For very abrasive and sometimes freezing media, such as lithium brines that can obstruct lines when temperatures drop, we specify a special inner layer material that improves abrasion resistance and reduces friction so the product slips more easily. The three-layer construction lets us put the premium material exactly where it is needed without an unnecessary cost penalty.
In parallel, we continue to develop new resin options, including polyamide for aggressive products and higher working pressures, and we are pursuing a new line for fuels. Innovation in mining is challenging because projects arrive with fixed specifications and international standards already embedded in the engineering packages, but we keep pushing in materials and construction, where clients see clear performance gains.
How has your mining portfolio evolved?
Over time, we have supplied a comprehensive set of miners and contractors in Argentina. In gold, we have provided projects such as Veladero across multiple phases, and in the south, we have supplied sites including operations in Santa Cruz and surrounding provinces. On the lithium side, the sector became a significant part of our sales when that wave accelerated.
What is the current market environment in Argentina from your vantage point as a manufacturer?
The last two years have been slow on investment. Many industries are waiting for the RIGI regime to be fully effective and for the political calendar to clear, so there is a general wait-and-see posture through the midterm cycle. In public works, we are seeing early movement with requests for quotations and some tenders, but it is still gradual. The narrative about major road and school programs circulates, but those promises have circulated for years.
Argentina is a highly political country, and while it has a diverse range of natural resources—gold, copper, lithium, agriculture, gas, oil, tourism, and skilled labor—confidence has been the core issue. That lack of confidence has weighed on investment decisions. If large mining projects move at scale, the amount of work would be enormous, and domestic supply would be stretched to cover it.
What is your biggest challenge as an Argentine manufacturer?
The first is a structural cost issue tied to import duties on raw materials. We pay duties on resins, while Chilean manufacturers do not, and once they certify origin and export to Argentina, they can avoid the tariff that we face on inputs. Recent policies reduced some of those taxes, which helps, but there is still a gap. Logistics across the Andes into salt flats like Hombre Muerto are very efficient from the Chilean side, and that plays against us on specific projects. To level the field, we are working with authorities to ensure that our resins and inputs are included in the RIGI supplier framework. If our raw materials are recognized within the nomenclator for RIGI projects, we can import inputs without the duty burden and compete on equal terms for RIGI projects.
What do you expect for the next 12–24 months?
If key copper and lithium projects move, the amount of work will be massive, and domestic manufacturers across categories will be fully deployed. We are ready. We have the capacity and product breadth, ranging from 20 to 1,200 millimeters across pressure and gravity lines, as well as multilayer and specialty materials for harsh media, and the ability to engineer project-specific components. We are waiting for the sector to reactivate, and we are prepared to scale quickly when it does.
