What has been the progress of Confipetrol Andina in the mining industry in the last year?

Confipetrol Andina (Confipetrol´s Peruvian subsidiary) has grown 20% annually in ​​operation and maintenance services. We do maintenance services for the mining sector, but also for the oil, gas and energy sector. The mining industry represents 60% of overall sales annually.

Among our main clients, we have participated in Nexa Resources’ projects such as Pasco Mining’s complex, Atacocha, El Porvenir and Cerro Lindo, where we provide service and maintenance for their equipment. We are also working with Yamacocha in the maintenance of its plants, with Minsur in equipment maintenance, and with Barrick Gold at Lagunas Norte, among others.

How does Confipetrol maintain high safety standards?

Safety is at the core of Confipetrol’s business. We have developed a behavior-based management system to make sure that employees have a proactive attitude with regard to safety, take care of themselves, and carry out thorough risk assessments and identification of hazards. Confipetrol’s workers use all the necessary management tools so that they can work safely and minimize the risks of an accident. These management systems have allowed Confipetrol to sharpen its focus on safety and security, our main operational priority. Furthermore, Confipetrol has received the ISO 9001 certificate for quality, ISO 14001 for environment and ISO/IEC 18001 for safety.

How can third party service providers help companies focus on their core business?

Companies are looking for specialists that allow them to solve their main problems so they can focus on their core business – finding reserves and extracting them safely, sustainably and properly. Maintenance of equipment, plants, indoor mine equipment and open pit mine equipment is left to specialized companies which measure the service they are having through KPIs. That is the best way to focus on finding reserves, exploring and processing them. We usually help them during OpEx rather than during construction, because we take care of their repair and maintenance services while an operation is in progress.

Which of Confipetrol’s services are helping the business grow in Peru and Latin America?

Third party services in operation and maintenance of concentrator plants, open pit equipment, fleet maintenance and underground mine equipment are all driving growth for the company. Confipetrol is looking to expand its services. We have opened offices in Chile and have participated in several tenders because we did a commercial survey to identify business opportunities. Customers verified that we have the requisite skills to be able to participate in large tenders, and we are eager to be involved in more projects in 2020 throughout Latin America. We are currently working on an important project in Chile we are handling from Peru due to the expertise we have here. Chileans and Argentines value Peruvian mining expertise highly, which makes Confipetrol very competitive in the market. Further north, there is a lot of potential in Ecuador, and we will participate at Ecuador’s Mining Summit in 2020 to identify business opportunities in this region.

What can mining companies do to change the negative public perception of the mining sector?

Large mining companies work hard at looking after the communities where they operate. Receiving permits in Peru can be a lengthy process, but the government is already working on trying to reduce those times. I was in a meeting with the Minister of Economy recently, and the government appears keen to help resource development in the country. Regarding social issues, the negative outlook is a global phenomenon. There must be a joint effort between the State, the private companies and the affected communities to solve the problems. Proactive measures should be taken instead of reactive ones.

What are Confipetrol´s main goals and objectives in the mining sector for the next two years?

Confipetrol wants to be the first choice for customers in operation and maintenance services. We want mining companies to see us as the main operation and maintenance contractor that will solve your problems with high quality standards, safety and environmentally friendly actions. We always ensure high reliability of equipment and availability at a fair cost with the highest possible standards.