Juan Quispe, President of FLS South America, examines Argentina’s copper prospects, the role of mining suppliers and the growing use of advanced analytics.
By Panorama Minero
What Prompted FLS to Open a Commercial Office in San Juan?
We see that mining is gaining strong momentum in San Juan, and there are a number of projects that provide a positive outlook for the development of the industry in the province. The scale of these initiatives gives an indication of that potential. According to the technical assessment presented by Vicuña in 2026, the first development stage, centred on Josemaría and a concentrator plant in San Juan, envisages an estimated initial investment of US$7.1 billion.
As a company with a global presence and extensive experience in the mining industry, we want to be part of this process and contribute to the growth of mining in Argentina, supporting the development of new projects and the needs that will arise as they progress. We believe this development creates opportunities for everyone and that San Juan, the province and Argentina as a whole can continue to move forward through responsible and sustainable mining that generates value and maintains an ongoing commitment to environmental protection.
Within FLS’s Range of Products and Services, What Activities Will Be Carried Out from San Juan?
FLS has a very comprehensive offering for mineral processing. We have what is known in mining as a full flowsheet, because we can participate in the different stages of the process, from reducing rock size through to concentration and filtration to obtain the final copper concentrates.
In San Juan, there is a particularly important milestone for us: the mills to be used by the Vicuña project will be supplied by FLS. These are large-scale, world-class units, similar to those operating at major mining projects elsewhere in the world. Our main challenge will be to support the customer in operating this equipment and help them achieve maximum performance.
At the same time, we are participating in other projects and competing for different opportunities, so we expect to become involved in new business areas as mining development progresses in the province.
For us, opening this office also has particular significance. Until now, our company had a legal presence in Argentina, but this is the first time we have had an office and directly employed personnel working in the country. It is an important step for our operations in Argentina and also in South America, and we are very pleased to be taking it.
How Does FLS View the Development of Copper Mining in San Juan? How Are Argentina and the Province Perceived by a Global Company?
We see enormous potential. If Argentina can continue making progress towards the stability required to attract long-term investment, we believe San Juan could experience very significant mining development.
It is also important to consider that the deposits in San Juan, Argentina and neighbouring provinces are world-class and contain substantial resources. Therefore, from our perspective as a global company, we see a scenario with concrete opportunities for the development of copper mining.
However, turning that potential into projects and regional development requires many stakeholders to work together. These include society, mining companies, suppliers, the industries that will develop around this activity and the authorities.
If all these stakeholders manage to work in a coordinated manner, Argentina has the opportunity to build a large-scale mining industry, as has happened in countries such as Chile, Peru and Australia. For us, that is precisely one of the reasons for establishing a presence in San Juan and supporting this process from the outset.
Can the Experience Gained in Countries Such as Chile and Peru Be Applied to Argentina?
Yes, I believe there are many experiences that can be drawn upon. One of the main challenges will be to develop the human resources and capabilities required by a mining industry of this scale, and that takes time.
If we look at what happened in Chile when mining began to grow, professionals arrived from Australia, Canada and the United States, bringing their experience and helping to develop the industry. Today, Chilean mining is led primarily by local professionals.
Something similar happened in Peru. During its period of mining growth, many Chilean professionals contributed to that process, and today the Peruvian industry has a substantial base of local professionals.
Argentina will probably have to follow a similar path. In this regard, it has an important advantage: Chile and Peru are neighbouring countries with highly experienced professionals who can contribute during the initial stages while local capabilities and talent are developed.
What Professional Profiles Make Up FLS, and Which Could Join the Local Team?
We have specialists at different levels. On the one hand, we have our global experts, who are based in different parts of the world and support projects internationally. We also have regional specialists serving the various South American markets, as well as the local teams we already have in countries such as Chile and Peru.
In Argentina, we are beginning to recruit our first local specialists to incorporate them into training and development programmes. While these capabilities are being developed, we will be able to support operations with regional experts from Chile, Peru or Brazil and, when necessary, with global specialists.
Our objective is for Argentina to have its own experts in the medium term, allowing them to develop alongside the industry. Training a professional to the level required to advise on operations and ensure the performance of our equipment takes at least three years, which is why we are already working to establish these capabilities in the country.
When You Refer to Specialists, Which Professional Profiles Do You Mean?
We have chemical, metallurgical and mechanical engineers, as well as professionals specialising in electronics and electrical engineering. These are various specialisations, mainly related to engineering.
We are also incorporating specialists in advanced analytics through an area called Performance IQ, which applies these tools to improve equipment performance.
What Role Is Artificial Intelligence Beginning to Play in This Process?
Artificial intelligence is gradually entering the mining industry. It is probably progressing at a slower pace than we would like, but there is a reason for this: mining is a capital-intensive industry, with long-term investments and large-scale assets that cannot be modified overnight.
That is why the greatest opportunity we currently see lies in using these tools to better understand what is happening in an operation and identify opportunities for improvement.
Analytics can, for example, identify patterns, anticipate situations and support decisions that help improve the performance of equipment already installed.
If a tool recommended completely redesigning a mill, implementing that recommendation would be complex because of the scale of the investment. By contrast, if it helps identify how to operate that same mill more effectively, where efficiency losses occur or which variables can be adjusted, its contribution can be much more immediate.
At FLS, we are working in this area through our Research and Development department in Denmark. There, we analyse these technologies and develop solutions that can subsequently be implemented across the different operations and markets where we are present.
Beyond Offering High-Quality Products, How Important Is Service to Mining Customers?
It is fundamental. I worked in mining for many years and experienced the customer side, using the services of major equipment manufacturers. That experience helped me understand that having top-quality products is not enough; service, support and ongoing assistance during operations are equally important.
Recently, during CESCO Week in Chile, we had the opportunity to meet, together with the CEO of FLS, with five CEOs of major mining groups. They all agreed on one point: companies may have high-quality equipment, but they also need a service that enables them to achieve maximum performance from those assets.
The objective is for the equipment to achieve the performance projected when the operation was designed and to maintain that performance throughout its useful life.
In this regard, FLS aims to be a long-term partner for its customers, supporting them throughout operations and providing the experience and assistance necessary to ensure that their equipment maintains its expected performance.
