The Sika Experience

The Sika Mining Experience is finally over..

Today after I enter back to my daily routine I started to realize everything I went through last week.
The people I met, the places I visited, the sights I had the opportunity to see and all the knowledge I gained.

It’s really hard to sum up this entire week in a few paragraphs.
In practical terms we could just make a list of all the places we have visited in the last days but this homework gets harder If I try to express what every single one of this visits really meant to me.

The difficulty in finding the right words so as to express this sensation I am feeling I think it probably comes due to the fact that this trip fulfilled all my expectations; not only it gave me the chance to be inside the big world that involves the mining industry, it also, and more importantly, made me realize that I am actually at the right place and in the right time professionally speaking.

I’m sure this feeling is not going anywhere, in contrast and with the passage of time, it will intensify as I will gradually be internalizing every moment, every knowledge, and every advice.

To say “thank you” is really not enough.

I hope to someday return to Sika and the people working at Sika, all what they have given me; the memories, the experience, the knowledge, the values and so much more..

Thanks

This fourth day of Sika Trip Experience Mining Chile was marked by the visit to Chuquicamata and its old camp which was built in 1915 and currently dismantled.  Besides, there was an informative program which gave Montserrat, Ana, Jorge and Oscar a closer idea on this mega project Chuquicamata Underground of Codelco.

Sika solutions, for above project, may be found in the tunnel construction, where our additives play an important role.  Indeed, the group of students interacted with professionals of one of the companies in charge of constructing one of the tunnels, who explained them the complexity of this task.

Sika Trip Experience Mining Chile is getting to an end, undoubtedly this adventure shall be recorded as a fascinating memory for this group of students, who probably will be part of tomorrow’s mining industry.

The last day of the Sika Experience we visit the Sika plant in Antofagasta.

We observe the processes, quality control and the products stored in warehouse. It was interesting to see how the products we saw applied in field are made in the plant.

This was a great experience and I am very grateful for everything I could learn. It was a unique experience.

Sika Trip Experience Mining: Adventure get started in Chile

The third day of Sika Trip Experience Mining Chile program took place in Saladillo Mine of Andina Division of Codelco, where four young students accompanied by Sika executives and mine personnel went all over the most important installations.

Thus, they were able to meet first-hand what copper exploitation, a much complex task that requires the best logistic work. This is a major challenge for these young students, who expect to contribute and work in this demanding industry in the future.

Have the chance to see directly, the magnitude of this process was something amazing, really hard to describe or even understand: the biggest hill in Santiago, called “Cerro Santa Lucia” could be erase in just one day of “normal” work of this mine…unbelievable.

We were inside of the biggest copper concentrator, below earth level, in the world. Period. And the feeling of see that was almost surreal. I was feeling and having an incredible experience, and I think that everyone around me were feeling the same.

The day was long, but group’s mood does not flag, as tomorrow Montserrat, Ana, Jorge and Oscar will go to Chuquicamat’s world, the largest open pit mine of the Chile and worldwide. A perfect panorama for these students.

Today we went to the “Cono Sur” located in Rancagua. We learned about the winery’s commitment to sustainability through its organically grown products, pest control naturally and actions to decrease their carbon footprint.

We toured the vineyards by bike.

We toured the wineries and tasted the Pinot Noir and Sparkling.

We observed in field the implementation and effectiveness of Sika Dust, a sustainable product, on roads in the vineyards, reducing dust and its effects on pests that damage the crop of grapes.

Sika Trip Experience Mining Chile get started with site walking

After first day of Sika Experience Chile, with corporate presentations as well as presentations about Sika solutions, the second day began with wine industry as the center of attention and some Sika products contributing to this industry. *Sika Dust Seal highlighted among others, this new product is a dust suppressor for non-paved roads, was developed by Chilean subsidiary.

Viña Cono Sur was selected for this vineyard experience, where for university students were able to enjoy beautiful facilities and familiarize with wine production process and certainly grasp better knowledge on Sika technologies.

This first day at site had the perfect quota of fun and technology and was the starting point for trips and visits that these young engineering students will accomplish.  Tomorrow, the adventure continues in mining industry.

*PS: Even that “Sika Dust” its clearly focus on mining area, the benefits of this product also work with vineyards needs, specially with everything linked to “green” purposes: water saving, less dust to enviroment, better health conditions for everyone who works at vineyards.

In this second day of the Sika Experience we visit the Cono Sur vineyard at San Fernando. I was very excited to known how the process of the wine is made and which is the help of Sika in this Industry. I am very surprised that Sika is very important in the process because with its Sika Dust product, the wine industry can prevent the pests and make the process more sustainable.
Cono Sur is one of the biggest exporter of wines in Chile, and the principal wine strain is the Pinot Noir. We had the chance to taste it and was a very fabolous experience.

Tomorrow we are going to visit Saladillo mine at 3000mts over the sea, and i’m very excited to known the mine process and other things of the Chilean mining

Today, Montserrat, Jorge, Oscar and I started this journey. Early hours we arrived at Sika facilities in Chile, where we were greeted by the Human Resources Manager, Danilo León. Later, the General Manager, Juan Francisco Jimenez, gave us an introduction and an overview of the company and its goals.

We also had the opportunity to meet a previous winner of Sika Solar Experience, who told us what were their main lessons learned, as well as some tips for this trip.

We took a tour around the plant, where we saw the production processes developed by Sika and meet some of their products as cement additives and bonding and sealing products.

During the day, managers of the four business areas of Sika Chile described its main scopes and relationship with mining. Sergio Wertheim told us about the BU Distribution and BU Industry, Milan Ceric about BU Contractors and Carlos Muñoz about BU Concrete.

Finally, Rodrigo Caballero told us about mining in Chile, particularly about copper mining, its importance and projections.

This was a great first day! I met the rest of the participants and the company representatives with those who we will share the experience. It was about a lot of learning, where we had a first look at this experience. We shared our expectations about this trip. It was a very fun and busy day with a full schedule of activities.

I will continue talking about this Sika Experience Trip Mining Chile the following days, so keep reading!

Thank you Sika!

Countdown for Sika Experience Trip Mining Chile has begun

Santiago, September 2012.- In a few days an unprecedented activity will take place in Chile: Sika Trip Experience Mining. This program will take four young people to experience the mining and wine world in this long and narrow country.

To participate in this experience, youngsters must be studying topics associated to engineering and comply with health and language requirements.  Finally, three Chilean and one Mexican were selected to form part of a unique one week learning adventure.

Visits to some most important Chilean mining deposits of the world as well as vineyards of south-central region of the country will be some of the activities that Montserrat, Ana Maria, Oscar and Jorge – the four students – will develop which shall shape the first Chilean experience of this international program that since 2010 provides opportunities of professional development for young people.

About Sika S.A. Chile

Sika (www.sika.cl) is an independent Swiss industrial group with 76 subsidiaries worldwide.  Sika was founded in 1910 by the researcher Kaspar Winkler in Zurich. Sika products were introduced in Chile in 1942. Today, Sika Chile manufactures in the country 80% of traded products and supplies epoxy products to subsidiaries in the region.

Today begins the countdown, exactly 10 days to finally begin the long-awaited Sika Mining Expierence.

I am expectant undoubtedly this will be an unforgettable experience that will surely mark my life not only a personal level but also in the professional area mainly because I’m just graduating semesters metallurgical engineering so an opportunity like this is just priceless.

Now I have to thank SIKA for the opportunity that gave us and and remark how proud I am to be a part of this!!

Finally there is no more to wait for time to do its job and the days pass quickly for THE day finally arrives