Sneak Preview: Mergers & Acquisitions in Mining Tech with Ivan Gustavino
In this sneak preview, Ax Legal’s Managing Partner Cody McFarlane speaks with Ivan Gustavino, Managing Director at Atrico, who has advised over 100 high-growth companies in mining, industrial tech, and software. With M&A activity heating up, Ivan breaks down what investors and buyers really look for in mining technology companies today.
Labor law is often the first real surprise for foreign companies in Brazil, and it is changing again. The six-day work week is ending, with very little time to prepare. Mining services, technology and energy companies will feel it most. Field teams, site rotations and round-the-clock operations do not fit neatly into a five-day week, and changing them takes planning, union agreement and clean records.
Hiring your first employees in Chile is an exciting milestone. It is also the moment foreign companies discover that Chilean labour practices work differently, sometimes very differently, from what they are used to at home. After a decade of helping foreign companies build teams in Chile, these are the five considerations that come up in almost every first hire.
From May 2026, NR-1 becomes more demanding in practice, with a clear focus on psychosocial risks. Companies are now expected to address issues like stress, burnout, and workplace pressure in the same structured way as physical risks. In simple terms, this moves NR-1 away from a paperwork exercise and into something that needs to work in day-to-day operations.
Peru offers significant opportunities for companies operating in the mining sector and related industries. However, the country also has a labour framework that includes several statutory employee benefits, including mandatory profit sharing—an obligation that is not commonly found in jurisdictions such as Australia, Canada, or the United States.
It is very common for foreign companies in the industrial sectors to send specialists into Chile for short, focused periods to help with commissioning, supervision, installation, or troubleshooting. It is important for foreign companies to understand how to send technical and project staff to Chile, the differences between work permits and work visas and the common pitfalls to avoid.
Entering a new market requires more than understanding the legal framework — it is the day-to-day operational details that determine whether a company can operate smoothly. In Chile, labor compliance has become increasingly centralized and digital. A key change is the Registro Electrónico Laboral (REL), an online platform where employers must register and maintain essential employment information.
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