INTERVIEW
Rafael
Ravettino
General Manager
ACEROS CHILCA
Can you provide an overview of Aceros Chilca’s activities
and main milestones achieved in 2020?
Aceros Chilca is focused on the production and commercial-
ization of grinding media (balls) and castings, mainly for the
mining industry. The castings are made through our brand
MEPSA, while forged balls are part of the Aceros Chilca
brand. We are currently working in a strategic relationship
with our bars supplier to develop balls that are specific to
each type of mineral and mine site, looking to increase our
customers’ productivity and decrease cost of operation.
2020 was a tough year as the halt in the mining sector meant
that there was a lower demand for steel. This affected our
projections and, despite our positive results, we did not
reach our objectives. However, 2021 has started very favor-
ably, possibly due to high metal prices, as mines are aim-
ing to increase production. Aceros Chilca has changed the
strategy and is currently working with customers to provide
them with cast steel liners for crushers and SAG/Ball mills.
This has allowed us to maintain significant volumes and make
interesting developments in our alloys, being able to pro-
vide our customers products that exceed their expectations,
especially in terms of mineral processability.
Which of Acero Chilca’s products and solutions have
been in high demand in Peru’s mining sector in the past
year?
Aceros Chilca has two main products that have been in high
demand: forged balls, ranging from one to three and a half
inches; and wear spare parts. We add value to our sales pro-
cess with an effective presence in the mine and with valuable
engineering services: we scan the mills and develop new de-
signs jointly with our customers to achieve new alloys that
allow them to process the mineral further.
In the past, we produced an average of 8,000 tons of casted
balls per month. However, the industry has migrated through
the years to forged balls, which are much more wear resis-
tant, reliable, and allow to process more ores.
What solutions are being introduced in the supply chain
to improve efficiency and reduce costs?
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Global Business Reports
In 2024, we expect to
inaugurate our new foundry
facility in Chilca, with the
goal of having one big,
centralized facility with 1,500
tons of monthly production
of castings and 7,000 tons of
grinding media.
The strategic association with our bars suppliers allows us
to improve the product’s chemistry and manufacturing the
bars for Aceros Chilca carries out the whole process of trans-
formation to produce the balls, through the heat treatment,
achieving the characteristics that customers need. We are
currently trying to develop balls that have greater durability
together with clients. Similarly, regarding the production of
pieces, we are present in the mines working together with
our customers, which allows us to understand their needs in
terms of alloys or the design that allow greater performance
and productivity.
What initiatives does the company have in terms of so-
cial responsibility?
Our group promotes education in Peru and Chile, especially
in reading and comprehension, through the Foundation in
Peru - Margot Echecopar and in Chile - Sara Raier Rassmus
(www.fsrr.cl). As a result of the pandemic, we have also taken
measures to support and protect our workers, and the peo-
ple who are close to our operations, providing them with
oxygen and tests.
What are Aceros Chilca´s objetives for 2022-2023 and
the opportunities you see for growth?
In 2021 we expect to grow by approximately 30% in terms of
castings, and 20% in terms of grinding media. We are off to
a good start, as we have already received purchase orders
fulfilling a large part of our yearly production.
In 2024, we expect to inaugurate our new foundry facility in
Chilca, with the goal of having one big, centralized facility
with 1,500 tons of monthly production of castings and 7,000
tons of grinding media.
We also see important opportunities in the export market,
as there are significant investments being made in the mi-
ning industry worldwide and we have plenty experience
exporting our products. Aceros Chilca plans to reach these
markets through partnerships with the main OEMs. We cu-
rrently export to Chile, Canada, USA, Brazil and Mexico but
plan to broaden the horizon of our company towards Europe
and Asia. ■
Industry Explorations
Industry Explorations
Innovation &
Technology
REMOTE WORK HAS INCREASED
AUTOMATION, BUT CHANGE IS A
GRADUAL PROCESS
The pandemic has unquestionably
changed the way we work, however,
most changes have been to cope with
the constraints that Covid has imposed.
In many cases, these are reactive rather
than proactive; Zoom meetings replac-
ing in-person interaction and technical
support via video because of travel re-
strictions. However, Covid has also ac-
celerated the use of remote-controlled,
autonomous solutions, an important
step towards a future that will depend
on moving to automated, continuous
production systems.
“We still hear, “what you are suggest-
ing is not a pace of change that we are
comfortable with,” and herein lies the
problem: disruption is not comfortable,
but it is required if real progress is to be
made,” reflected Doug Morrison, CEO
of the Centre of Excellence for Mining
Innovation (CEMI), adding that the iner-
tia that Covid has brought about creates
the opportunity to make changes hap-
pen – if the will is there.
Marcos Wieland, general manager of
Sitech, a Ferreycorp group company
specialized in introducing technology
solutions to mining operations, revealed
that the company’s initial expectation
was that Covid would bring about a new
interest in biosecurity and health solu-
tions. However, Sitech found that inter-
est in these topics peaked in 2020, then
faded away as work dynamics began
to normalize. “What we have observed
is an increase in fatigue management,
which has come as a result of longer
work shifts during the pandemic,” he
said.
Sitech has also noticed an uptick in the
adoption of technology that supports
remote work, as miners are becoming
Global Business Reports
more interested in using tools that allow
them to become more efficient without
people in the field. Wieland gave the
example of a rising demand for remote
control centers, noting that, while many
of these technologies existed before
Covid, they have gained more traction
during the crisis. “The early adopters
of these technologies could potentially
serve as a model for other mining com-
panies and trigger a virtuous cycle,” he
said, suggesting that as more solutions
are deployed, it is likely more people
in the sector will become aware of how
these technologies make processes
more efficient. “Companies will have to
move towards technology in order to
remain competitive,” affirmed Wieland.
TORSA, a Spanish company specialized
in the research, development and manu-
facturing of technological solutions for
heavy industry, has been working with
SITECH in Peru for a number of years.
One of its main solutions for the mining
industry is a Collision Avoidance System
(CAS), for which TORSA takes part in the
Innovation for Cleaner, Safer Vehicles
(ICSV) program carried on by the ICMM,
as well as the Earth Moving Equipment
Safety Round Table (EMESRT) working
group.
Jaime Solano, TORSA’s technical sales
director, remarked that the company’s
solutions in highest demand are related
to reducing occupational risks and im-
proving safety, such as a Human Vibra-
tion Exposure Monitoring System that
allows real-time analysis of the exposure
to vibrations of equipment operators.
“Mining companies are also demand-
ing our High Precision Collision Avoid-
ance System (HPCAS) to improve the ve-
hicle interaction to protect shovels, haul
trucks, auxiliary, light vehicles and per-
sonnel,” he said, adding: “Safety always
goes hand in hand with ROI since there
is nothing more profitable than keeping
your personnel safe.
Another of the companies working with
SITECH in Peru is Zyfra, a Finnish-based
company with its R&D center in Russia.
Zyfra provides digital industrial solutions
utilizing Industrial Internet of Things
(IIoT) platforms and artificial intelligence
(AI), and intends to grow its business in
Latin America after establishing a strong
client-base in Europe, Asia and North
Africa, according to Víctor Huaco, Zyfra’s
PERU MINING 2021
EDITORIAL
The biggest challenge on
the path to digitalization is
the mindset. Here is where
change management will play
a key role, especially in legacy
operations where most of
the operators have done the
same job the same way for
the past 30 years.
- Carlos Travezaño,
CEO,
Siemens Peru
Latam director. Huaco elaborated on the
work Zyfra is doing with SITECH for Hud-
bay in Peru regarding the implementa-
tion of autonomous drilling technology:
“Deploying autonomous solutions with
drills, as opposed to trucks, is complete-
ly different. The drilling section is con-
tained and easier to deploy, so you do
not need to radically change the mining
operation to implement this.”
He noted that autonomous drilling so-
lutions allow mining companies to save
money quickly without having to make
expensive, wholesale changes, reveal-
ing that in addition to Zyfra’s work with
Hudbay, he knows of five other large
mines in Peru that are looking to deploy
autonomous drilling solutions.
Educating a traditional industry
When asked what the biggest barrier to
the adoption of new technologies cu-
rrently is, the response of our interview-
ees was invariably the human element.
Mining is inherently a risky business, but
the appetite to take further risks once a
project is in operation can evaporate as
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