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.
Mining companies are increasingly looking for technologies to help transform their operatoons. Much of the specialist knowledge and advanced technology required to support this transformation still comes from outside Brazil. For foreign companies unfamiliar with the Brazilian system, the import process can appear difficult and expensive but with the right guidance it can be managed helping companies to enter one of the largest mining markets in the world.
Chile’s grid is 4,300 km long. The best wind is in the south, the best sun in the north, and the biggest industrial demand sits at the top of the country. Moving power across that distance is the whole problem. Chile published its long-term energy plan last week, the document that sets out how much power the country will need through 2057 and where the grid has to be built to deliver it.
Cerro Colorado operated for nearly three decades as an important copper producer in Chile’s Tarapacá Region. After remaining out of production for several years, BHP is now seeking to reactivate the mine through a US$1.5 billion restart project. If approved, the proposal would extend Cerro Colorado’s operating life by approximately 20 years and support annual production of up to 130,000 tonnes of copper cathodes.
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.
Brazil is a complex market, and winning work from a Brazilian mining client is only the first challenge. The harder part is often getting your people, equipment, and technology approved and ready to operate on site. Our latest blog helps foreign mining suppliers understand the mobilization process and the key steps required before starting work on a mine site in Brazil.
Argentina has quietly become one of the world’s most important mining stories…and it is now impossible to ignore. By the mid-2030s, the country could rank among the world’s top five copper exporters and top three lithium producers, and the foundations for that are being poured right now.
Santiago
Sydney
Lima