Overview
- Company leaders say orders fell sharply from July and the firm advanced vacations in Buenos Aires and suspended workers in Catamarca to cope with low production levels.
- RA Intertrading now employs about 642 people across two plants, with 560 in Buenos Aires and 82 in Catamarca, down from roughly 1,040 in 2023.
- The Catamarca government confirmed a targeted aid payment of 240,000 pesos per worker and agreed to extend the plant suspension for at least one more month while new contracts are sought.
- The firm says price pressure comes from a steep fall in domestic consumption plus stronger import competition after reported tariff cuts and a regulated exchange rate, and it has moved unused new machines to Buenos Aires to replace older equipment.
- RA Intertrading is actively quoting for delayed tenders and seeking new contracts to restart lines, but the wider reversal of the province's recent textile investment raises risks of longer job losses and unpaid liabilities for local workers.