CPAC Cementos Pacasmayo SAA New

ITEM 4. INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY

A. History and Development of the Company

Our History

Cementos Pacasmayo S.A.A. was incorporated in Lima, Peru in 1949, by a group of private investors that founded the company to serve the cement market in the northern region of Peru. Cementos Pacasmayo began its operations in 1957 and is a publicly-held corporation (sociedad anónima abierta) organized under the laws of Peru. Our executive offices are located at Calle La Colonia 150, Urbanización El Vivero, Surco, Lima, Peru. Our telephone number at this location is + (511) 317-6000. Our website address is www.cementospacasmayo.com.pe. Information on or accessible through our website is not a part of, nor incorporated by reference in, this annual report.

Cementos Pacasmayo S.A.A. and Hochschild Mining plc together constitute the two businesses of the Hochschild Group, which has operated in Latin America for more than 100 years. Hochschild Mining plc is incorporated in the United Kingdom and its shares have been listed on the London Stock Exchange since 2006. Cementos Pacasmayo has been listed on the Lima Stock Exchange since 1995. As of March 31, 2022, Eduardo Hochschild, directly and indirectly, owned and controlled 38.32% of the shares of Hochschild Mining plc. Through Inversiones ASPI S.A. (“ASPI”), as of that same date, Eduardo Hochschild, directly and indirectly, owned and controlled 50.01% of the outstanding common shares of Cementos Pacasmayo. S.A.A.

The Hochschild Group traces its origins to 1911, when Mauricio Hochschild, a German mining engineer, founded a group of companies in South America that came to be known as the Hochschild Group. Following World War I, the Hochschild Group expanded into Bolivia where it developed significant interests in tin. The Hochschild Group commenced operations in Peru in 1925 and in 1945 Luis Hochschild, the nephew of Mauricio Hochschild (and the father of Eduardo Hochschild), joined the Hochschild Group’s Peruvian operations.

During the first decades of its operations, the Hochschild Group focused on the commercialization of minerals, although it later began operating its own mines and other industrial companies. During World War II, the Hochschild Group was a key supplier of tin and other metals to the allied forces.

The Hochschild Group acquired its initial ownership interest in us in 1956. Set forth below are key developments in our company’s history.

Capital Expenditures

We expect to spend approximately US$25 million per year over the next three years on recurring capital expenditures necessary to maintain our plants and equipment. We expect to finance these investments with our current and future cash flows.

The table below sets forth our total capital expenditures incurred in 2021, 2020 and 2019.

B. Business Overview

Overview

We are a leading Peruvian cement company, and the only cement manufacturer in the northern region of Peru. With more than 64 years of operating history, we produce, distribute and sell cement and cement-related materials, such as precast products and ready-mix concrete. Our products are primarily used in construction, which has been one of the fastest growing segments of the Peruvian economy in recent years. We also produce and sell quicklime for use in mining operations, although it represents a very small percentage of our overall revenues.

In 2021 our cement shipments were approximately 3.6 million metric tons, representing an estimated 26.8% share of Peru’s total cement shipments. Cement volumes in 2021 increased by 40.4% compared to 2020, setting a new historical record. It is important to note that in 2020, despite the halt in our operations for more than two months, volumes only decreased slightly. Even when compared to 2019, which was already a record year, volumes increased 39.6% in 2021. We believe the construction sector has significant potential to grow with the continued deficit in infrastructure and the persistent housing deficit in the country, as well as the reconstruction of northern Peru following the impact of El Niño weather conditions in the first four months of 2017. However, we are aware that the exponential growth experienced this year will be difficult to replicate and consider that maintaining current volumes will be a challenging objective for 2022.

We own three cement production facilities, our flagship Pacasmayo facility located in the northwest region of Peru, our Piura facility located around 300 kilometers north of Pacasmayo, and our smaller Rioja facility located in the northeast. Our facilities have total installed annual cement production capacity of approximately 4.9 million metric tons. We also have installed annual production capacity of 240,000 metric tons of quicklime. We own concession rights to several quarries with reserves of limestone and other raw materials located near our facilities.

We completed an expansion of our Rioja plant in April 2013. We more than doubled the cement production capacity of our Rioja facility by installing a new production line with 240,000 metric tons of installed annual cement production capacity. We finished construction of our plant in Piura in 2015. This facility has annual production capacity of 1.6 million metric tons of cement. In September 2015, we began cement production, and clinker production began in January 2016. During 2021, we decided to optimize our capacity at our Pacasmayo plant, in order to add an estimated 600,000 metric tons of clinker capacity per year. This should be completed during 2023.

We provide consumers with high-quality and value-added cement products and, as a result, we believe we have developed strong brand recognition and customer loyalty in our market. We have developed one of the largest independent retail distribution networks for construction materials in Peru. Through our network of 240 independent retailers and 379 hardware stores as of March 31, 2022, we distribute our cement products as well as other construction materials manufactured by third parties, such as steel rebar, cables and pipes, in the northern region of Peru. We also sell our cement products directly to other retailers that are not part of our distribution network and to private construction companies and government entities.

The following table sets forth certain macroeconomic data for Peru and operating and financial data for our company for the periods indicated.

Non-IFRS Financial Measure and Reconciliation

We define EBITDA as profit minus finance income and plus finance costs, income tax expenses, and depreciation and amortization, and plus or minus gain from exchange difference, net.

EBITDA should not be construed as an alternative to profit or operating profit, as an indicator of operating performance, as an alternative to cash flow provided by operating activities or as a measure of liquidity (in each case, as determined in accordance with IFRS). EBITDA, as calculated by us, may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies, including those in the cement industry.

The following table sets forth the reconciliation of our profit to EBITDA:

Peruvian Cement Market

Peru had experienced sustained economic growth over the past decade, but the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 resulted in the greatest annual economic contraction of the last 100 years. However, the recovery during 2021 was substantial, reaching 13.2% growth. From 2017 to 2021, GDP grew at a compound annual growth rate, or “CAGR”, of 1.7%. Growth during this period was accompanied by low inflation, which averaged 2.88% per year. In addition, as of December 31, 2021, the government had accumulated foreign exchange reserves of approximately US$78.7 billion, and the sovereign long-term debt rating was investment grade from each of the three major international credit rating agencies. Although this economic growth had resulted, among other key trends, in significant poverty reduction, with a decrease in the percentage of the country’s population living below the poverty line from approximately 48.6% in 2004 to approximately 20.2% in 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on it. Poverty levels for 2020 increased 9.9 percentage points, reaching 30.1%.

We sell substantially all our cement in the northern region of Peru, which in 2021 accounted for approximately 32.5% of the country’s population and 16.0% of national GDP. Two other groups sold most of the cement consumed in each of the central and southern regions of Peru, with 5.7% of all the cement consumed in the country coming from imports, and approximately 3.7% coming from a small domestic producer. From 2017 to 2021, total cement consumption in Peru increased 5.9% according to the INEI. Peru continues to have a significant housing deficit, estimated by the INEI at 1.9 million homes nationwide. In Peru, cement is mainly sold to a highly fragmented consumer base, consisting primarily of households that buy cement in bags to gradually build or improve their own homes without professional technical assistance, a segment known in our industry as auto-construcción. We estimate that in 2021 sales to the auto-construcción segment accounted for approximately 70.3% of our total sales of cement, private construction projects accounted for 15.0%, and public construction projects accounted for the remaining 14.7%. Approximately 89.6% of our total cement sales in 2021 were in the form of bagged cement, substantially all of which was sold through retailers.

Even though our ready mix sales are still a small proportion of our sales, we expect this trend to change as infrastructure becomes a bigger driver of demand in the upcoming years, and we continue to implement our strategy to become a building solutions company.

Brine Project Impairment

In 2017, our board of directors resolved to prioritize investments in the development of products related to the manufacture and sale of cement and building solutions. In furtherance of this strategy, we have pursued the sale or other disposition of investments that are not central to our core cement production business. As a result of this decision, during the fourth quarter of 2017 we discontinued the brine project.

Competitive Strengths

Our principal competitive strengths include the following:

Strong corporate governance standards and international recognition

Our common shares are listed on the Lima Stock Exchange and our ADSs are listed on the New York Stock Exchange. We are subject to the disclosure requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and the Peruvian Securities Commission and we must comply with and adopt internal compliance standards to increase transparency and improve corporate governance standards including an audit committee and appointment of independent directors. Since 2009, every year we have been selected as part of the Good Corporate Governance Index of the Lima Stock Exchange. Furthermore, in 2021, we received the Top Social Responsibility Award (Distintivo de Empresa Socialmente Responsable) for the ninth consecutive year, in recognition of our achievement of corporate goals in a socially responsible manner, principle that is ingrained in our corporate culture and business strategy. Also, we were included for the third consecutive year as part of the 2021 Dow Jones MILA Sustainability Index. This Index is made up of those companies that demonstrate superior performance among their peers under social, environmental and economic criteria. This achievement comes as a result of Pacasmayo’s effort to improve in all of these criteria and to work towards ambitious goals in terms of long-term sustainability. We are committed not only to remain in the Index but to improve our performance, as we are convinced that the focus on sustainability is key to our business and our stakeholders.

In February 2022, we were selected to be part of The Sustainability Yearbook 2022, for the second consecutive year.To appear in the Yearbook, companies must score within the top 15% of their industry globally and have a gap of less than 30% from the leader’s Global ESG score. With around 7,000 companies evaluated around the world, an inclusion in the yearbook is a true statement of excellence in corporate sustainability.

Track record of cash flow generation and strong results through multiple business cycles

We have historically generated strong cash flow and high profit margins mainly due to the following key factors:

Despite the difficulties encountered globally due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were able to recover strongly and generate a record S/453.9 million in EBITDA during 2021, the highest in company history.

This solid financial position and our ability to consistently generate operating cash flow also allows us to obtain relatively low interest rates.

Leader in attractive and expanding market with solid macroeconomic fundamentals

We are currently the only cement manufacturer in the northern region of Peru and we produce and sell substantially all of our cement in the region. In 2020, the northern region accounted for approximately 32.5% of the country’s population and 16.0% of its GDP. From 2017 to 2021, GDP in the northern region increased at a CAGR of 4.5%. During the same period, our cement sales volume grew at a CAGR of 12.4%, above northern region GDP mainly due to increased public spending resulting from the government’s reconstruction plan after El Niño in 2017, and the resilience of the auto-construcción segment, mainly driven by high employment levels in agriculture which is prominent in the North.

Best-in-class operating efficiencies with vertical integration and strong brand recognition

Our quarries are located in close proximity to our plants, enabling us to minimize transportation costs. We strive to enhance our operational efficiency by focusing on lowering costs and improving profitability. We also benefit from our vertically integrated operations, participating in the entire chain of production from the quarries, which we own directly, to the related products such as quicklime, ready–mix, precast and our large distribution network. We have developed one of the largest independent retail distribution networks for construction materials in Peru, known as “DINO,” consisting of 240 independent retailers and 379 hardware stores as of December 31, 2021, primarily small, local stores in the northern region, through which we distribute our cement products, as well as construction materials manufactured by third parties. We use our distribution network, together with our strategically located commercial offices, to promote our products and stay abreast of market developments. We have developed this network through years of fostering relationships with retailers in the region, which we believe would be difficult for a competitor to replicate. Our distribution network has enabled us to build strong recognition for our Pacasmayo brand among retailers and end-consumers in our market, which we believe is important to our business, particularly because our cement is principally sold in bags to retail consumers.

Disciplined capital expenditure plan with attractive risk / return profile

We seek to minimize risk while securing an adequate return on our development projects. In 2015, we completed construction of our new plant in Piura, the third largest city in northern Peru, which has an annual production capacity of 1.6 million metric tons of cement. The first ton of cement from the Piura plant was produced and shipped on September 17, 2015. The Piura plant improves our competitive position in the northern region of Peru. With production from three plants, we are able to serve our market more efficiently. This state-of-the-art plant is one of the most modern in Latin America. It also reduces transportation costs by enabling the dispatching of cement from plants within closer proximity to the point of sale.

During 2021, we decided to invest approximately US$70 million to optimize our current capacity at our Pacasmayo plant, in order to produce an additional estimated 600,000 metric tons of clinker per year. Due to the sudden and sharp increase in demand since the second half of 2020, we have had to import clinker, which negatively affects our margin due to higher cost of production. This optimization, when completed during the second half of 2023, will allow us to stop importing clinker, if demand remains around current levels, as we curently expect.

Emphasis on innovation

We place significant emphasis on research and development to ensure our products meet the needs of consumers in our market and to improve the efficiency of our operations. For example, we have developed cement products suitable to coastal construction that tend to be more exposed to erosion from sulfate. We believe that, by educating retailers and end consumers of these attributes of our products, we have been successful in building demand and realizing higher margins for our differentiated product offering.

In July 2016, we created the Innovation Department with the main objective of systematizing the continuous transformation process of the business in order to ensure a sustainable growth for Cementos Pacasmayo and the improvement of its margins. To achieve this objective it is necessary to:

Given that customers, and consumption patterns can change quickly and unexpectedly we must quickly adapt in order to retain our customers.

In 2019 we worked hard to develop new value propositions, that will enable us to offer our clients the best experiences. We designed Journey Maps together with the commercial and Marketing areas wherein we detailed the experience of our various clients to identify our strengths and those aspects that we need to improve. Under this approach, in 2021 we began to develop (and in some cases) to consolidate our digital platforms:

Strong relationship with local communities

Since we began operations 64 years ago, we have been committed to improving the quality of life of the communities surrounding our plants, whose members we regularly employ. We have developed close and cooperative relationships with the local communities, which are supported by several social responsibility initiatives we have undertaken. For example, the family of our controlling shareholder founded, Asociación Tecsup, a leading non-profit institute in Peru that provides technical education to students as well as UTEC, a leading technical university. We provide scholarships and financial aid to local qualified students interested in studying at Tecsup. Through its three campuses in Peru, as of December 31, 2021, Tecsup had graduated over 12,484 students in various technical fields, some of whom currently work for us and our affiliates.

Highly experienced and professional management and board of directors

Our management team, with an average of 14 years of experience in the cement industry in Peru, has extensive technical and local market expertise and has led our company through our recent growth. We have developed a strong professional business culture and a team of highly qualified executives. We also have a well-regarded and experienced board of directors that includes some of Peru’s business leaders and former senior government officials. Since 2009, we have been selected to form part of the Best Corporate Governance Practices Index of the Lima Stock Exchange, and since 2019 we have been selected as part of the Dow Jones MILA Sustainability Index, for three consecutive years.

Our Strategies

Our objective is to maximize shareholder value, while honoring our commitment to the environment and abiding by our social responsibility goals. We aim to be a leading company that provides building solutions anticipating the needs of our clients and that contributes to the continued development of our country. We intend to achieve our objective through the following principal strategies:

Continue to focus on our core business of supplying the rising demand for cement

We plan to continue to meet the increasing demand for cement in our market, while controlling production costs. We intend to increase our production capacity while we continue to serve the current cement market, as well as increasing cement demand through the production of new cement-based products. Our principal goal is to maintain our market share in the northern region of Peru without reducing the profitability of our business.

Deepen our commercial relationship with retailers and end-consumers

We plan to enhance our commercial relationships with retailers and end-consumers in our market, both to maintain brand loyalty and to foster demand for our cement products. We will continue to support retailers in our DINO distribution network by providing product education, training sessions, rewards programs, and assistance in financing purchases of our products. In addition, we continue with our door-to-door commercial strategy for cement sales. We believe that these initiatives have been successful in strengthening our relationship with retailers and end-consumers.

Continue to focus on being the preferred provider of building solutions

We strive to be the supplier of choice for cement consumers in the northern region of Peru, whether its individuals building their homes or private construction companies or governmental entities undertaking projects of any size. We continue to focus on providing consumers with efficient and customized building solutions for their construction needs. Over the past several years, we have evolved from being a single type cement manufacturer to offering five different types of cement products, under 2 brands, and other building solutions, such as assembly gravity walls, sheet piles, precast beams, among others. Moreover, in 2018 we launched a new corporate image and future vision, transforming ourselves from a cement producer to a building solutions company. We focus on innovation and are constantly searching for ways to improve building practices, inspired by our culture based on sustainability. For example, we offer cement that contains special properties that protect against sulfate erosion, as well as other products designed to meet the needs of consumers in the northern region of Peru. For the industrial segment and under our Pacasmayo professional brand, we continue with the digitalization of the purchasing process and of the use of our products and services. For our mass channel and self-builders we have Mundo Experto, an ecosystem that integrates physical and digital solutions, improves the purchasing experience and contributes to the professionalization and formalization of the construction market. Our mission is to provide a comprehensive solution for all project types and thus respond to the unique needs of each client, generating savings and efficiencies in the construction processes. During 2021,we received a Silver Effie award, in the brand experience category, for “construyexperto.pe”, an online platform created to redesign the foreman´s experience, with training and tools that help them be more efficient. The Effie Awards honor the world’s most effective companies and brands.

Selectively pursue acquisitions

We will continue to evaluate and may selectively pursue strategic acquisitions of cement and complementary businesses that expand our geographic footprint and diversify our portfolio of products. Our management team has significant operating experience and industry knowledge in the production and commercialization of cement and cement-related materials, and we believe this experience will enable us to identify and pursue attractive acquisitions that will maximize shareholder value.

Continue to strengthen our enterprise risk management

We continue to strengthen our enterprise risk management methods and processes that allow us to identify, assess and monitor the legal, commercial, operational, financial and reputational risks, as well as fraud, corruption, bribery and money laundering and financing of terrorism risks, determining the existing controls and establishing a plan along with other areas in order to mitigate existing risks. Along these lines, since 2018, we have implemented the ISO 37001 Anti-bribery management systems obtaining the certification every year since 2019. This certification confirms that our management system are designed to help prevent, detect and respond to bribery and comply with anti-bribery laws and voluntary commitments applicable to its activities. We believe this certification reiterates our commitment to global anti-bribery best practices and high standards of transparency and good corporate governance.

Maintain high environmental, social and governance standards

We are committed to maintaining high environment, social and corporate governance standards. We are focused on developing and strengthening a favorable social environment for the continuity and growth of our operations, prioritizing our social investment in innovative education, health and local development programs in coordination with other stakeholders to contribute to sustainable development. Since 2009, we have been selected as part of the Good Corporate Governance Index of the Lima Stock Exchange. Furthermore, in 2021, we received the Top Social Responsibility Award (Distintivo de Empresa Socialmente Responsable) for the ninth consecutive year, in recognition of our achievement corporate goals in a socially responsible manner, a principle that is ingrained in our corporate culture and business strategy. Furthermore, in 2021 we obtain a special distinction in the Ethics and Integrity category. Also, we were included for the third consecutive year as part of the Dow Jones MILA Sustainability Index. This Index is made up of those companies that demonstrate superior performance among their peers under social, environmental and economic criteria.

In February 2022, we were chosen to be part of The Sustainability Yearbook for the second consecutive year. To appear in the Yearbook, companies must score within the top 15% of their industry globally and have a gap of less than 30% from the leader’s Global ESG score.2021 was the first year that Peruvian companies were included as part of the Yearbook, and we are the only Peruvian cement company to be included for two consecutive years. With around 7,000 companies evaluated around the world, an inclusion in the yearbook is a true statement of excellence in corporate sustainability. This achievement is a recognition of our extraordinary efforts to improve in all of these criteria and to work towards ambitious goals in terms of long-term sustainability. We are committed not only to remain in the Index but to improve our performance, as we are convinced that the focus on sustainability is key to our business and our stakeholders.

Likewise, in 2021 we were recognized with first place in the category “Leading Company in Corporate Governance Peru” and second place in the category “Leading Company in Investor Relations Peru” in the “ALAS 20-Agenda Sustainable Leaders” award, organized by GOVERNART in Peru and other countries in the region.

Our Products

Our core products are cement and other cement-related materials. We also produce quicklime. In 2021, cement, concrete and precast accounted for 92.1% of our net sales and quicklime accounted for 2.0%. We also sell and distribute construction materials, such as steel rebar, cables and pipes, manufactured by large third-party manufacturing companies, and others which in 2020 represented 5.8% of our net sales.

The following table sets forth a breakdown of our shipments by type of product for the periods indicated:

The following table sets forth a breakdown of our total net sales by product for the periods indicated:

Cement

Cement is a powdered mixture of ground minerals that, when mixed with water, adheres to other materials and hardens to form a rock-like substance. Cement is generally mixed with other materials, such as gravel and sand, forming concrete with a high degree of compressive strength that is able to withstand substantial pressure.

Cement types are generally classified as either Portland cement or blended hydraulic cement. Portland cement is a hydraulic cement produced by pulverizing clinker, consisting essentially of crystalline hydraulic calcium silicates and calcium sulfate. Blended hydraulic cement consists of a mixture of Portland cement clinker and mineral admixtures, such as blast furnace slag, pozzolanic materials and limestone.

We produce predominantly blended cement, which represented 82.3% of our cement sales in 2021. This type of cement requires less clinker and reduces carbon dioxide emissions of our operations and production. Our global clinker/cement ratio is estimated at 72%, below the average value for similar producers globally of approximately 76%

We produce a range of cement products suitable for various uses, such as residential and commercial construction and civil engineering. We currently offer the following six types of cement products designed for specific uses:

We believe that our Type V, Fortimax and HS cement products are particularly suitable for construction in the northern coastal region of Peru, where sulfate and chloride concentrations from soil, ground water and sea water affect the durability of construction structures. By educating retailers about the different cement characteristics and conducting marketing campaigns, we believe we have been successful in building demand for our cement products. Our research and development department is also equipped to produce custom-tailored cement products on demand. In addition, through our dedicated team of geologists and scientists, we have significantly reduced the amount of clinker required for cement production minimizing our capital expenditures and significantly reducing our carbon dioxide emissions (CO2).

We market and distribute our cement primarily in 42.5 kilogram bags. Most of our bagged cement is sold to the retail sector consisting primarily of households that buy bags of cement to build or expand their own homes over time with little or no formal technical assistance (commonly referred to as auto-construcción). The bags are made of Kraft paper to preserve the quality of the cement. Our bags include information relating to the composition of our cement, handling instructions, production dates and storage instructions. Our cement bags have different colors to easily identify the different types of cement. Once bagged at our Pacasmayo, Rioja and Piura facilities, our cement is loaded onto trucks operated by third parties. Cement in bulk is sold to large industrial consumers.

Concrete Products

We also produce and sell concrete products principally in the form of ready-mix concrete used in large construction sites, as well as precast, bricks, pavers and other precast materials.

Quicklime

We produce and distribute quicklime, which has several industrial uses. Quicklime serves as a neutralizer, lubricant, drying and absorbing material, disinfectant, and as a raw material. Quicklime has various applications, including in the steel, food, fishing and chemical industries. It is also used in mining operations to treat water and industrial residues, in agriculture as a fertilizer enhancer and, to a lesser extent, in other industries. In Peru, quicklime is mainly used in the mining industry, as an additive to treat water residues. We produce quicklime in finely and coarsely ground varieties and sell it either in bags of one metric ton or in bulk, according to clients’ requirement.

Production Process

Cement Production Process

The diagram below depicts the standard cement production process, which consists of the following main stages:

Extraction of raw materials. To produce cement, limestone/seashells are extracted from our quarries. We use explosives to loosen the limestone and deploy bulldozers to remove dirt and the overburden covering the limestone. We crush the limestone in our primary and secondary cone crusher and the resulting limestone is loaded into trucks and hauled to our Pacasmayo or Rioja facilities from the adjacent quarry where it is stored. In the case of Piura, our surface miner drills out our seashell quarry and then it is also loaded into trucks and hauled to the Piura plant.

Grinding and homogenization. Limestone/seashells, clay and sand are mixed with iron that is acquired from third parties. The quality of the resulting raw meal is monitored by examining samples of each batch and processing them through our quality control x-ray software that automatically measures the mix of materials to confirm the blend is in compliance with our quality standards. Subsequently, the raw meal is sent to a blending silo and then to a storage silo from where it is fed into the pre-heater.

Clinkerization. The raw meal is heated at a temperature of approximately 1,450 degrees Celsius in our kilns. The intense heat causes the limestone and other materials in the mixture to react inside the kiln, turning the mixture into clinker. Clinker is then cooled to a temperature of approximately 200 degrees Celsius and stored in a silo or in an outdoor yard.

Cement grinding. After being cooled, clinker, together with gypsum and some admixtures, is fed into a ball mill or into a vertical roller mill where it is ground into a fine powder to produce cement. In this form, cement reacts as a binding agent that, when mixed with water, sand, stone and other aggregates, is transformed into concrete or mortar.

Storage in silos. After passing through the ball mills, the cement is transferred on conveyor belts and stored in concrete silos in order to preserve its quality until distribution.

Packaging, loading and transport. Cement is transferred through another conveyor belt from the silo to be packaged in 42.5 kilogram bags and then loaded into trucks operated by third parties to be transported for distribution. Bulk cement may be transported (unpackaged) on especially designed trucks that deliver large amounts of cement directly to the work site.

Quicklime Production Process

Quicklime is produced by crushing limestone with a calcium carbonate content of at least 95% by calcinating it in a rotary kiln. The limestone for quicklime comes from our quarries. The crushing of the limestone is done at the quarry and the calcination process takes place only at our Pacasmayo facility. We produce quicklime in finely and coarsely ground varieties and sell both varieties in bags of 40 kilograms and up to one metric ton, as well as in bulk.

Raw Materials and Energy Sources

Limestone and Other Calcareous Resources

We obtain limestone required to produce clinker and quicklime principally from land where we have concession rights. For our Pacasmayo plant, we extract limestone from our Acumulación Tembladera quarry located approximately 60 kilometers from the plant, and for our Rioja plant, we extract limestone from our Calizas Tioyacu quarry which is adjacent to our Rioja plant. For our Piura plant, we extract seashells from Virrilá quarry, located approximately 120 kilometers from the plant.

Acumulación Tembladera. We have a concession with an indefinite term to extract limestone and other minerals from our Acumulación Tembladera quarry, a 3,390 hectare open-pit mine located in the district of Yonan, in the department of Cajamarca. We acquired this concession in November 2002.

Calizas Tioyacu. For our Rioja production, we have a concession with an indefinite term to extract limestone and other minerals from a 400 hectare open-pit mine near our Rioja facility in the district of Elias Soplin Vargas, in the department of San Martín. We acquired this concession in February 1998.

Virrilá. For our Piura production, we also have a group of concessions with an indefinite term to extract seashells and other minerals from our Virrilá quarry, a 931 hectare open-pit mine located in the district of Sechura, in the department of Piura. We acquired these concessions between 2000 and 2008.

In addition to our Acumulación Tembladera, Calizas Tioyacu, Bayovar 4 and Virrilá quarries, we also own concession rights to various other calcareous material quarries consisting, in total, of approximately 40,767 hectares located in the northern region of Peru. None of these quarries are in operation as of the date of this annual report.

Clay, Sand and Other Raw Materials and Admixtures

The other raw materials that we use to produce clinker are clay, sand, iron and diatomite.

Clay

For cement production in our Pacasmayo facility, we extract clay from our Cerro Pintura quarry, a 400 hectare open-pit concession located in the district and province of Pacasmayo, department of La Libertad. We were granted this concession by the MEM in 1996. The term of the concession is indefinite, provided we pay an annual concession fee and meet minimum annual production requirements.

For cement production in our Rioja facility, we extract clay from our Pajonal quarry, a 400 hectares open-pit concession located in the district and province of Rioja, department of San Martin. This concession was granted to us by the MEM in 1998. The term of the concession is indefinite, provided we pay an annual concession fee and meet minimum annual production requirements.

We have not calculated our clay reserves, as we believe there is an abundant supply of clay in our concessions and more broadly in the northern region where we operate.

Sand

For cement production in our Pacasmayo facility, we use sand extracted from our Cerro Pintura quarry. Our Rioja facility does not utilize sand as a raw material given the type of cement it produces.

We have not calculated our sand reserves, as we believe there is an abundant supply of sand in our concessions and more broadly in the northern region where we operate.

Iron

We use small quantities of iron in our cement production, which we purchase from third parties at market prices.

Pozzolanic Materials and Other Admixtures

Our cement production also requires small amounts of other admixtures, such as pozzolanic materials, gypsum and blast furnace slag.

For cement production in our Pacasmayo facility, we use pozzolanic materials obtained from our Cunyac quarry, a 200 hectare open-pit concession located in the district of Sexi, province of Santa Cruz, department of Cajamarca. The concession was granted to us by the MEM in 2008. The term of the concession is indefinite, provided we pay an annual concession fee and meet minimum annual production requirements.

For cement production in our Rioja facility, we use pozzolanic materials obtained from our Fila Larga quarry, a 1,000 hectare open-pit concession located in the district of El Milagro, province of Utcubamba, department of Amazonas. The concession was granted to us by the MEM in 1998.

We also own several other concessions containing pozzolanic material which have not been exploited. In addition, our use of pozzolanic materials may be substituted with clinker or other admixtures. Other admixtures, such as gypsum and blast furnace slag, are purchased at market prices from third-party suppliers. If we are unable to acquire raw materials or admixtures from current suppliers, we believe that other sources of raw materials and admixtures would be available without significant interruption to our business.

Energy Sources

Our main energy sources are fuel in the form of coal and electricity. Our production processes consume significant amounts of energy, because our kilns must reach extreme temperatures to produce clinker and quicklime. In addition, milling operations, homogenization and transportation of materials consume significant amounts of energy.

Coal

We purchase mostly anthracite coal from local suppliers and import small amounts of bituminous coal from suppliers mainly in Colombia, in each case at spot market prices. Anthracite coal tends to be less expensive than bituminous coal. We store coal at our premises and in our warehouse facility adjacent to the Salaverry port, located approximately 130 kilometers south of our Pacasmayo facility, where we have sufficient stock of coal to maintain our production levels for the next year.

In December 2009 and February 2010, we entered into option agreements to acquire coal mining concessions as a means to secure a steady and reliable source for our coal requirements and to reduce the volatility in costs related to coal. In 2011, we exercised certain options under these agreements to acquire coal mining concessions for 908.5 hectares near our Pacasmayo facility for a total purchase price of US$4.5 million. In 2013, we exercised our remaining options to purchase an additional coal mining concession for 501.2 hectares for US$1.0 million, thereby completing the acquisition of the related coal mining concessions.

Electricity

As of December 31, 2021, all of the electricity requirements for our Pacasmayo and Piura facilities were supplied by Electroperú and for our Rioja facility by ELOR.

We have a long-term electricity supply contract with Electroperú currently valid until 2026. Electroperú has agreed to provide us with sufficient energy to operate our Pacasmayo and Piura facilities at pre-determined maximum amounts during the term of the contract. Payments for electricity are based on a formula that takes into consideration our energy consumption and certain market variables, such as the U.S. purchase price index, the global price of oil, the local price of natural gas and the import price of bituminous coal.

In addition, we have a medium-term electricity supply contract with ELOR to supply the Rioja facility, which was recently extended until November 2022. ELOR supplies the Rioja facility with six megawatts of electricity at peak hours and eight megawatts at non-peak hours. Payments for electricity are based on a formula that takes into consideration our energy consumption and certain market variables, such as the U.S. dollar price, the local price of natural gas, the global price of oil and the import price of bituminous coal.

Other Production Materials

We use other materials in the cement production process, including paper bags to package cement, which we purchase principally from local suppliers; plastic bags used to package quicklime, which we purchase from local suppliers; and water to cool the kiln exhaust gases and for our crushing operations at our Acumulación Tembladera quarry, which we obtain principally from a well located at our Pacasmayo facility and from the Jequetepeque river. Water used in our production process is maintained in a closed system at our plants and re-processed for utilization in our production process.

Consumer Base

The retail cement sector in Peru is characterized by households that purchase single bags of cement to gradually build or improve their homes with little or no professional assistance. This sector is known as auto-construcción. Families in this sector tend to invest a large portion of their savings in building or improving their own homes. Auto-construcción is often conducted with the help of a foreman (maestro de obra) who generally has experience in construction. Our retail marketing plans typically target the maestro de obra who is usually the decision maker when buying cement and other related construction materials.

We also sell directly to small, medium and large private construction companies working on a variety of construction projects, from housing complexes to commercial developments. In the public sector, we provide cement for national, regional and local governments carrying out construction projects including housing complexes and public construction, ranging from local schools and hospitals to large infrastructure.

Sales and Distribution

Distribution

Our market extends from the Ecuadorian border in the north of Peru to the city of Barranca in the south (approximately 180 kilometers north of Lima), to the rainforest in the east and the Pacific Ocean in the west. Our market covers the provinces of Amazonas, Cajamarca, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Piura and Tumbes in the north; and San Martín and Loreto in the northeast.

Our Pacasmayo, Piura and Rioja facilities supply the entire northern region of Peru, interchangeably subject to where it is most efficient to ship from at the moment, depending on the distance and type of cement being produced, among other factors.

In 2021, approximately 88.6% of our total cement shipments were in the form of bagged cement, substantially all of which was sold through retailers both within and outside of our distribution network. The remaining 11.4% of our cement was sold in bulk or in shipments of precast products or ready-mix concrete directly to large construction companies.

We have developed one of the largest independent retail distribution networks for construction materials in Peru, consisting of more than 379 local hardware stores, with which we have a distribution agreement. In addition, we also distribute to other independent retailers located throughout the northern region of Peru with whom we do not have contractual relationships. We have built our distribution network by investing in strengthening our relationship with retailers.

Even though our ready mix sales are still a small proportion of our sales, we expect this trend to change as infrastructure becomes a bigger driver of demand in the upcoming years. Additionally, we sell and distribute other construction materials manufactured by third parties that are used alongside cement, such as steel rebar, plastic pipes and electrical wires, among others.

Marketing and Brand Awareness

We use our distribution network, together with our strategically located local commercial offices, to promote our products and brands, as well as to keep us informed of market developments. We believe our distribution network has enabled us to build strong recognition for our Pacasmayo brand among maestros de obra, retailers and end consumers which we believe is important to our business, particularly because our cement is principally sold in bags to retail consumers.

Our marketing expenses in 2021 were approximately S/5.6 million, or 0.3% of our sales. Historically, our marketing strategy has been to develop brand loyalty by providing high-quality products, tailored to the needs of our customers, and customer service accompanied by complimentary training for the maestros de obra, who are typically the decision makers in the auto-construcción segment.

We develop strong ties with our distributors by promoting income generating opportunities for them. For instance, we give them priority when hiring transportation to distribute our cement throughout our territory. Also, our large salesforce has the ability to cover most of the construction sites in northern Peru generating business opportunities that are then channeled through our distributors. Finally, our distributors enjoy various commercial and marketing benefits such as rebates, special promotions, special credit conditions, and loyalty programs.

We have been working consistently in recent years to focus time and attention on our client’s needs, in an effort to go beyond just selling cement and its byproducts, to providing solutions and innovating. Consequently, we were well-positioned to leverage these initiatives during the ongoing pandemic period. The self-construction segment has been the primary driver behind the growth in volume sales during 2021. We have focused on several fronts to enhance the customer experience and to facilitate access to our solutions. We have developed Mundo Experto, which is a virtual ecosystem made up of digital solutions that serves to join supply and demand and offers a superior purchasing experience leveraged on intensive use of technology to generate more value for our users. The digital solutions are targeted and customized for the different users, such as foremen, hardware stores, and the self-builder.

Quality Control

In Peru, cement production is subject to standardization (normalización) regulations approved by the National Institute for the Protection of Competition and Intellectual Property (Instituto Nacional de Defensa de la Competencia y de la Protección de la Propiedad Intelectual, or “INDECOPI”). Although the standardization regulations are not mandatory, they are useful in achieving an optimum level of management. As of the date of this annual report, we comply with all standardization regulations applicable to our products.

We have established a quality assurance program in accordance with ISO Standard 9001-2008, certified by SGS del Perú S.A.C., a company that provides inspection, verification, testing and certification services. We monitor quality at every stage of the cement production process. In our facilities, we periodically test the quality of our raw materials. These tests include chemical, physical and x-ray tests. We perform similar examinations of the clinker we produce. Additionally, we also perform regular quality tests on our finished products.

We have a quality control area with computerized systems to access real-time information on the quality of our products. As part of our quality control process, we monitor the performance of our different cement products, monitor the performance of additives in our cement and review monthly statistical analysis on the resistance of cement, among other things.

Competitive Position

Peru’s cement production is segmented into three main geographic regions: the northern region, the central region, including Lima’s metropolitan area, and the southern region. We are the only cement manufacturer in the northern region of Peru. The central region is principally served by UNACEM (formerly known as Cementos Lima and Cemento Andino), some imports, Caliza Cemento Inca and Mixercon. The south is principally served by Cementos Yura and Cementos Sur. In 2021, our cement shipments were approximately 3.6 million metric tons, representing an estimated 26.8% share of total cement shipments in Peru.

Regulatory Matters

Overview

Although our core business is the production of cement, we hold a number of mining concessions granted by the Peruvian government for the supply of limestone and other raw materials required for cement production. As a result, we are subject both to the mining and the general industrial legal framework in Peru. The regulatory framework applicable to our cement production may be divided into rules and regulations relating to (i) the mining and crushing of limestone and clay, and (ii) the production process.

Mining Regulations

The General Mining Law (Texto Único Ordenado de la Ley General de la Minería) approved by Supreme Decree No. 014-92-EM, published in the Peruvian Official Gazette, El Peruano, on June 3, 1992, is the primary law governing both metallic and non-metallic mining activities in Peru and is supplemented by implementing guidelines and policies regarding mining and the processing of minerals enacted by the MEM. Under the General Mining Law, mining activities (except storage, reconnaissance, prospecting and trade) are carried out exclusively through various forms of concessions. Mining concessions are granted by the Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Institute (Instituto Geológico Minero y Metalúrgico, or “INGEMMET”), and all other concessions, including our mineral processing concessions, are granted by the Directorate General for Mining of the MEM. Any act, transfer, termination or agreement related to these concessions must be registered with the Mining Rights Registry, which is part of the National Public Registry System, to be effective against the Peruvian government and third parties.

Holders of concessions or mining claims must comply with several obligations, including the payment of an annual concession fee (derecho de vigencia) of US$3.00 per applicable hectare. The annual concession fee is due and payable on or prior to June 30 of each year. Failure to pay the annual concession fee for two consecutive years will result in the termination of the mining concession.

Mining activities require holders to obtain title to the surface land from individual landowners, peasant communities or the Peruvian government. Mining concessions are granted for an unlimited period, subject to the achievement of minimum annual production levels. Two different regimes apply depending on the date the concession was granted:

Under Legislative Decree 1320 and Supreme Decree No. 011-2017-EM, since January 1, 2019, if the annual minimum production or investment has not been met, the annual penalty and the causes to terminate a mining concession will be determined by the General Mining Law for all concessions, as described below.

For concessions granted until 2008, the following rules apply:

Any penalty must be paid prior to June 30 of each year. Failure to pay the penalty for two consecutive years results in the termination of the mining concession.

Since January 1, 2020, these penalties will be applied for concessions granted in 2009 and thereafter.

The foregoing penalties and fines are not applicable to mining concessions granted by the government through private investment promotion initiatives, which will be subject to the minimum production and investment levels set forth in such contracts.

In addition to the payment of the annual concession fee and the penalty, holders of mining concessions must, pursuant to the Mining Royalty Law, pay a royalty for the exploitation of metallic and non-metallic resources. Prior to the amendment of the Mining Royalty Law described below, the amount of the royalty was determined on a monthly basis. For those minerals with an international market price (gold, silver, copper, zinc, lead and tin), the amounts were computed by applying the rates to the value of the concentrate or its equivalent, according to the applicable international market price. The historic rate scales were established in the Mining Royalty Law’s regulations as shown in the following table:

In case of minerals without an international reference market price (minerals other than gold, silver, copper, zinc, lead and tin), the mining royalty amounted to 1% of the value of the final product obtained from the mineral separation process, net of any costs incurred in the mineral separation process (componente minero).

However, the Mining Royalty Law was amended on September 29, 2011 to increase the tax payable on metallic and non-metallic mineral resources. Effective October 1, 2011, the royalty for the exploitation of metallic and non-metallic resources is payable on a quarterly basis in an amount equal to the greater of (i) an amount determined in accordance with the following statutory scale of tax rates based on a company’s operating profit margin and applied to the company’s operating profit, as adjusted by certain non-deductible expenses, and (ii) 1% of a company’s net sales, in each case, during the applicable quarter. The royalty rate applied to the company’s operating profit is based on its operating profit margin according to the following statutory scale of rates:

Mining royalty payments will be deductible for income tax purposes in the fiscal year in which such payments are made.

We believed that certain portions of the regulations of the Mining Royalty Law were unconstitutional, because they impose a mining royalty tax on non-mining activities. For instance, for cement companies, the amended Mining Royalty Law and its regulations established that the mining royalty tax was calculated based on the total operating profit or net sales, as opposed to operating profit or net sales attributable exclusively to mining products, such as limestone, used to produce cement. Accordingly, in December 2011, we filed a claim to declare that the mining royalty tax applicable for the exploitation of non-metallic mining resources be calculated based on the value of the final product obtained from the mineral separation process, net of any costs incurred in the mineral separation process (“componente minero”).

In November 2013, the Peruvian Constitutional Court affirmed the constitutional challenge we filed against the new regulation of the Mining Royalty Law, in a final and unappealable ruling, on the grounds that the new regulation violates the constitutional right of property, as well as the principles of legal reserve and proportionality. Therefore, the new regulation is rendered inapplicable to our operation. As a result, we will continue to use as a basis for the calculation of the mining royalty the value of the concentrate or mining component, and not the value of the product obtained from the industrial or manufacturing process.

Finally, holders of mining concessions are required at the beginning of their operations to submit a mining closure plan that must contain a description of the steps to restore the areas and facilities of each mining operation area to pre-mining condition. Holders of mining concessions are required to secure completion of the restorative measures by means of the following guarantees: (i) banking guarantee or credit insurance; (ii) cash guarantees; (iii) trusts; or (iv) those indicated in the Peruvian Civil Code.

In August 2021, Law 31347 was approved. This Law amended the Mine Closure Law (Law 28090), specifying aspects such as administrative and oversight powers, the opportunity for presentation and approval of applicable guarantees and periodic reports to be presented to various authorities, among others.

As of the date of this annual report, we primarily owned non-metallic mining concessions and limited metallic mining concessions with respect to iron. Substantially all of our concessions were granted prior to 2008. Our mining rights and concessions are in full force and effect under applicable Peruvian laws. We believe that we are in compliance in all material respects with the terms and requirements applicable to our mining rights and concessions.

Production Process

The cement production process along with other manufacturing activities are governed by General Industry Law (Ley General de Industrias), Law No. 23407, published in El Peruano on May 29, 1982, which establishes basic rules that promote and regulate activities in the manufacturing industry. The Ministry of Production is vested with authority to promote private investments in connection with industrial, processing and manufacturing activities, the surveillance of sustainable exploitation of natural resources (except for those extractive activities involving primary transformation of natural products), the protection of the environment, and the supervision of the quality of manufactured products. All industrial companies are subject to the General Industry Law and its regulations to the extent that the company’s gross income is primarily derived from industrial activities. Pursuant to Supreme Decree No. 009-2011-MINAM, the supervisory and monitoring functions of the Ministry of Production were transferred to the OEFA in 2013.

Technical Regulation on Hydraulic Cement

On January 21, 2022, the Government published the Supreme Decree No. 1-2022-PRODUCE, which approves the Technical Regulation on Hydraulic Cement Used in Buildings and Constructions in General, allowing the verification of compliance with the minimum safety requirements of cement and preventing and minimizing possible material damage as well as possible losses of human lives. The Regulation will enter into force 6 months after its publication, a period in which all the parties involved (public entities, national manufacturers, importers, laboratories, chain of supply, among others) must adapt their protocols to comply with the provisions contained therein.

This regulation was enacted to correct and avoid possible unfair competition practices, considering that the commercialization of cement that do not meet the minimum safety requirements generates negative effects on those manufacturers and importers that bear the costs for the implementation of the minimum product safety requirements; which creates an imbalance in market competition.

Additionally, the inadequate storage of cement makes cement to lose its physical and chemical properties. The commercialization of such products -that do not meet the minimum requirements of security- produces negative effects on final consumers and prevents them from acquiring safe cement. In case of imports, well-managed cement has a useful life of up to three months but if transported in unsuitable conditions it can be damaged.

Environmental Regulations

Industrial companies and particularly cement companies are required to comply with several environmental regulations. Pursuant to Article 50 of Legislative Decree No. 757, the competent environmental authority is that corresponding to the activity of the company which generates the higher gross annual income. For that reason, the environmental authority that monitors our operations, considering that cement production represents the highest proportion of our gross profit, is the Ministry of Production.

The Environmental Regulations for Manufacturing Industries (Reglamento de Protección Ambiental para el Desarrollo de Actividades de la Industria Manufacturera—Supreme Decree No. 019-97-ITINCI, or the “Environmental Regulations”), set forth different environmental obligations depending on the date of commencement of the subject company’s industrial activities. Thus, companies with industrial cement activities operational at the time these regulations entered into force (September 1997) were obliged to submit an Environmental Adaptation Management Plan (Programa de Adecuación y Manejo Ambiental, or “PAMA”) to the Ministry of Production; while companies with industrial activities starting from that date onwards are obliged to submit either an environmental impact assessment or an environmental impact declaration depending on the level of risk and the impact of their activities on the environment. Furthermore, the Environmental Regulations establish that the Ministry of Production may require a mining closure plan (as an independent environmental assessment) with environmental measures that all companies must comply with before closing their operations to prevent any negative effects on the environment.

With regard to air emissions and wastewater discharges, the Ministry of Production has adopted legally binding environmental quality standards (Limites Máximos Permisibles, or “LMPs”) for cement industries (approved by Supreme Decree No. 001-2020-MINAM). These standards are legally enforceable and all cement industry operations are required to comply with them.

A violation of the Environmental Regulations is subject to different types of administrative sanctions, as determined in the Environmental Sanctions Regime of the Ministry of Production (Régimen de Sanciones e Incentivos del Reglamento de Protección Ambiental para el Desarrollo de Actividades de la Industria Manufacturera—Supreme Decree No. 025-2001-ITINCI), including warnings notices; fines of up to 600 UIT (S/2,640,000); restrictions, suspensions or cancellation of the authorization or concession; and total or partial closing of the industrial facilities. The type of sanction imposed ultimately depends on the seriousness of the violation. Although the environmental competent authority for industrial activities is the Ministry of Production, other government agencies may impose fines in case of non-compliance with applicable permits.

By Directing Council Resolution No. 023-2013-OEFA/CD, of the Organismo de Evaluación y Fiscalización Ambiental (the Environmental Monitoring and Enforcement Agency or “OEFA”), OEFA assumes the functions of monitoring, supervision, control and sanctioning of environmental matters in the Cement Sector of the Manufacturing Industry, of the Industrial Subsector of the Ministry of Production - PRODUCE.

In 2016, by Ministerial Resolution No. 201-2016-MINAM, the “National Protocol of Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems – CEMS” was approved. Its objective is to standardize the process of continuous monitoring of polluting gases and particles emitted into the atmosphere by manufacturing activities. It establishes the technical criteria for the selection of continuous monitoring methodologies, as well as the location of the monitoring points, the operation of the equipment and the calibration tests required for the assurance of the quality of the measurements.

By Ministerial Resolution No. 191-2016-MINAM, the “National Plan for the Integral Management of Solid Waste - PLANRES 2016-2024” was approved. It establishes among other things, obligations to managers regarding the management of non-municipal solid waste, as well as the modification of the environmental studies in case it is planned to carry out co-processing.

On January 25, 2022, Supreme Decree No. 003-2022-MINAM was published, declaring the climate emergency of national interest and providing guidelines and priority actions for mitigation and adaptation to climate change.

Prior Consultation with Local Indigenous Communities

On September 7, 2011, Peru enacted Law No. 29785, Prior Consultation Right of Local Indigenous Communities. The law was enacted in order to implement Convention No. 169 of the International Labor Organization on Local Indigenous Communities in Independent Countries, previously ratified by Peru through Legislative Decree No. 26253. This law, which became effective on December 6, 2011, establishes a prior consultation procedure to be undertaken by the Peruvian government in favor of local indigenous communities, whose collective rights may be directly affected by new legislative or administrative measures, including the granting of new mining concessions. A regulation implementing this law was approved on April 3, 2012, by Supreme Decree No. 001-2012-MC, which defines the local indigenous communities that are entitled to the prior consultation rights and establishes the different stages that comprise the prior consultation procedure.

Consultation procedures for mining and processing concessions are carried out by the MEM prior to the granting of a new processing concession.

According to the recent practice of the Geologic Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (Instituto Geológico Minero Metalúrgico), the granting of mining concessions does not qualify as an “administrative measure” that potentially affects the rights of indigenous people because it does not grant per se a right to explore and exploit mineral deposits. Accordingly, the granting of mining concessions has not been included among measures that require consultation procedures with indigenous people. According to Ministerial Resolution No. 003-2013-MEM-DM, the MEM has established that consultation procedures are applicable prior to the commencement of: (i) exploration activities (Autorización de inicio de actividades de exploración); (ii) exploitation activities (Autorización de inicio o reinicio de las actividades de desarrollo, preparación y explotación - incluye plan de minado y botaderos); and (iii) processing concessions (otorgamiento de concesión de beneficio).

Local indigenous communities do not have a veto right; upon completion of this prior consultation procedure, the Peruvian government can discretionarily approve or reject the applicable legislative or administrative measure. In addition, any sale, lease or other act of disposal of surface land owned by local indigenous communities is subject to the approval of an assembly composed of the members of such communities according to the following rules:

Permits and Licenses

Mining Concessions

According to the General Mining Law, a mining concession is required in order to extract mineral resources needed to produce cement. The mining concession grants the right to explore and exploit the mineral resources located in a solid of indefinite depth, limited by the vertical plane corresponding to the sides of square, rectangle or polygon referred to by the Universal Transversal Mercator coordinates. The Geological Mining and Metallurgical Institute (Instituto Geológico Minero y Metalúrgico) is in charge of managing the procedure of granting mining concessions, which includes the receipt of the request, the granting and the termination of mining concessions.

Explosives.

Mining concessionaires are required to obtain the following permits to operate and store explosives:

Water and Wastewaters

To use water resources in cement industry activities, it is necessary to obtain a water right granted by the Water Management Authority (Autoridad Nacional del Agua, or “ANA”) prior to the use of underground or fresh water sources. If the proposed activities will generate domestic or industrial wastewaters, which will be discharged into natural water sources or soil, authorization from ANA is required, with a favorable opinion of the General Bureau of Environmental Health (Dirección General de Salud Ambiental, or “DIGESA”).

Hazardous Waste

Hazardous waste generated as a consequence of cement production activities must be disposed of in specialized landfills. The transportation of solid waste outside the limits of the industrial complex must be conducted exclusively through specialized companies registered with DIGESA and MINAM. Industries are free to contract with an EO-RS (a company that provides solid waste services such as transportation, treatment or disposal) or with an EC-RS (a company that carries out commercialization activities aiming at the reuse of solid waste). Yet in order to limit their liability in case of environmental harm, industries must make sure the EO-RS and EC-RS they retain count with all necessary permits to collect, transport and dispose hazardous wastes.

Chemical Feedstock

The commercialization, transportation and use of controlled chemical feedstock (Insumos Químicos y Productos Fiscalizados, or “IQPF”) is restricted, because of their potential use in the production of illegal drugs or controlled substances. Companies that require an IQPF must obtain an IQPF User Certificate (Certificado de Usuario de IQPF) from the General Bureau of Chemical Feedstock of the Ministry of Interior (Unidad Antidrogas de la Policía Nacional del Perú, or “DIRANDRO”). Companies such as ours are also required to register with the Ministry of Production any IQPF activities they plan to carry out (Registro Único para el Control de IQPF).

Fuel Storage

Any company that purchases fuels for its own activities and has facilities to receive and store fuel with a minimum capacity of one meter cubed (264.170 gallons) is required to (i) receive from the Mining and Energy Investment Supervision Body (Organismo Supervisor de la Inversión en Energía y Minería, or “OSINERGMIN”) prior permission to build and operate said installations, and (ii) be registered with the Registry of Direct Fuel Consumers, in order to obtain the SCOP Code (Código del Sistema de Control de Órdenes de Pedido) necessary to purchase fuel.

Cultural Heritage Protection

If the design and development of cement industry activities involves the removal of topsoil, a Certificate of Non-Existence of Archaeological Ruins (Certificado de Inexistencia de Restos Arqueológicos, or “CIRA”) from the Ministry of Culture (Ministerio de Cultura) with respect to the area under construction must be obtained. The CIRA will either certify that on the surface of the evaluated area no archaeological sites or features were discovered, or will identify their exact location and extent in order to implement precautionary measures to protect the archaeological artifact. The CIRA is valid for an unlimited period, but will become void should any archaeological artifacts be accidentally discovered during the construction works or due to any natural cause. In such an instance, the company must stop the construction work immediately and notify the Ministry of Culture. Failure to stop the construction work may generate civil and criminal liabilities. Under certain exceptional circumstances, Peruvian legislation allows the removal of archeological artifacts when the area is required for development of projects that are of national interest.

Labor Regulations

Peruvian legislation allows hiring employees through: (i) a fixed-term contract, (ii) a contract for an indefinite duration; or (iii) a contract for part-time employment.

The minimum wage established in Peru is S/1,025 per month. Peruvian labor legislation establishes a maximum 8-hour work day or 48 hours per week for employees older than 18 years. For overtime, employers must pay at least an additional 25% and an additional 35% over the regular hourly wage for the first two hours and for any additional hours, respectively. Employees are entitled to a minimum rest of 24 consecutive hours per week.

Regardless of the type of employment contract, pursuant to Peruvian law full-time employees are entitled to receive:

(i) an additional 10% of the minimum wage, provided that they are responsible for (a) one or more children under the age of 18 or (b) persons who are up to 24 years of age if they are pursuing higher education,

(ii) two additional months’ salary per year, one in July and one in December (pursuant to Law No. 29351, said payments were not subject to any social contribution, except for Income Tax; consequently, until December 2015, employers paid directly to their employees as an Extraordinary Bonus, the amount of the contribution to the Social Health Insurance (ESSALUD) for such payments, equivalent to 9% of the bonus paid),

(iii) thirty calendar days of annual paid vacation per year,

(iv) life insurance, since the first day at work,

(v) a compensation for years of service (CTS) equal to 1.16% of a monthly salary and is deposited each year in May and November, provided they work an average of at least four hours per day for the same employer,

(vi) benefits from the Peruvian Social Health Insurance (ESSALUD) to which employers must contribute a rate equivalent to 9% of their employees’ income, and

(vii) a percentage of the company’s annual income net of taxes (10% in the case of income derived from industrial cement operations, and 8% in the case of income derived from our mining or commercial activities), provided the company has twenty or more employees.

On June 25, 2021, Law 31246 was published, which modified the current Law on Safety and Health at Work, to guarantee the right of workers to safety and health at work in the face of epidemiological and health risk.

Free and Fair Competition Protection

In Peru, businesses are generally not required to receive the prior authorization of the antitrust authority, which in Peru is INDECOPI. However, in order to promote economic efficiency and protect consumers, anti-competitive behavior is subject to sanctions under applicable law. Behavior that is prohibited according to national law includes: (i) the abuse of a dominant market position, (ii) concerted horizontal practices and (iii) concerted vertical practices. Moreover, under the Unfair Competition Law it is illegal to act in a way that may hinder the competitive process. An unfair behavior is one that is objectively contrary to the entrepreneurial good faith, ethical behavior and efficiency in a market economy.

On January 7, 2021, Law No. 31112, Law that establishes the Prior Control of Business Concentration Operations (the “Law”), was published in the Official Gazette “El Peruano”, which entered into force on June 14, 2021, together with its Regulations, approved by Supreme Decree No. 039-2021-PCM. This Law establishes a system of prior control of business concentration operations in order to promote effective competition and economic efficiency in the markets for the welfare of consumers.

C. Organizational Structure

Cementos Pacasmayo S.A.A. is part of the Hochschild Group. As of March 31, 2022, Eduardo Hochschild, directly and indirectly, owned and controlled 38.32% of the shares of Hochschild Mining plc. Through ASPI, as of that same date Eduardo Hochschild, directly and indirectly, owned and controlled 50.01% of the outstanding common shares of Cementos Pacasmayo.

All of our operating subsidiaries are incorporated in Peru. The following chart sets forth our simplified corporate structure, operating subsidiaries only, as of the date of this annual report.

The following is a brief description of the principal activities of our consolidated subsidiaries.

Other immaterial, non-operating subsidiaries

D. Property, Plant and Equipment

Properties

We own our headquarters office in Lima, Peru, at Calle La Colonia 150, Urbanización El Vivero, Surco. We also own our plants, warehouses, transportation facilities and the office space at our production facilities, including our workers’ facilities occupying approximately 50,000 square meters at our Pacasmayo facility and a warehouse occupying approximately 25,000 square meters at the Salaverry port facility.

Area of Operation

We own and operate three cement production facilities. Our largest facility is located in the city of Pacasmayo, department of La Libertad, approximately 667 kilometers north of Lima. The second facility is located in the city of Piura, department of Piura, approximately 330 kilometers north of Pacasmayo. This facility started cement production in September 2015. We also own and operate a smaller cement facility, located in the city of Rioja, department of San Martín, approximately 468 kilometers east of the Panamericana Norte highway. From our Pacasmayo and Piura facilities we supply cement principally to the coastal and highland regions of northern Peru, including the cities of Piura, Chiclayo, Cajamarca, Trujillo and Chimbote. From our Rioja facility, we supply cement to the northeastern region of Peru, including the cities of Moyobamba, Tarapoto, Loreto, among others.

Pacasmayo Facility

As of December 31, 2021, our Pacasmayo facility had 9 kilns, which produce clinker (one of which is also equipped to produce quicklime), and an additional Waelz rotary kiln that produces quicklime. Additionally, our facility has a primary and secondary cone crusher located near our Acumulación Tembladera limestone quarry. The main crusher has installed crushing capacity of 800 metric tons per hour and the secondary crusher has installed crushing capacity of 170 metric tons per hour. Our Pacasmayo facility operates with three horizontal rotary kilns with total installed annual clinker production capacity of 1,034,880 metric tons and six vertical shaft kilns with total installed annual clinker production capacity of 465,120 metric tons. The total installed annual clinker production capacity at our Pacasmayo facility is 1.5 million metric tons. Our Pacasmayo facility also features three cement finishing mills with installed annual cement production capacity of 2.9 million metric tons. Our Pacasmayo facility is also equipped with silos containing storage capacity for 26,700 metric tons of cement.

As of December 31, 2021, our Pacasmayo facility had installed production capacity of approximately 240,000 metric tons of quicklime per year, including the annual installed capacity of one of our clinker kilns and our Waelz rotary kiln, which are equipped to also produce quicklime.

Piura Facility

Annual installed production capacity of our Piura plant is 1.6 million metric tons of cement and 1 million metric tons of clinker. Our Piura plant operates with a horizontal kiln with installed clinker production capacity of 1 million metric tons per year, as well as a cement mill with installed cement production capacity of 1.6 million metric tons per year. Our Piura plant also has two storage silos with storage capacity of 240,000 metric tons of cement.

During 2020, we invested in the construction of a new silo, with a capacity of 1,300 metric tons, which will reduce transportation costs as we will be able to serve the areas of influence from the Piura plant.

Rioja Facility

Annual installed production capacity of our Rioja plant is 440,000 metric tons of cement and 280,000 metric tons of clinker.

Our Rioja facility currently operates with a small cone crusher and four vertical shaft kilns with total annual installed clinker production capacity of 280,000 metric tons and three cement finishing mills with total annual installed cement production capacity of 440,000 metric tons. Our Rioja plant is also equipped with silos with storage capacity of 1,750 metric tons of cement.

Ready-Mix Concrete Facilities

We also have 22 fixed and mobile ready-mix concrete and precast facilities located in the northern cities of Chimbote, Trujillo, Chiclayo, Piura, Cajamarca, Pacasmayo, Tarapoto, Iquitos and Moyobamba among others. These facilities allow us to supply ready-mix concrete and precast materials to small, medium and large construction projects throughout the entire northern region of Peru. As of December 31, 2021, our ready-mix operations had 191 mixer trucks, 34 concrete pumps and 2 pavers available to deliver ready-mix concrete.

Summary Disclosure (229.1303)

Map of Mining Concessions of Cementos Pacasmayo S.A.A. and subsidiaries.

The following map of Peru shows the location of the total (material and non-material) Peruvian mining concessions of Cementos Pacasmayo S.A.A. and subsidiaries. The mining concessions are located in Piura, Lambayeque, Cajamarca, Amazonas, Ica, Cusco, San Martin, La Libertad and Ancash Region.

Figure 1 General map of the mining concessions of Cementos Pacasmayo S.A.A. and subsidiaries

General description of mining properties and operations

Cementos Pacasmayo has mining concessions in Peru which were obtained through the administrative procedure before the Instituto Geológico, Minero y Metalúrgico (INGEMMET). Mineral concessions are classified according to the type of ore (i.e., metallic and non-metallic).

Cementos Pacasmayo has mining concessions in exploration, development and production stage.

The complete list of Cementos Pacasmayo’s mining concessions is presented in Table 4.

Table 1 shows the main mining concessions that are in the production and development stage, including relevant information for each quarry. 

Summary of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves

The following tables summarize the mineral resources and reserves of the mining concessions of Cementos Pacasmayo and subsidiaries.

Table 2 Summary of mineral resources of Cementos Pacasmayo S.A.A. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2021.

Table 3 Summary of mineral reserves of Cementos Pacasmayo S.A.A. and subsidiaries’ properties at December 31, 2021.

Table 4. List of Cementos Pacasmayo and subsidiaries mining concession by region.