A Legacy of Strength
From the deep-vein silver mines of the 16th century to the 21st-century production of strategic green metals, the history of SINCHI WAYRA SA is the history of Andean industrial resilience.
Forged in the Andes. Built for the Future.
The name SINCHI WAYRA—Quechua for “Strong Wind”—perfectly encapsulates our operational journey. We don’t just extract minerals; we sustain an unbroken lineage of metallurgical expertise that spans half a millennium in the historic districts of Oruro and Potosí.
Our narrative is not passive. It is a chronicle of massive infrastructure investment, technological transformation, and strategic alignment with the world’s shifting material economies. We have navigated ownership transitions, optimized legacy assets, and vertically integrated our entire value chain, always emerging as a more resilient, responsive institutional partner.
Operational Evolution
The Historic Foundations
Our assets, including Porco and Bolivar, are central to global mining history. We honor this lineage of Quechua craftsmanship and deep-vein mineral knowledge, which provided the original material foundation for transcontinental trade.
Glencore Management & Expansion
Under Glencore PLC, our assets were modernized through multi-billion dollar CAPEX programs. We integrated shaft systems, optimized metallurgical recovery at the Don Diego concentrator, and introduced the behavioral safety and international ESG standards that continue to guide us.
Strategic Integration
SINCHI WAYRA SA was strategically acquired and integrated as a powerful, vertically integrated and locally optimized operator. This defined our future, aligning Andean operational cost advantages with global trade agility.
The Green Transition Pivot
Leveraging our existing logistics and processing strength, we aggressively expanded our portfolio into critical minerals—Lithium, Cobalt, and Rare Earths—securing our role as a Tier-1 supplier for the EV and energy storage revolution.
History is a Foundation for Strategy.
We invite you to learn more about how our deep history of multi-metallic extraction informs our diversified portfolio of base metals, strategic energy minerals, and premium recycled commodities.