Grupo Cementos De Chihuah

Good morning and welcome to GCC's first quarter earnings call for 2022. Before we begin, I would like to remind you that this call is being recorded and all participants will be in a listen-only mode. Please also note a slide presentation will accompany GCC's earnings results webcast. The link is available on the company's website at gcc.com within the investor relations section. There will also be an opportunity for you to ask questions at the end of today's presentation. I would now turn the call over to Ricardo Martinez, Head of Investor Relations. Ricardo?

Thank you, Operator. Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining our earnings call. We will begin today's discussion with remarks from Enrique Escalante, our Chief Executive Officer, followed by financial highlights from the quarter by Luis Carlos Arias, Chief Financial Officer. We will then close with your questions. As a reminder before we begin, today's discussion contains forward-looking statements about the company's future business and financial performance. These are based on management's current expectations and are subject to risk and uncertainty. You can find more information about risk, uncertainty, and other factors that could affect our operating results in our most recent findings with the Mexican Stock Exchange. As seen on slide two, Our forward-looking statements provide information on risk factors, including COVID-19, that could affect our financial results. In particular, there is significant uncertainty about the duration and contemplated impact of the pandemic, the geopolitical and economic situations. This means GCPC's results could change at any time. and the outlook provided is a best estimate based on information available today. Let me now turn the call over to Enrique.

Thank you, Ricardo, and good morning, everyone. GCC is off to an excellent start this year, with a good first quarter and encouraging market trends for 2022. Let me now briefly discuss our key highlights from our performance this quarter, as well as market conditions and some of the challenges we face. Luis Carlos will follow with GTC's financial results. He will then turn the call back to me for closing remarks and comments about full-year guidance. Finally, we will take your questions. Turning to slide three. Our first quarter results were above expectations, despite the challenges faced at every turn. High inflation levels coupled with interest rate hikes, supply chain and labor charges, the continuing pandemic, and a war in Ukraine, along with significant economic sanctions against Russia. Those issues have serious implications throughout the industry and have highlighted GCC's competitive difference. The company's vertical integration of our raw materials and coal lowers cost and reduces fuel price volatility. Markets continue very strong. And although we face some challenging obstacles in the landscape, we are very pleased with the results delivered during the first quarter and proud of the way we are overcoming these challenges. We're encouraged