
Tenaris S.A. Annual Report 2021
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reasons, including operational constraints and regulatory restrictions. If demand for our products falls
significantly, or if we are unable to operate due to, for example, governmental measures or unavailability of
workforce, these costs may adversely affect our profitability and financial condition. For example, in response
to the abrupt and steep downturn of the oil and gas industry resulting from the oil crisis and the COVID-19
pandemic, we were required to implement cost-containment measures and liquidity preservation initiatives,
including reduction of our operating activities in several jurisdictions, temporary closure of facilities in the
United States and review of our capital expenditure plans. Temporary suspensions of operations or closure of
facilities generally lead to layoffs of employees, as was our case during the oil crisis and the COVID-19
pandemic, which may in turn give rise to labor conflicts and impact operations. Cost containment measures may
also affect profitability and result in charges for asset impairments. In addition, if demand continues to recover,
we may not be able to retain qualified workforce or hire additional employees soon enough. Moreover, certain
consequences of climate change, such as shifts in customer preferences, stigmatization of our industry or failure
to respond to shareholders’ demand for climate
-related measures could negatively impact workforce
management and planning, adversely affecting employee attraction and retention.
Adverse economic or political conditions in the countries where we operate or sell our products and services
may decrease our sales or disrupt our manufacturing operations, thereby adversely affecting our revenues,
profitability and financial condition.
We have significant operations in various countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia,
Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Romania, Saudi Arabia and the United States, and we sell our products
and services throughout the world. Additionally, in Russia we have formed a joint venture with PAO Severstal
(“Severstal”) to build a welded pipe plant, the construction of which is currently on hold and may be further
affected or cancelled as a result of the recent armed conflict involving Russia and Ukraine and the designation
of Severstal’s control
ling shareholder as a person subject to EU and UK sanctions. Therefore, like other
companies with worldwide operations, our business and operations have been, and could in the future be,
affected from time to time to varying degrees by political, economic, social and public health developments and
changes in laws and regulations. These developments and changes may include, among others, nationalization,
expropriation or forced divestiture of assets; restrictions on production, imports and exports; antidumping or
countervailing duties; travel, transportation or trade bans; interruptions in the supply of essential energy inputs;
currency exchange and/or transfer restrictions, inability or increasing difficulties to repatriate income or capital
or to make contract payments; inflation; devaluation; war or other armed conflicts (including the recent Ukraine-
Russia armed conflict and regional conflicts in the Middle East and Africa); civil unrest and local security
concerns, including high incidences of crime and violence involving drug trafficking organizations that threaten
the safe operation of our facilities and operations; direct and indirect price controls; tax increases and changes
(including retroactive) in the interpretation, application or enforcement of tax laws and other claims or
challenges; cancellation of contract or property rights; and delays or denials of governmental approvals. Both
the likelihood of such occurrences and their overall impact upon us vary greatly from country to country and are
not predictable. Realization of these risks could have an adverse impact on the results of operations and
financial condition of our subsidiaries located in the affected country and, depending on their materiality, on the
results of operations and financial condition of Tenaris as a whole. For more information on the impact on our
business of the armed conflict in Ukraine, see “Risks Relating to our Business and Industry – The Russia-
Ukraine recent armed conflict may adversely affect our operations”.
More specifically, Argentina and Mexico are countries in which we have significant operations.
Our business and operations in Argentina, may be materially and adversely affected by economic, political,
social, fiscal and regulatory developments, including the following:
- Macroeconomic and political conditions in Argentina may adversely affect our business and
operations. Increased state intervention in the stagnant economy, along with the introduction of
changes to government policies, including measures aimed at ensuring the sustainability of government
debt (including debt with the International Monetary Fund and other international creditors) and
reducing government spending, could have an adverse effect on our operations and financial results.
Similarly, they could also negatively impact the business and operations of our customers -oil and gas
companies operating in Argentina- and consequently our revenues and profitability.
- Our business and operations in Argentina may be adversely affected by inflation or by the measures
that may be adopted by the government to address inflation. In particular, increases in services and
labor costs could negatively affect our results of operations. In addition, an increased level of labor
demands in response to spiraling inflation could trigger higher levels of labor conflicts, and eventually