SQM Today N°13

SQM Today No. 13 | July 2018

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We are celebrating a half century of innovation that led to the reinvention of the nitrates industry and discovery of others such as lithium.

This publication features the stories of 50 workers and executives who represent the thousands who have paved this successful road over the past 50 years with a great deal of effort, work and vision.

01 Editorial

02 Facts and figures

A LIFE IN SALAR

By Gilbert Maldonado Ossandón, Salar Production Manager

29%

of our lithium exports are shipped to South Korea followed by 27% to China and 17% to Japan.

It is hard for me to put into words all of the affection that I feel for this beautiful and inhospitable place.

As an ancestral son of this land and its culture, I am captivated by its horizon. Although 20 years have already gone by, I continue to be surprised by the colors that tint the sky every morning. Every now and then those colors awaken memories in me.

After I finished elementary school in Calama in the 1980s, I went to Luis Cruz Martínez School A-23. It was there that I developed a poetic streak as well as an athletic one. At one point, I even dreamed of being a soccer player, but in the end my passion for numbers and mathematics won out.

As I child, I knew what it meant to face difficulties.

I saw poverty up close, but enjoyed an abundance of affection, love and unrestricted support from my parents, who were crucial figures in my life.

They instilled the value of effort, perseverance and dedication in me, and I try to pass that legacy on to my four children and all of my employees.

It wasn’t easy to make it to where I am today. In order to study Mining Execution Engineering at Universidad de Antofagasta, I had to move away from my parents and my family, and they had to give up a great deal in order to allow me to study.

But I put all that effort into it for a greater good: the dream that my parents and I shared of having me become the first professional in our family.

Then came work, which I can summarize in a single word: Soqui. I built my career in this company, and I am immensely proud of my history in it. I saw the sun rise in the desert in the first time in 1998, and that sun illuminated my dreams as a young engineer as the road supervisor for routes B-355 and B-385.

My biggest goal at that point was to have enough resources after my first daughter was born.

Manager of Communications and Public Affairs: Carolina García Huidobro.

Head of Corporate Communications: Álvaro Cifuentes.

Head of External Communications: Tamara Rebolledo.

Journalists: Carolina García Huidobro, Mauricio Olivares, Tamara Rebolledo, Álvaro Cifuentes, Mario Sánchez y Claudio Álvarez.

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I started as an employee and soon became the harvest supervisor in the MOP evaporation pond area. Every door opened to me when I turned 26.

First, I became an Evaporation Pond Supervisor, then an Engineering Supervisor, and then the Salar Inventory and Resources Oversight Manager. I was then promoted to lead the Mining Production Department, which is currently the Salar Production Department.

I believe that the key to all of this has been the effort, commitment and heart that I have put into every task.

- 40

+ 40

72%

of the 600 people hired in 2017 are under the age of 40.

That same heart led me to fall in love with an attractive woman named Evelyn who was working as a chemist at the Salar Laboratory. It was like something out of a soap opera, with a new episode every day!

Two decades have passed since then, and I am grateful to every one of the colleagues, friends and workers who have contributed to this process. Lucas Mondaca, Luis Galleguillos, Ernesto Cruz, Jaime Morgado and Daniel Muñoz, to name just a few.

Each of these people was generous with their time and knowledge. Thanks to them, I learned these processes.

I have to mention the importance of family support as well. In my case, it has been unlimited. My wife and children have been the main drivers and the pillar for the development of this beautiful career at SQM. The sun is setting in Salar just as it did 20 years ago. Tomorrow it will rise again and I hope to continue to add more pages to this beautiful story along with all of the people who accompany me on this journey.

Photography: Tamara Rebolledo, Álvaro Cifuentes, Mario Sánchez, Claudio Álvarez y Mauricio Olivares.

Design: www.singular.cl Illustrator: Daniela Vergara.

Printing: Ograma S.A. Los Militares 4290, 1er piso, Las Condes +56 2 24252000 | comunicaciones@sqm.com © All rights reserved.

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people were promoted through the Company’s internal mobility program.

2016

2017

12%

SQM saw a reduction in accidents in 2017 compared to the previous year.

03 Briefs BASEBALL IN TOCOPILLA For the third consecutive year, SQM and Fundación Ganamos Todos hosted training camps to give promising young people a space in which to learn about the values of sports. Though we offered soccer and basketball again this year, baseball stole the show and promises to return to the port city, which was once this sport’s capital in Chile, with even more strength.

Two major figures in the world of baseball traveled directly to Tocopilla from the United States: Venezuelans Abel Nieves and Alexis Núñez. The players participated in the official launch of baseball clinics for 2018, which seek to encourage children to participate in this sport with the same enthusiasm they have shown for others (the number of soccer and basketball players has tripled since 2015, attracting 150 young athletes).

“We know that baseball is king in Tocopilla, so we are proud to be part of an effort to boost participation in it,” said Abel Nieves, who plays for the Wichita Wingnuts in Kansas, during his visit to schools throughout the area.

elements such as learning, experience, infrastructure and leadership. The average score for a practicum experience was 6.3 on a scale of one to seven.

Ninety-four percent of respondents stated that they had acquired new knowledge and had positive experiences, 84% said that their direct supervisor provided significant support throughout the process and 95% would accept a position at the Company at the end of their practicum. Soqui ranked sixth and we hope to continue to improve the experience so that we can become a better and better place to work.

25 YEARS IN NEW YORK

A GOOD PLACE TO START We are very happy to announce that according to the latest survey conducted by First Job, a Chilean recruiting platform for young people, Soqui is one of the top 10 companies in which to complete an internship.

The study of numerous businesses was based on the opinions of interns and was conducted between January and March 2018. Survey questions addressed

In addition to our golden anniversary, this year we have reached another decisive milestone in our history: 25 years on the New York Stock Exchange.

On September 21, 1993, SQM issued its first American Depository Receipts (ADRs), the mechanism used to place foreign shares on the US market. This was a fundamental step towards the development of the Salar de Atacama project, which was acquired that same year, and the enormous productive growth and international projection that this has meant for our Company.

In the early 1990´s, SQM had to import potassium chloride in order to produce potassium nitrate, and the price had skyrocketed. Our entry into the Salar de Atacama was initially focused on potassium, as lithium was not an issue at that point.

In search of investors who would trust in the project and take a chance on what was then the KCL plant

proposal, a group of SQM executives and managers traveled to New York in 1993 and issued the first ADRs, marking the beginning of our Company’s success story in the world’s most important stock exchange. Soqui currently has the most frequently traded Chilean shares on the NYSE.

04 Overheard...

“It is a product of the future, and we are lucky to have so much lithium here in West Australia (WA). We not only extract it but also will process it.”

“We are happy to be able to receive this program (Crea+), particularly in mathematics, which is an essential tool for continuing on to higher education.

It is important to highlight Soqui’s commitment to us. Their support will allow students in grades 1 through 8 to strengthen their skills in this area.”

Mark McGowan,

Omar Norambuena Rivera,

Prime Minister of West Australia, during the signing of an agreement between the Australian government and SQM and Kidman to establish a land option for a refining plant.

Mayor of María Elena, at the signing of the agreement that will allow 1,600 students from the Tarapacá and Antofagasta regions to participate in the Math Assistance Program through Crea+.

“We very much like Soquimich from the perspective of its business fundamentals. The Company’s leadership in terms of market, commercial relations and costs will not change. The story of lithium is still being written, and Soquimich is the bestpositioned company on the planet. Chile has rarely had a local company ranked first in a massive global technological change.”

Matías Repetto,

CEO of BTG Pactual Chile Corredores de Bolsa, in an interview on Radio Duna.

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05 Volunteering

SPIRIT OF SOLIDARITY

By Claudio Álvarez Uribe and Tamara Rebolledo Salamanca

Employees from various work sites have been discussing the idea of creating a volunteer group for some time. Today that dream has become a reality and is being channeled through the volunteer program “Lend a Hand to Your Community.”

Soqui employees have always had and shown the solidarity that characterizes us. Mudslides, fires and earthquakes have uncovered the spirit that SQM and its employees have for supporting families that face difficulties. We also have borne witness to the connection that has been built over time with Hogar de Cristo, nursing homes at Christmas time, Antofagasta’s Fire Fighter Telethon, the Chilean Teletón and sponsorship of preschools for disadvantaged children.

All of these activities were conducted in isolation and were promoted by individuals with the support of SQM. This year all of these good intentions have been grouped together with ongoing support and assistance through the corporate volunteer effort “Lend a Hand to Your Community.”

“The amount of interest that the employees have shown is fantastic. They are key to ensuring the success of this volunteer work, because they will be the ones who strengthen connections to the community. Opening up new opportunities for others makes us better people.”

Benito Baranda, President of Fundación América Solidaria.

This initiative is being implemented in all of Soqui’s work sites and offices, offering employees and their families the opportunity to collaborate on charitable projects in three areas: historical heritage, education and social development.

In 2017, a group of employees supported a connection to vocational schools in our local communities. Visits to work sites, motivational talks and technical lectures were offered in Pozo Almonte, María Elena, Toconao, Tocopilla and Antofagasta.

Our employees shared their knowledge and experience with over 800 young people from seven schools.

Volunteering has come to SQM to stay. This year in addition to supporting children from local schools, we also will contribute our time and work to make

Volunteers from Pozo Almonte worked to restore one of the town’s oldest manor homes, which is part of its historical heritage.

improvements to buildings and infrastructure that form part of our historical heritage or to contribute to social organizations to fulfill their goals in the areas of education, athletics, the environment and charitable giving.

In order to strengthen participation, the talk “A Look At Volunteering in Your Community” was offered by the President of Fundación América Solidaria, Benito Baranda, in Salar de Atacama, Tocopilla, María Elena and Nueva Victoria, which had a great response.

To join, please send an email to one of the team members listed below: Nueva Victoria

Carolina.Guzman@sqm.com

Tocopilla

Juan.Perez.Choque@sqm.com

María Elena y Coya Sur

Leonor.Gonzalez@sqm.com

Antofagasta

Melissa.Salamanca@sqm.com

Salar de Atacama y Salar del Carmen

Maria.Zuleta.Rodriguez@sqm.com

Santiago

Gabriela.Gepp@sqm.com

Benito Baranda during one of the talks that he offered for Soqui volunteers.

The first year of the program that connects technical schools and companies that SQM has developed in Antofagasta, Calama, Tocopilla, María Elena and Pozo Almonte ended with a ceremony led by CEO Patricio de Solminihac.

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06 First Person

THE GEPETTO OF THE PAMPA

By Claudio Álvarez Uribe

Hugo Aracena is an experienced man with the soul of a child. As part of that connection to his childhood, he restores and makes toys from the pampa that recall the times of splendor of the nitrates industry. Today he is close to making his great dream of opening a toy museum come true.

He rearranges a few pieces of furniture, cleans up and fine tunes the last few details. He interrupts his routing and walks to the front of his house, where he has been working feverishly for the past few months.

From there, he proudly looks at how his great dream of opening the first pampa toy museum, which he will call “To Remember Is to Live It,” is taking shape.

Nothing is impossible for Hugo Aracena. This Pedro de Valdivia native began to knock on doors to talk about this undertaking three years ago, but his passion for rescuing the childhood of the pampa developed much earlier. He began to collect, restore and build emblematic toys from that time period in the early 2000s. During the splendor of the nitrates industry, playthings were built by hand, a testimony to the great creativity of the parents who lived in what used to be nitrates offices.

Hugo Aracena is a character in the pampa. His art has been featured in the TVN program Frutos del país (Fruits of the Country) and the book Artefactos de la Infancia Salitrera, Cantón El Toco (Artifacts of a Saltpeter Childhood, El Toco District).

Hugo develops his artistic side parallel to his work as an iodide operator in Pedro de Valdivia.

Hugo remembers exactly when he started to develop this art. “When I was part of the Pedro Soccer Association, I wanted to make jerseys for all of the pampa teams out of cans,” he explains. “When I presented the work to the public, I exhibited two toy trucks made out of cans, too. The reaction was incredible: the kids could not take their eyes off of those trucks, and the adults were moved by the memories that the pieces evoked.”

That was the first spark that started a creative process in which he has had to sift through his memories, particularly the experiences that marked his childhood in Pedro de Valdivia. Hugo spent the first 16 years of his life making tin trucks, cars out of recycled jars and other creations from nitrates culture for fun.

In order to make his pieces from recycled material, he would visit the landfills of the former nitrates offices near Pedro de Valdivia and María Elena. “You see can, I see a toy,” he explains. His creations and careful rescuing of the area’s heritage won him a space in the cultural sphere of the pampa. He received donations and toys dating back to 1930 and restored them with the respect that the magic of the original design deserved.

The Pedro de Valdivia Production Department and Soqui Sustainability Department contributed to making the museum a reality, providing and renovating the space that is being used for the initiative.

residents experienced. Stilts, cranes, utensils, pistols and dolls are all part of the exhibit that Hugo will open in the community of María Elena through his “To Remember Is to Live It” museum.

“I put a lot of heart into this art,” the Pedro de Valdivia iodide operator who has worked at Soqui for 38 years explains. “My roots in this land are very deep, and there are many others who travel back in time through these relics of the pampa. I have seen several people cry remembering how magical it was to grow up in the caliche pampa,” the “Gepetto” of the pampa explains.

The museum currently has a vast collection of toys and artifacts from the childhoods that pampa

Hugo uses creativity, talent and skill in each of the pieces that he creates or restores.

In addition to rescuing experiences and traditions from the pampa, the toy artist passes on his knowledge to future generations.

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07 My Other Self

¡OLÉ!

By Tamara Robolledo Salamanca

Andrea Saavedra is a SAP Technical Assistant in Metal Exploration and is known for her sunny, extroverted personality. In this issue of SQM Today, we are sharing another part of Andrea’s life: her passion for music, which has led her to be a member of the Universidad de Antofagasta Women’s Estudiantina—or traditional music group—for the past 15 years.

Andrea has had an interest in music since she was a child, and always stood out because of her voice.

Her first foray into the world of student bands was in 2000 when she was studying to be a legal assistant at Universidad Santo Tomás. She met Marilú, a member of the group Alondra, Antofagasta’s first women’s estudiantina. That was where she began her love affair with castanets, tambourines and bandurrias.

Andrea joined SQM 12 years ago in what used to be the Mining Development Area. “SQM is a great school, because you are constantly learning. The same happens with estudiantina groups, and I love that,” Andrea explains.

She says that the first estudiantina or Spanish tuna that came to Chile was Fígaro in 1884. Although these groups were comprised solely of men in Spain, Chile became home to groups made up of relatives, men, women and professional organizations.

In 2003, the group Alondra maintained some of the traditions linked to male tunas, such as scholarships and belts. It was then that ten girls, including Andrea, broke away in order to create a group that included women only. The passion of the “knives” as they were called because of this incident, led them to create the Universidad de Antofagasta Women’s Estudiantina.

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SQM today

Fifteen years have passed, and today the group has 12 members and three generations of active participants. The band has become known for expressing emotion and feelings in their repertoire, showcasing all of their happiness and elegance on Chilean and international stages.

Today, Andrea is the director of the group as well as one of its singers and plays multiple instruments.

“Our group is a family made up only of women. It is an experience and a way of life,” she explains.

This Antofagasta native is the oldest of three and says that she loves romantic music like the songs that her group plays. “We break away from classic approaches because we are women who play love songs,” she explains. Most of her co-workers are men, and she stands out because of her good-naturedness and the work environment that she cultivates. Talent and perseverance have been an important part of this music group, which features Latin America folkloric music, paso doble, happiness and beauty in its songs and dances.

08 Global Clients

JAPANESE TRADITION

By Carolina García Huidobro Hokkaido Island beet fields meet 25% of Japan’s sugar demand.

The beet fields on Hokkaido Island have bloomed with Soqui nitrates for nearly a century. The Hokuren Agricultural Cooperative is the Company’s oldest client and one of its top five fertilizer buyers. This is a very unique story.

The Ravages of War Hokkaido means “the route to the sea from the north.” It is Japan’s second largest island, and represents nearly a quarter of the country’s surface area. It is similar in size to Atacama and is famous for its mountains, beer and winter festival.

Japan’s officials started to become interested in saltpeter, or Chilean nitrate, as it is called in Japan, in the mid-19th century. The first on-site test of the benefits of Chilean nitrate in beets were conducted by the Japanese government in 1870 in the Tokyo prefecture. The first commercial importation of the product to Japan for which we have records was conducted by the Hokuren Farming Cooperative in 1921 to Hokkaido Island for use in beet crops. These imports continued and have increased ever since, and new products have been added that were developed especially for the Japanese market, such as Nipomag. As our Company celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, the commercial relationship with Hokuren nears a century of history.

Hokkaido Island meets 25% of the country’s sugar demand. Its 58,000 farmable hectares and 7,161 small farmers focus on beet, a crop that is protected and subsidized by the government because it is very important for the island’s agricultural economy. Those small, medium and large farmers do not sell their products individually. They only do so through cooperatives, the largest of which is Hokuren.

The entire process is very Japanese. The same soil is planted with beet and then wheat or another crop during the following seasons until beet returns. This is called crop rotation. Hokkaido has two months of snow in the winter. The early spring is cold, and the initial growth phase for the plants is crucial. The nitrogen that comes from nitrate is thus very much appreciated and effective because it does not need to be transformed so the plant can immediately absorb and utilize it.

All of the plants need nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to grow. The beet is one of the few species that can meet a good part of its potassium needs through sodium, which is why sodium nitrate meets its nitrogen and potassium needs at the same time.

In fact, in Japan there is a sort of knowledge passed down from farmer to farmer that holds that “the beet plant prefers sodium nitrate.”

The Japanese company Mitsubishi has acted as a nitrate import agent since 1936.

The shipments only stopped during World War II, when Chile and Japan broke diplomatic relations and Mitsubishi closed its office in the Port of Valparaíso. The Chilean product could not be imported until 1951, which had serious consequences for a defeated Japan, which had been invaded by the Allies. Due to the insufficient supply of fertilizers, both foreign and domestic, its inhabitants saw a drastic reduction in food production.

In 1951, the companies Shin Nippon and Taihei imported 4,000 tons of Chilean nitrate for the Hokuren Cooperative. The product was transported on the Norwegian ship the Poly Crown and arrived in the Port of Otaru on April 12. The photograph of the unloading of Chilean nitrate appeared in all of the country’s newspapers. The news illuminated the dark years of post-war reconstruction as a sort of proclamation of the recovery of agriculture capacity and normalization of life in Japan.

Mitsubishi reopened its Santiago office in 1955 and the relationship with Hokuren has only improved since then. In 2001, the product Nipomag (potassium nitrate + magnesium), which had been developed especially for Hokuren, was added to the portfolio.

SQM currently produces around 11,000 tons of nitrates per year exclusively for this Japanese agricultural cooperative. Although the price has increased over time and official Japanese government tests have confirmed that the sodium chloride from other sources of nitrogen provide practically the same benefits as Chilean nitrate, Hokkaido Island farmers prefer and believe in the effectiveness of Chilean nitrate. In accordance with their culture, they strongly value tradition and maintain the farming practices that they inherited from their parents and grandparents.

Furthermore, the Japanese government believes using the Chilean product is part of its agricultural cultural heritage and supports the farmers’ decision through subsidies. SQM honors the historical value of this nearly century-old partnership and is willing to continue to produce the product just for them.

A committee comes to the plants and the Port of Tocopilla twice each year to inspect the production of sodium nitrate. The product continues to be exported in bags under the old name Chilean Nitrate, and now in maxi bags of 1,200 kilos. This is a singular case of product loyalty that has survived wars, embargoes, mergers and over five generations of Chileans and Japanese.

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09 At Work

Roberto Lira

A MAVERICK IN NUEVA VICTORIA

By Mario Sánchez Pérez

Just like in the famous 1980s movie, his aircraft—DJI Matrice—crisscrosses the skies of the Tarapacá Region. This time it is not fighting an enemy. Instead, it is gathering data that can be used to make mining processes more efficient.

Nueva Victoria Statistics Operator Roberto Leonel Lira Ojane tends to drive around in his red mining pickup truck just like any of the ones you might see in northern Chile. But lately, he also has been taking to the skies as the pilot of his DJI Matrice.

transformed mining processes. For example, now one can measure distances, level curves, photogrammetry of large areas, homogeneities in irrigation, irrigation designs, improving the timing and planning of work projects with more data.

While he talks about the use of new technologies, he looks at the skies, carefully calculates the wind direction and considers all of the data that the immense skies of northern Chile let him see.

“It is like having a PlayStation, Switch or Xbox 360°pad,” Roberto says while he clicks on the photographs that the drone takes from 600 meters west of the truck.

“But instead of competing on a soccer field or racetrack, we are making mining efficient using technological development.”

He quickly gets out of the vehicle and takes out a black case. Inside is DJI Matrice, the aircraft that has traveled with him everywhere for the past few months. He starts to assemble it on the truck while he explains the conditions necessary to launch it.

Height, wind speed, autonomy, apparatus speed, the circuit to be traveled and estimated flight time. While he controls the drone, he watches his tablet, which starts to provide him with detailed images of this mineral-rich area.

Little by little, the truck’s silhouette disappears, giving way to the immensity of the desert, and the buzz of the blaze is lost in the silence of the wind. Evaporation ponds and plants appear in the distance amid the vast expanse that houses Nueva Victoria’s operations.

The technology that the DJI Matrice uses combined with an X5 DJI camera allow Roberto to know precisely what to do and how to calculate and plan using empirical data. The information and technical knowledge accumulated have

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Roberto Lira makes sure that everything is in order so that he can start flying the drone.

SQM today

Roberto is a millennial, a term used to refer to young people born in the digital age. He is 28 years old and uses all of the wonders of technology to add value to his work. He remembers that he proposed each opportunity that he had to include these leaps forward into his work and offered to do so personally by teaching himself. He was sure that it would pay off because the potential to increase data meant improving vision and decision-making.

An alarm suddenly interrupts us. The 35 minutes of autonomy are ending, but the drone has been able to capture -and analyze- a surface area that is so broad that it would have taken several days to cover it by land. A pickup truck appears on the screen along with our silhouettes, the noise of the blades interrupts the conversation, and Roberto precisely guides the drone to the landing area. Once it has landed, he will analyze the statistics in the calm of his office.

10 My Name is…

ALVARO HENRÍQUEZ

By Mauricio Olivares Pizarro

SQM’s Hydrogeology Superintendent and the vocalist from Los Tr3s share a name and a passion for music. Learn how their stories and lives intersect.

In the mid-1990s, a band from Concepción took up the space vacated by Los Prisioneros. Four young music lovers in a band called Los Tr3s broke onto the Chilean rock scene with songs that would become true hymns for an entire generation.

Lead by Álvaro Henríquez Pettinelli (voice and guitar), the group began to perform throughout the nation’s capital and in locations across the country thanks to the success of their eponymous album Los Tres (1991) and Se remata el siglo (1993). They achieved national and international acclaim with the album La Espada & La Pared (1995).

During that same decade, but in Santiago, another rock band that was led by a musician with the same first and last name as his Concepción-based counterpart began to develop his first songs, performing covers from such diverse heavy metal sources as Metallica, Pantera and Sepultura.

With lifelong friend Marcelo Ruiz, Álvaro Henríquez began to acquire his first fans at “Yoyi’s Band” performances at Andrée English School in the La Reina district of Santiago. Álvaro Henríquez Salazar—our Álvaro Henríquez—is the Superintendent of Salar Hydrogeology. He holds a degree in geology from Universidad de Chile along with a master’s degree in sedimentology. He first caught a glimmer of the seriousness of his passion for music in 1991, when he was a freshman in high school and decided to form a band. This musical initiative was much more than youthful enthusiasm.

He has been very active ever since, now under the name Cabrón.

“Our inspiration was initially hard rock,” Álvaro explains. “But over time, we expanded to ‘softer’ branches. We have also updated our playlist, composed our own songs and changed the original formation.” Álvaro remembers that this love for music was mainly inspired by his fourth grade music teacher, Benito, who put a wooden guitar in his hands and taught him to play his first chords and positions.

me to keep playing and to teach myself more,” Henríquez says.

Face to Face Álvaro and his band played in bars and festivals throughout the Metropolitan Region and “although we weren’t really talented, we kept up because of our attitude and hard work.”

In regard to music and stories about his ‘famous double,’ our Álvaro Henríquez says that he always heard, “You have the same name as…” He listened to Los Tr3s a lot as a student even though it wasn’t his style because of this. He respects the band’s legacy and of course has never forgotten the time when they met face to face. “When I was a student, I was working an event, which was common. I had a badge with my name on it,” he recalls. “Suddenly, ‘the other Henríquez’ came up to me and said ‘Hey, you have the same name as me!’ I responded seriously, ‘No I don’t!

You have the same name as me!,” he says, laughing.

“I gradually became fascinated by the instrument and discovered that it didn’t take me long to learn the chords they taught us in class. That motivated

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11 Cover Story

01

years histories

SQM was officially founded on June 29, 1968, as a result of the merger between Compañía Salitrera Anglo Lautaro, the Chilean government, Compañía Victoria and Corporación de Ventas de Salitre y Yodo. We inherited a long history that recalls the splendor and decline of nitrates. A half century ago, we only produced iodine and sodium nitrate, but the effort, vision and will of so many workers and executives made it possible to reinvent the nitrates industry into five exciting business lines with solid global leadership in iodine, lithium, specialty fertilizers, potassium and solar salts. Here are 50 stories that represent thousands of men and women who are and have been part of Soqui.

Patricio de Solminihac

THE CAPTAIN

02

Juan Alfaro

“DON” JUAN ALFARO

Juan Álfaro is the Maintenance Superintendent for Heap Leaching and Evaporation Ponds at Nueva Victoria. He has been with Soqui for 29 years and definitely seems like a happy man. He can usually be found having lunch in the Nueva Victoria cafeteria, almost never alone. You’ll find him wearing a smile and a Bluetooth headphone in one ear that is practically a part of him.

Juan’s door is always open, and people know that they can count on him and ask him about anything, whether personal or professional.

Patricio de Solminihac has led Soqui for the past three years. He has managed to handle very difficult times with decisiveness and precision thanks to his character and work ethic, which have always helped him overcome any problems that arose.

He was used to being the top student in his class and took on this crisis at SQM as a personal challenge. He created a roadmap, organized his teams and worked tirelessly to explain to every worker that we would emerge from this period stronger and that Soqui was much more than a conflict unleashed by “the invoice case.”

“It has been a very hard period emotionally and professionally, but believe me: we will overcome it and will be stronger for it,” he repeated in every conversation and speech. This conviction comes from knowing every detail of the steps that the Company has had to take to leave the problems behind. An executive who has known De Solminihac for years says that his optimism “is due to study and discipline, not chance.” He is serious but not grave, and takes on even the most critical moments with a good joke and hearty laugh.

With 22 years at SQM, he has more than enough experience with and knowledge of each area of the Company. “In spite of that, he is always open to new things,” explains José Miguel Berguño, VP of Human Resources and Performance. Very disciplined and hardworking, he leaves no email unanswered, takes notes on everything, delves into every issue until he understands it and follows up on every detail. “He is one of those people who says, ‘Yes, but…’ Because if you give him good arguments, he lets you but then reviews everything, even the appendices,” Berguño explains.

Personable and empathetic, he knows how to fit in anywhere. One indicator of this is his surprisingly diverse collection of ties, which includes one with the periodic table of elements. He wears them with the same aplomb as jeans and safety boots when he visits the sites to check on the progress and talk with workers.

There is no doubt that he would be the captain of a soccer team. He is a sort of sweeper like Lothar Mattheus who organizes and moves the entire team, covers the whole field but lets others play. He mobilizes and creates cohesion.

“He was definitely the right man to manage this crisis,” another executive notes. “His style, low profile, happy disposition, friendliness, discipline and hard work have shaped this Company. In some way, Soqui is a lot like him.”

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SQM today

His workers feel that he takes them into account and appreciates them, and they say that he communicates that to him in every meeting, talk or encounter with him. “He is almost like a teacher.

He tries to teach us, to make people see that affection,” a member of his team explains.

That’s how Juan Álfaro has won the respect and affection of the staff at Nueva Victoria. As his employees say, Juan earned the title of “Don,” because of a virtue that is seldom seen nowadays: humanity.

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Leonor Lisoni

THE PORT LOOKOUT

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Mario Rojas

A COLLOSUS OF IODINE

During his 38 years with the Company, Mario Rojas Parra has been a witness to and participant in Soqui’s history and with it the evolution of the iodine production process. His entertaining stories are a “living treasure” of key moments at Pedro de Valdivia.

He initially joined the Company as a Plant Chief for leaching, screening and iodine at Pedro de Valdivia. From there he moved to the Projects Area and SQM Process Research Center where he contributed to two major milestones. “Iodine production is a fascinating science,” the executive notes. “In 1998, we produced better quality iodine and also developed a prill format that looked similar to a corn leaf.”

He has a great nose and a knack for facing adversity. For example, in 1988 the three iodine production plants in Pedro de Valdivia were destroyed by a major fire. Four days later, Mario and his team were making iodine again. They had activated an old plant that had been considered a relic. “That same year, Union 5 went on strike,” he recalls. “100% of the operators stopped working, and the supervisors decided to keep production going, and we did it.”

Leonor Lisoni is like the fairy godmother of Tocopilla. She does not have a special plaque, but she is the first to “fly” to give workers there a hand. Quick, agile and precise, when someone needs help with a problem, her name immediately comes up. She knows every movement of the port in detail, and will always offer a solution to any problem or emergency based on her years of service.

He was the Operations Manager at Pampa Blanca, Assistant Manager and the Manager of Operations at Nueva Victoria, Nitrate and Iodine Manager for Region II and has held the position of Operations Manager at Pedro de Valdivia since 2015. “This position has seen me face a development that was painful for me personally: the partial closure of Pedro de Valdivia, a work site that I love because it was my school as a professional and as a human being,” Parra explains.

Lisoni has just celebrated her 34th year of service at Soqui. She has seen men who arrived as young people become noteworthy executives. “Juan Carlos Barrera, Carlos Díaz, José Miguel Berguño, Alejandro Bucher, Daniel Pizarro and many others… they all came up from Santiago when they were very young,” she says. “I always tried to help them with whatever challenge they were undertaking.”

Leo studied keyboarding with a focus on secretarial work in Iquique. Her father encouraged her to apply for a job at Soqui in 1983 when she was working as a cashier at the emblematic Supermercado Colón. She witnessed the evolution of the port after the arrival of the Internet and digitalization. “The directions I received for my first job were: ‘Here are seven sheets of paper and seven carbon sheets. I need seven copies of a collective agreement,’” she remembers, laughing.

Her experience has turned her into a point of reference and strategic ally for the Company. “She has played a key role in all of the services that make our day-today work possible and that seem invisible,” notes National Logistics Manager Rodrigo Jansen. “Leo has been important for the transfer of knowledge to all of the new workers involved with port operations.”

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Viviana Zeballos

A BRAVE WOMAN Viviana Zeballos, a Lithium Evaporation Pond Operator, traces the paths around the large emerald green ponds that fill Salar de Atacama with the aplomb of someone who knows the terrain well and has achieved what she has through hard work and tenacity.

The mother of two—Catalina, 16, and Jesús, 13—joined our Company in May 2015. She had spent a few years delivering pizza and then driving vans and trucks to distribute merchandise to supermarkets. But she believed that she could take on more, and one day she decided to sell her motorcycle, leave her children in the care of her sister in La Serena, and head to Calama in search of a better future for her and her children.

“Those were tough times,” she recalls. “It wasn’t common for women to have those jobs then.

Fortunately, I was persevering and managed to get in as a truck driver at a Salar contractor company. I stayed there until I got a spot to apply and was eventually hired by SQM.” “La Vivi,” as she is called, was the first woman to serve as a pond operator at Salar de Atacama. She says that she is proud of the work that she has done and very grateful for the support of her colleagues and supervisors.

“Today I can say that I am at the best stage in my life. I feel happy to have learned and made progress on one of the tasks that they have assigned to me. But more important than that is that I was able to open the door to many other women so that they could do this sort of work at this site and others throughout the Company.”

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11 Cover Story Manuel Vega started working at the port almost as a family tradition. His father, a port worker, invited him to Tocopilla after he completed his military service in Antofagasta because they needed temporary workers. He agreed to it begrudgingly, and never left.

Manuel Vega

THE PORT IN HIS DNA

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He has spent three decades at the port now, and currently serves as Tocopilla Operations Supervisor. He is the third generation of his family to be connected to Soqui.

He has been a faithful witness to the evolution of SQM’s port terminal. “Everything was very picturesque in the 1980s,” he says. “We used to dive off of the pier and swim behind the boats. We wore shorts, short sleeved shirts and canvas shoes and we had to carry 50 kilo bags.”

His first role as a temporary worker was to unload potassium chloride (muriate) from the ships when Salar didn’t produce it and it had to be imported. He became Pier Chief in 1995 and was hired as Cover Chief in 2002. That job involved controlling the loading of bulk and packaged product onboard the ships. He often had to use Spanglish to coordinate with the ships’ captains.

Manuel is a character in Maritime Operations. His colleagues value his experience and skills, great storytelling and excellent sense of humor. “The port is in my DNA,” explains this Tocopilla Port sea lion.

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Noemí Pérez

A UNIQUE WOMAN In 2011, Noemí Pérez was one of four women who began to drive high-tonnage trucks at Pedro de Valdivia.

Her route started in the El Lagarto mine, from which she transported caliche ore to the crushing area. She transported an average of 96 tons of mineral per trip.

She came to María Elena from Ovalle with a lot of hopes. She dreamed of becoming a heavy machinery operator. She traveled to Antofagasta on the weekends to train while working as a cashier in a supermarket or for catering or cleaning services. She achieved her goal, and arrived at the mine in Pedro in 2011 to operate high-tonnage equipment just like she had said she would before she left Ovalle.

However, in 2015 she was notified that Pedro de Valdivia would partially close, and thought that the site’s restructuring would limit her career. Like many of her colleagues, she was pleased to find that that was not the case. Noemí took a job in industrial protection under the administration of the María Elena Accommodation Facilities. It was all completely new to her, but she took on the challenge and became the first woman to serve as a security guard.

“I’m the only woman in my area, just like at Pedro de Valdivia,” she says. “I feel loved and protected by my colleagues. I think it is a concrete example for women that we don’t have limits and that we can reinvent ourselves when destiny puts obstacles in our way.”

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Sebastián Parada

FROM SALT FLAT TO SALT FLAT

Sebastián Parada Prado, the Superintendent of the SQM Salar Mine, has been working in metallic and nonmetallic mining for 18 years. He studied mining engineering at Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH) and joined SQM in January 2005 as a supervisor in what was the Borate Superintendency. He soon transferred to Salar de Ascotán, 40 Km from Ollagüe on the Bolivian border, where he was Mine Chief for Boron production and the only Chilean among 59 Bolivian miners.

Ascotán has extreme weather conditions including lots of wind during the day, very dry afternoons, belowzero temperatures all year and snow that left the workers cut off from the world several times each year.

“Ulexite was extracted manually, and you had to work with a shovel, pickaxe and wheelbarrow,” he explains.

Sebastián studied the feasibility of implementing a mechanized extraction project a little further north at Salar de Carcote, but the difficult terrain made it impossible.

He returned to Soqui, to Salar de Atacama in August 2006 and has been able to apply all of his knowledge and experience in the salt flats through his various roles. Most recently he has provided support for training future operators from the Exar-Cauchari project that the Company is developing in Argentina.

“Each salt flat has its specialty, its unique conditions. Each one has taught me something, and I hope that I have also left something behind and continue to do so,” he says. “Salar de Atacama is the one that fascinates me the most. The landscape, colors and enormity of it win you over, but the best part is the people. We are different, and I think that is why many of us come back.”

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Viviana Calderón

AN AGENT OF CHANGE

Born in María Elena, Viviana Calderón grew up looking at Coya Sur as a possible place of employment. She never considered moving away from María Elena.

She studied chemical engineering at Universidad de Antofagasta and after earning her degree applied for a job at Soqui in 2012 as Processes Engineer in what was then the Finished Products Unit.

Viviana has made the most of every minute and every opportunity. She had enough skills to sporadically step in for the Drying and Prills Plant Chiefs. The team at M1 had their eye on her and recruited her to be part of the agents of change team.

In 2016, when the Coya Sur Operations Unit implemented the Lean methodology in all of its areas, Viviana became an Ongoing Improvement Change Agent in M1 and was tasked with mobilizing ways of doing things better at Coya Sur. Coya Sur is now a national point of reference in the mining industry for the implementation of the Lean methodology, and Viviana has been important part of that process. She is proud of the progress that she has made with M1.

Viviana says, “Ever since I updated my position on LinkedIn and said that I am a Lean agent of change, the number of views of my profile have increased exponentially. I receive invitations and questions from academics. This is undoubtedly the methodology of the future, and I am honored that they thought of me as someone who could contribute to transforming Coya.”

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Claudia Aguilera

THE BOSS OF SUR VIEJO

Jorge Sobino

THE SALT FLAT PARAMEDIC

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Originally from Concepción, Claudia Aguilera studied civil metallurgical engineering at Universidad de Concepción. She never imagined trading her green, leafy, humid southern home for the extreme desert conditions of northern Chile, but she did not hesitate to take advantage of the opportunity when it presented itself. Claudia originally had a very clear idea of what the future held for her: she wanted professional development and big challenges.

The issue was not one of geography. So she joined SQM in 2017 to take on her first job far from home and her family but full of hope.

She had originally visited the Nueva Victoria iodine work site in 2016 as a thesis student who wanted to apply her knowledge to the mining site as part of her thesis project. By January 2017, she had been hired as a Processes Engineer at the Iris Plant. In less than a year, she had been offered a job as Evaporation Pond Director at Sur Viejo.

Claudia won over “the guys” by treating them with respect and being able to motivate them. “She has shown that she is very willing to learn,” explains Sur Viejo Superintendent José Miguel Varela. “Claudia is in a stage of understanding, processing and touring because you can’t learn everything in one day here. She knows that ‘the guys’ have a lot to teacher her, and that is key.” “No one is ever taught how to be a boss, especially if you are a woman. I have learned over time with everyone’s support, including that of SQM, which has been shifting paradigms in this area for a long time,” says Claudia, who is now one of the four women leaders at Sur Viejo.

He is not a miner. He does not work in operations or maintenance, a laboratory or food services. He works in healthcare. Jorge Sobino Benavente has been with our Company for over 22 years and is part of the scenery at SQM Salar. Born in Concepción but an adopted son of northern Chile, this Salar paramedic, known as “Don Jorge,” makes sure that everyone stays healthy.

He is the father of two girls and has been married to his beloved Silvia for 28 years. He is friendly and has a great sense of humor. Jorge, known as “Choche,” is 58 years old and says he has always been a traveler, which is what brought him to explore many places in Chile.

“I started out working in hospitals in Talcahuano and Concepción. Then I worked in places all over Chile in companies in the construction field. My first experience in northern Chile was Collahausi, which is right on Soqui’s doorstep,” Sobino recalls.

As a paramedic, he is responsible for the health and wellbeing of all of the workers at Salar de Atacama and ensures that the health centers are stocked so that they can respond to accidents or illnesses. In some cases, he treats injuries when accidents occur on the highways and roads adjacent to the work site. As the Secretary of the Joint Committee on Hygiene and Safety, he stands out as a pillar of the organization. He is also a big fan of Soqui: “SQM is tattooed on my skin and my heart. I am proud to have been part of this team for so many years.

I owe everything I have personally and professionally to my Salar.”

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11 Cover Story Óscar Cruz

THE STEWARD OF THE PAMPA

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Carlos Díaz

A BOSS LIGHT ON BAGGAGE

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VP of Iodine and Nitrate Operations, Carlos Díaz, is a leader who very much represents our times. He is personable, empathetic, laid back, open and very pragmatic. “I met him fresh out of college, and he was a great colleague,” recalls Myriam “Mymo” Cardemil, who has worked as the Secretary of the Fertilizer Sales Area her whole life. “When he took on leadership roles, he did so very collegially. His teams do everything for him because they love and respect him.”

He is popular without working at it. “He has a great personality. If you have to ask him for help, you know it will be an easy call to make,” explains another high-ranking executive at SQM. “Carlos facilitates things, and everyone knows it.”

Carlos earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Universidad Católica and has worked at SQM for 22 years, “and that’s more than the 18 I’ve been married,” he adds with a smile.

He was 24 when he arrived and is now one of the executives who knows the Company best. He has held eight different positions in very different areas: sales, finance, logistics, planning. He has worked in Chile and abroad, in Santiago and in the northern part of the country. “I like working at SQM,” he says. “It is a unique company that gives people opportunities to grow. The best part is how we develop production and sales processes in an effort to achieve excellence at the lowest cost, combining creativity and austerity.” Óscar Cruz worked as a waiter at the mythical Chilex Club, a popular social club at the Chuquicamata camp. When he was just 17, he decided to try something new and got a job as a waiter in Pedro de Valdivia. Time passed and the tips were slim, so at 22 Óscar decided to trade in his tray and orders for boots and a helmet and become a miner at Pedro.

It was at that time that he fell madly in love with Erna Pereira, the girl from the pampa he would marry in secret. “I was really nervous. My in-laws thought I wasn’t good enough for their daughter,” he says, recalling that first love.

Carlos is a simple man. He is happy to live a few blocks from the office, commuting on foot or on the subway, almost always with a backpack on his shoulder. He spends the little free time that he has with his family—his sons are 14 and 15—and working out; he runs two or three times a week and also cycles and plays soccer. He is a fan of Colo-Colo and goes to lots of games. And he loves taking his wife out.

“Nothing crazy,” he says. “I like the simple things in life. I think that’s why I fit in so well at Soqui.”

But Óscar was good enough for both his marriage and his job. He and Erna now have three children and have been married for 30 years. He has been equally faithful to his job. He was formally hired by Soqui in 1982 and is still around, playing the role of the Butler of the pampa. Óscar started out as a Plant Operator at the Pedro de Valdivia Granulator, where he worked for five years. The site’s restructuring led him to start a new life in María Elena as a waiter in Rancho 5 when the facility was used as a residence.

Since then, he has taken the reins of the Directors’ House and its Annex. He works as a steward, meeting all of the needs of Board members, international clients and the many people who visit and stay in this historical house at María Elena. He even dresses up on special occasions.

At the Annex, he is in charge of providing services to the managers who live there from Monday through Thursday. He chuckles as he explains that, “Mario Rojas, Cristian Pizarro, Mauricio Olivares and Carlos Díaz are like my kids. I’ve known them for over a decade. I know what they like, their moods, their sense of humor and I try to make sure that they have everything they need during their stay.”

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Irma Vera

DETAIL ORIENTED

Irma Vera is the Head of the Salar del Carmen Packaging and Dispatch Area, and has served in that role since 2009. She is an accountant by profession, has worked for 21 years at Soqui and has spent all of them in her beloved Salar del Carmen. Today she is responsible for supervising and coordinating the various types of lithium products that the Company sells to over 230 customers on six continents.

She was always very close to her parents, especially her father, Moisés Vera Vidal, a police officer who served for 30 years and taught her order and discipline. Irma studied at Liceo Comercial de Antofagasta and was a stand-out student in accounting and costing at Universidad Católica del Norte.

She was first hired as a Human Resources Assistant at Soqui and then worked as Administrative Chief and Management Unit Director. She currently is part of a team of 69 people that handles quality control. It is detailed work and is conducted under the watchful eye of the Commercial Area Director, who manages relationships with customers around the world and knows their requests and requirements in great detail so that the physical and chemical blends that they make will be correct.

“Ours is a very dynamic area that covers lots of different pieces and actions simultaneously. We have to carry out a wide range of processes at the same time, such as packaging, dispatch, recovery, grinding and screening.”

Irma is married and has three children. “I love my work and the fact that the Company gives us a chance to learn and continuous growth opportunities.”

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11 Cover Story Myriam Cardemil

MYMO’S MAXIMS

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Her name is Myriam Cardemil, but everyone calls her Mymo. She is well-known at the corporate office in Santiago, especially in sales. She has been the secretary to the Vice Presidency of Sales for over 30 years, and is the queen of the fifth floor.

Her authority is not just due to her long history at the Company and her skills. She has a special gift of good energy and humor.

Myriam has had a sunny disposition since she was a child. Originally from Viña del Mar, her parents called her “Fluff.” She lived near Cerro Chorrillos and spent lots of time with the kids in the neighborhood. “We had a great time. We always played with go carts. It was great. Everyone knew me and I had a fantastic time.”

She came to Soqui in 1986, replacing a friend who wanted her to hold the spot during her maternity leave. Myriam had been working in a tourism agency, and everything was new to her. In the end, her friend never came back to work and Myriam fell in love with the Company. “I got here when the sales offices were downtown on Calle Olivares. Then we moved to Moneda, Huérfanos, Miraflores and then Escuela Militar. I saw everyone come in when they were recent college grades, and almost all of them were single: Patricio de Solminihac, Daniel (Jiménez), Juan Carlos (Barrera), Ricardo (Ramos)”.

Mymo is a wise woman, which has given her an ability to take on adversity. Ten years ago, after months of reflection, she and her partner of 20 years decided to part ways. They realized that they loved each other very much and were friends but had decided to take very different paths. “During that process, someone told me not to add years, but to subtract them,” she says with her classic smile. “That changed how I looked at life. When you add up the years, they seem like a lot. But when you subtract them… you force yourself to live life to the fullest.”

That was when she decided to start working on her spirituality, studying and practicing alternative therapies linked to reiki and massage. “It has helped me

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and has allowed me to help other people. I wake up and go to sleep happy and spend most of the time looking at a glass that is half full.”

Hernán Álvarez

HERNÁN’S FORMULA decades at Soqui, Hernán Álvarez has used a secret recipe: (K+A)*A =Success, which means knowledge plus ability multiplied by the right attitude equals success.

A graduate of the Chuquicamata American Mineral School and School B-8 in Calama, he learned this formula for paving the right path when he was just 18 and joined the military, in 1982. It was his parents’ dream. Sergio and Miguelina had taught him that he should always do his best regardless of the type of trade or work he did. “Military discipline was key for me. I am grateful for that important stage in my life,” Hernán explains. “The knowledge that I acquired in the Antofagasta Explorers Armed Cavalry Regiment—from which I graduated as first reserve sergeant—allowed me to become aware of aspects that I hadn’t appreciated such as order and discipline. That has helped me in my personal life and professionally.”

His father worked at the Codelco Chuquicamata Foundry for 21 years and he worked for nine years in various companies that partnered with Minero Mantos Copper until SQM asked him to work at Salar de Atacama as Plant Mechanic in 1996.

He was promoted to foreman in 1998 and then as First Maintenance Area Supervisor. In 2001, he became Shift Chief and later Plant Maintenance Chief.

In mid-2017, he became the Superintendent of Salar de Atacama, and was given that role at Salar del Carmen in June 2018.

He worked for years to achieve goals that he says would not have been possible without the sacrifice of his parents and help of his wife, Verónica, and children Rodrigo and Matías, as well as every member of the teams he has been on.

He has only been the Plant Maintenance Superintendent at Salar del Carmen for a few weeks, and he has brought his formula with him. During his over two

“I learned from my time in the military to value the principle of always being prepared for combat and having the best trained soldiers. I am lucky to have always have had that type of person next to me, people who believed in me, who have my back and have helped me take on these battles,” Hernán noted.

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11 Cover Story Alfredo Cádiz

Alfred Cádiz is SQM’s general counsel in Antofagasta and has been with the Company for 34 years. He started out at María Elena when he was asked to join the legal team in the newly formed Mining Property Office. Chile’s Mining Code went into effect in 1983, and the Company had to build out projects for the next 20 years in accordance with the law.

THE ATTORNEY

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He came to northern Chile in 1984 as a recent graduate of Universidad de Chile Law School with his wife, and the two soon welcomed their children, Dania and Alfredo.

Cádiz now leads a team of five attorneys who handle mining, labor, property, easement and water law issues. “I have been through over 20,000 trials with this Company,” he notes.

Alfredo says that he is a history buff. “Tarapacá and Antofagasta are the result of the increase in nitrate taxes that caused the War of the Pacific,” he explains. “Modern Chile is part of SQM’s history. We have developed technology and innovation and are pioneers in the reinvention of the nitrate industry.”

His love of knowledge has led him to be a Mining Law professor at Universidad Católica del Norte for 22 years. He teaches law using practical cases because his goal is to develop students’ logical and conceptual skills. “I am very disciplined. I have protocols in place for my work because I believe that rigor is more important than intelligence,” Alfredo says.

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Cristian Vásquez

THE INSPIRING BOSS

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Pamela Mamani

THE MINING MAMA

Pamela Mamani Challapa is always smiling. It is just part of her. It does not matter where she is or what time of day it is: she is always about to break out into that laugh that has become a part of daily life at Sur Viejo, where she shares her work space and experience with her mentors, Alejandro and José Miguel.

Pamela was born and raised in Iquique, but her ancestors are Aymara from a town called Cancosa in the district of Pica. She followed in the footsteps of her engineer father and teacher mother, who specialized in intercultural education, and studied chemical engineering at Universidad Católica del Norte.

Pamela started her work at the Nueva Victoria Iodine Plant and moved to Sur Viejo after a few years to work as a process engineer at the solar evaporation ponds.

Leading is not the same as giving orders. A true leader creates connections, wins people over and shows empathy. NPT3 Plant Chief Cristián Vásquez Rodríguez knows how to carry out his work with rigor and seriousness without ever losing his sense of humor or his humanity. The operators he supervises say that he is an “approachable, professional and motivating boss.” They even say that he has become a source of inspiration for reaching goals and addressing the area’s production challenges.

“Respect is the most important value. I always try to maintain good communication and a pleasant environment for my team because this is undoubtedly reflected in the plant results,” explains Vásquez, who holds a degree in chemical engineering from Universidad de Antofagasta.

Father of Benjamín, Amaro and Rafaela, the NPT3 Chief has held this position for six years and has faced difficulties. For example, the plant’s 2016 productivity and accident rate results were less than optimal. Cristián remembers that the team’s spirit had declined and everyone had to take on the major challenge of correcting the problems. But operational improvements were made, his operators were encouraged to engage in professional development opportunities, and he motivated the group. And all of that hard work paid off: NPT3 turned itself around, achieving record annual production of 381,000 tons in 2017.

He says that his two great loves are Coya Sur and his wife, María José, whom he met when she was working in the lab. Vásquez lights up when he talks about his family and the effort it takes to leave home to travel to his work site.

“But once you get to María Elena you start to feel better because the work environment is so great,” he says. “If I had to do it all again, I would still choose Soqui,” he says.

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SQM today

This professional responsibility comes in addition to her work as mother to four year-old Julián. Like many moms at the work site, she has to balance work with family life. But Pamela has the support of her own family and her husband, Iván. “I do not say ‘He helps me’ because Iván fully shares in the responsibility of being a parent. He is an exceptional man,” Pamela says.

She also has a great deal of support at work. “I have learned a lot from my colleagues’ experience and it will be part of my own on the road to professional growth that I am building. I am always focused on the future,” she says.

Pamela Mamani takes every day as a challenge that she just cannot pass up.

Her supervisor, Nueva Victoria Ponds Process Chief Alejandro Lara, highlights her ongoing commitment and effort to balance work and motherhood. “She is an example of life and sacrifice. She motivates other people and shows that it is possible to be a woman, a mother and a professional.”

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Cristian González

THE SINGING GUARD

“Under the sun and the stars/ so that you can extract abundant minerals from them/ leaving your childhood behind/ leaving behind the footprints you will not erase… Hard-working man and mine/ and a man in love, far from your woman/ who appears at night a prisoner…”

These are some of the lyrics from the song “Nitrate Knight” by Pampa Health and Safety Department Chief Cristian González. He composed them and decided to share them for the first time at the ceremony for the partial closure of Pedro de Valdivia in 2015, which was an important moment for him both personally and professionally. His performance moved the audience, which was captivated by the strength of his voice and the chords of his acoustic guitar.

His vocal talent dates back to his childhood, when his mother, María Reygada, a music teacher at the María Elena School, began to encourage his ability. As a teen, Cristian joined a few bands, including the tropical music group “Fuego” and then “Los Barata,” in which he experimented with rock. At 16, he was regularly performing at music festivals like “La Pampa Canta en Primavera,” where his debut performance earned him an unexpected third place.

When he entered his final year of high school, he thought seriously about going to a conservatory, but gave into his concerns about the life of an artist. Instead, he chose the field of risk prevention, earning a degree and starting a meteoric career at Soqui. But Cristian never turned away from music, and continued to perform on new stages.

In 2010, he took a chance and performed at the María Elena Festival, where he placed first thanks to his experience and vocal technique. This opened the way for him to participate in the “El Faro” festival in Chañaral.

In 2014, he represented his hometown of María Elena and won first place at the “El Velero” festival in Huasco.

Cristian has been the Pampa Health and Safety Department Chief since 2015. His challenge as the team leader is to implement a new prevention-oriented approach that is more connected to operations and integrated as a support network in the various teams, modeling safe practices. Together with M1, Cristian González is a voice of change in safety culture.

Palmenia Mollo

A PIONEER IN A TRUCK

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She came to Nueva Victoria a few months ago, but she has spent seven years covering most of the operations in northern Chile in high-tonnage trucks. “Her experience is evident in the safety-conscious way that she approaches the work and ease with which she joined the team,” says her supervisor, Carlos Irarrázabal.

Palmenia dreamed of working at the Iodine site. Why? She was looking for a professional challenge and wanted to be near Pintados, her hometown and the place she chose to raise her family.

“I was really insistent. I applied last year and they called me after a few months to give me this opportunity,” the driver says. “It was really important for me to be close to my family, especially my young daughter, and this work site is 25 minutes from my house.”

Palmenia says that she has been welcomed with open arms and feels very much a part of the team. As she says goodbye, the immense Komatsu truck begins its ascent. She might not realize it, but she is making history: she is the first female high-tonnage truck driver at SQM’s most important work site in Tarapacá.

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Nolvia Cuevas

MS. MANAGEMENT

Having spent nearly 46 years with SQM, Nolvia is the heart and soul of the Executive Residence in Antofagasta.

She has welcomed the majority of the Company’s executives to the team with her characteristic elegance, including some who have passed away. “I’ve known many of them since they were young men and have watched them come up through the Company and raise their families,” she says.

Nolvia graduated from Universidad de Chile with a degree in public administration in 1972 and immediately joined SQM’s Customs Department as a secretary. “That’s where I received my first paycheck. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was for $1,830 pesos.”

She also worked as a port agent, with the Finance Sub-Department and the Auditing Department before being transferred to Santiago. From there she moved on to the Human Resources, where she currently works.

“She is very committed,” says Andrea Balcarce, the Superintendent of Labor Relations. “In fact, she often follows up on questions that are asked of her that are not her responsibility. She has networks, a great work ethic and is very professional,” says Deputy Manager of Remunerations Mario Salgado, adding that Nolvia, “knows all of the ins and outs of the Company, and that is something you gain through experience.”

She has spent her entire career at Soqui. “This has been a lifetime engagement that I have performed with loyalty and sacrifice for this Company, and I only have words of affection and gratitude,” says Nolvia. She knows that she is headed towards the end of her professional life, but far from letting it get her down, she hopes to successfully bring this stage of her life to a close so that she can begin another one, enjoying her family and particularly Ignacia, her only granddaughter.

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11 Cover Story Milton Leiva

Milton Leiva knows the port like the palm of his hand. He has worked here for 34 years and is one of the most experienced workers at the site.

THE SEA WOLF

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He made a name for himself soon after joining the Company in the mid-1980s when he and three colleagues put together a presentation on Soqui’s business lines, port performance and operations for representatives in new Chinese markets. “We spent an entire week working on the flip chart day and night,” he recalls. “After a few months, we realized that it had been worth it because the Company started to export the first bags of product to China. We received a thank you note from the CEO.” Milton is a technical drawer and began working in the Maintenance Department, where he was part of the Projects Area. His responsibilities included inspecting the railway that ran from the port to Pedro de Valdivia to measure the wear and tear, adapt new railway cars to the trail or width of the local line, and manage the unloading of new trains imported from Canada.

Soqui has been his only employer, and he has taken on many challenges. For example, he was the leader of the union for 18 years, a role that he performed alongside his operations work.

Milton is now part of the Maritime Operations team, where he has promoted and led the process of overhauling the department through the implementation of the new Lean management tool 5S. Milton is a wise sea lion with vast experience that is nurtured by his boundless energy: “I’ve got lots left in me, lots of cloth left to cut,” he smiles.

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Natalia Pizarro

NATALEAN PIZARRO

The M1 Deputy Manager responsible for implementing Lean in the Office of the Vice President of Potassium Lithium Operations and Santiago came to SQM after applying for a job on the website. “I was pursuing two other positions at the time, but SQM was quick. They called me on Monday, interviewed me on Tuesday and I started that Friday.”

Natalia Pizarro earned her degree in industrial engineering at Universidad de Santiago and was working full time at SQM just two months later.

She started out as a Management Engineer responsible for support areas. Six months later, she moved on to Mine Operations Management at Nueva Victoria. “Nelson Torres was coming into the Company and asked for support for the person who was responsible for managing the mine. I went to learn but I had to do it quickly because they needed immediate support,” Natalia recalls.

Five months later, her position was expanded and she became responsible for crushing as well. In the blink of an eye, she was in leadership at Nueva Victoria and then took on performance management for the Vice President of Iodine and Nitrates. She spent a total of three years there. When she was sufficiently familiar with Nueva Victoria operations, she was named Technical Assistant Manager of the site and took on responsibility for studies, the investment plan and the pilot plant.

She spent another three years there. The Company restructured in 2010 and she returned to Finance to work with José Miguel Berguño on the implementation of the Lean methodology. “I took over the M1 pilot for the Coya Sur circuit. Once that was complete, I took on Potassium and Lithium and then moved on to Santiago last year.”

Natalia is mother to a daughter named Agustina and married a sailor that she met in Iquique named Marcelo Sandoval two years ago. “I’m the Commander in Chief at home,” she jokes.

Just like at Soqui, where she has been the Commander of M1.

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Keila Oyarzún

THE HABITABILITY ENGINEER

Keila Oyarzún oversees maintenance of 600 residences for employees and their families at María Elena. She is a civil engineer and works as the Camp Projects and Maintenance ITO in this historic northern town. She oversees a supervisor and four specialists—a carpenter, a plumber, an electrician and a worker with multiple skills—each shift, an average of 20 repairs each day.

This sort of maintenance is important at María Elena because the buildings are older. Most requests involve structural repairs, the drinking water system and changing electrical circuits.

Keila is also responsible for maintaining the Pampinos and Guggenheim residences; Ranch 5, which is where single employees used to stay; the control posts; the Executive Residence and its annex; the cafeterias; and the various shared and recreational spaces provided for employees. Her biggest challenges have been replacing roofs on the houses impacted by the flood that hit Tocopilla in 2015 and the expansion of the Coya Sur cafeteria.

Originally from Iquique, Keila joined SQM six years ago to work at the Nueva Victoria site. She was transferred to María Elena after a year. “It was a surprising change that offered me a great opportunity to grow professionally,” she says. “The work is very dynamic. We cover lots of issues and that makes the job really exciting for me.”

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Paola Zepeda

THE FIRST LADY

Bags leave and bags come, from the bagging machine to the storage facilities. With great precision and skill, Paola Zepeda oversees the Packaging Area. She operates a forklift and manages the transportation of the final product, which will be loaded onto ships to start its journey to another part of the world.

Paola had worked as a temporary worker at SQM for five years until her manager saw her potential and hired her to implement the automatic bagger at the port, a process that made the product packaging process much more efficient. During that period, she received excellent news: an invitation to become the first female forklift operator at the site.

“I took on the challenge with a great deal of enthusiasm, although it involved the sort of anxiety that comes with any big change,” she says.

In spite of the prejudices that existed regarding a woman taking on this type of work, she never questioned it. Paola is proud that she has been the first woman to take on a traditionally male position. “I love challenges, and breaking into a male-dominated field was one that I could not turn down,” she says with a big smile.

“She is a virtuoso at the wheel and we admire how brave she was to take on this challenge and always lead the way,” says one of her colleagues appreciatively.

She has had to make sacrifices, such as leaving her nine month-old son Luis in the care of his grandmother, but she always knew that the effort would pay off. “I feel more secure and fulfilled,” says this Tocopilla native who is now the breadwinner in her family.

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María Fernanda Stumptner

A LITERARY ENGINEER

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David Olivares

A RENAISSANCE MAN

Literature creates, clarifies and opens worlds… it builds reality, no matter what form it takes. From Monday through Thursday, María Fernanda Stumptner is a Contracts Engineer at Nueva Victoria, but in her free time she puts all of her intellect and creativity into children’s literature.

In mid-2014, she had been unemployed for over six months. This led María Fernanda to reinvent herself. She wanted to find a way to make a living doing something she loved.

It was then that she made the saying “every problem is an opportunity” come true, uncovering a hidden passion that she had never explored. It was completely different from what she had been doing, but it inspired her to go in a completely new direction. With more questions than answers in her head but with a great deal of the new María Fernanda—the writer—was born.

Since then, she has published five illustrated books, most of them geared towards teaching children about mining. Two are bilingual texts—Pintando aprendo Minería and Yo Aprendo Minería—that highlight the importance of copper, with its uses and applications, the open pit and underground systems and on-the-job safety. She also has written an inclusive children’s book called Las señas de Gaspar, which talks about sign language.

María Fernanda is a valued member of her team on the work site. It is common to see her eating breakfast, lunch or dinner with her colleagues. Though she is the only woman and has a soft, serene style, her voice is very much present in her professional life. Just like here literary voice.

David Olivares Díaz is one of those people who makes the most of everything.

Whether it is working as a Chemical Researcher at SQM, where he has had a noteworthy career, or as an athlete, dancer, scientist, musician or breadwinner.

He has put his heart and soul into all of this. Originally from Maule, he majored in industrial chemistry at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, where he was the top student in his class. He won a National Commission for Science and Technology (CONYCIT) scholarship and pursued a doctorate, again focusing on chemistry and graduating summa cum laude.

He also met the woman who would become his wife, Karen Bello, at his alma mater. The two moved to Antofagasta and started careers at Soqui together, he in research and she as a Laboratory Manager. Together they also joined the Company’s folk dancing team. And David has made a name for himself on the volleyball court, representing SQM in his favorite sport in the local league.

There’s a saying that “everything in life is chemistry,” and when the Olivares Bello family came to northern Chile, they found a way to stay. “Soqui provides opportunities for professional growth,” David says. “It is important to have your family’s support if you want to stand out. You also have to have good leaders and team members. I have been fortunate enough to have all of that.”

David and Karen have two children, Amanda and Juan Pablo, their “most precious treasures.”

Life has given a great deal to David Olivares, but he has given a lot as well. He was one of the first to register for the Company’s Educational Volunteer Corps in order to open up professional and labor opportunities for local young people.

He and his team immediately enrolled in the initiative, which involves giving technical and motivational speeches, tours of laboratories and internships for students at at-risk schools in Tocopilla, María Elena and Antofagasta.

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11 Cover Story Beatriz Oelckers

BEATRIZ’S CHEMISTRY

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The rigor and responsibilities of her job never take away her smile, which is the first thing anyone notices about her. Beatriz Oelckers is always upbeat and positive, drawing on the discipline she inherited from her German ancestors.

Héctor Cifuentes

THE WINEMAKER IN THE DESERT

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As the Manager of Quality and Regulatory Matters, Beatriz has to ensure that the products that SQM sells meet quality standards, overseeing every detail of the production and sales process in accordance with the regulations in place for international markets.

Her great grandparents moved to Chile from Hamburg, Germany, arriving in Calbuco with the first wave of immigrants that Vicente Pérez Rosales encouraged to populate southern Chile. They came to work in the lumber industry.

Though she did not initially realize this, her history was linked to SQM long before she joined the Company to work as the Analytical Development Chief in 2004. She did not know it, but her Great Uncle Germán Oelckers had sold railway ties for the nitrate office trains.

On her mother’s side, her Swiss ancestors emigrated from France to Basel to escape persecution by the Huguenots. Her great grandparents then moved to Viña, where they were well known for their gardening. There is even a park in Valparaíso that bears her mother’s last name: Jardín Suizo Pumpin.

Beatriz did not always want to study chemistry. Her top choice was geology, but the universities in Viña did not offer that program, so she went for formulas.

She completed an undergraduate degree and master’s degree at Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, and stayed on as a staff member for a few years.

Avid for new knowledge, she enrolled in a joint doctoral program offered by Universidad Católica de Valparaíso and York University and then worked as an Associate Researcher at UCV for four years.

All of this was prior to joining Soqui.

“I had never been to northern Chile, and SQM’s offer came at a time when I was planning to make some sort of change,” she says. “The combination of those variables led me to pack my bags and leave without really thinking twice.”

It was a difficult decision because her family lived in Viña, and moving forward with Beatriz’s plan would involve a radical change. So they went about it in a different way: her husband Roberto stayed in Viña and traveled to northern Chile on the weekends. “Everyone supported me. That was the key. Even my nanny took a chance and came with me,” she says gratefully.

The salt air of the trips he took with “Yeyé,” his beloved grandmother, at Punta de Tralca and the summers that he spent with his cousins on fertile properties in Huepil near Chillán had a big impact on Héctor Cifuentes, currently Manager of the Agricultural Promotion Office for the Atacama Tierra Fértil (ATF) Program at SQM. It all began with his decision to study aquaculture engineering at Universidad de Antofagasta.

He had inherited this love of nature from his grandfather, who spent a lot of time working farmland in the southern Chilean towns of Yungay, Tucapel and Huepil.

As a recent graduate, Héctor worked in abalone and scallop farming in Caldera, Tongoy and Chiloé and in salmon farming. When the aquiculture industry weakened, he studied automation and industrial control engineering. He soon developed various automated risk and photovoltaic systems for agricultural use. He would go on to apply all of this knowledge when he joined Atacama Tierra Fértil (Fertile Land Atacama) in 2012. SQM develops the initiative through various projects in the towns of Talabre, Socaire and Toconao. There, Héctor supervises the cultivation of alfalfa and development of the well-known wine Ayllu.

Cifuentes starts his day in the field, touring the desert vineyards and supervising vine management, irrigation and fertilization.

“The main challenge was the cultural change for the processes,” he says.

“People have been making “criollo wine” or “church wine” here for hundreds of years, but it was a rustic process. Thanks to SQM’s approach, the work has become more professional, which has allowed us to highlight the unique characteristics of this product without losing aspects of Likanantay identity and culture. Today it is a high-altitude wine forged in the Atacama Desert and made by local residents.”

Héctor Cifuentes promotes progress while being respectful of Pat’Ta Hoiri (Mother Earth) and the value of Atacaman culture. He also works in a local school in San Pedro for “co-op” students, giving them knowledge and tools that will allow them to find a better future for them and their families in agricultural development.

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Javier Silva

“THE PROFESSOR”

Corporate Projects Manager Javier Silva has played a very “special” role in handling the series of conflicts that impacted SQM starting in 2015, mainly the CORFO and invoices case. An industrial engineer specializing in bioprocesses with a degree from Pontificia Universidad Católica, Silva is 34 years old and has spent ten of them at Soqui. For the past three years, he has concentrated on organizing all of the information on these cases, maintaining contact with the Company’s legal and operations areas in order to respond properly and promptly to the various agencies, avoid distracting the organization with the conflicts and allowing Soqui to keep moving forward in spite of the crisis.

His silent but strategic work makes it possible for others to do their jobs and has an impact on the organization, and this is very much in keeping with his character. Laid back, up-beat and very generous with his time, Javier is one of those people who everyone wants next to them on the bench or in the office.

Javier studied at Colegio La Salle in his home city of Temuco and always won top prizes for both academics and good character. He has been called “The Teacher” ever since because his classmates would fill his house trying to learn from him on the days before tests. Javier laughs as he tells his stories, explaining that teaching others was “his way of studying.”

Silva continues to be generous with his time and knowledge at Soqui, and his colleagues have recognized him for it. His family still has land in Chile’s IX Region, which is where he developed his love of animals. He currently shares his home with a schnauzer, a dachshund, two geckos and a bird cage full of zebra and gouldian finches, intense and brightly colored specimens.

His office, where he manages hundreds of print and digital files each day full of tables, graphs and legal cases, is much different. But regardless of the scenery, Javier does his work with a great deal of dedication and good cheer to spare.

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Cecilia Pinto

THE METEORIC RISE

After studying administrative secretarial work at the Liceo de María Elena, Cecilia Pinto applied for a job at Soqui in 2003 and has experienced a meteoric rise ever since. She started out as a secretary in the Railway Maintenance Area and performed her job skillfully. She was then promoted to the Pedro de Valdivia mine, where she left behind administrative work and took on a strategic role as a programmer and planner. There she was responsible for setting up the maintenance activities schedule and planning the use of material resources for the execution of work at job sites. Her main responsibility was to maintain equipment in working order, as even a small issue could directly impact the operational continuity of the Pedro, María Elena and Pampa Blanca plants.

Cecilia was always the only woman on the various maintenance teams. She arrived at Coya Sur in 2014 and found this to be the case once again. There she took her current position as a planner at the NPT3 plant.

Her responsibilities include examining costs, reviewing investment initiatives and projects and monitoring maintenance at work sites.

Her talent, dedication and professionalism were the key to opening various doors. As Cecilia developed at Soqui, she discovered that maintenance is her passion. She is now a business administration technician with a focus on finance and intends to pursue an engineering degree as well in order to balance her level with that of her colleagues in terms of academics—she already has the experience and technical knowledge.

“I have job stability at Coya Sur, and living in María Elena allows me to enjoy time with my daughter and family every day. I have everything I need to be happy,” she says.

Andrea Figueroa

AN ENGINEER WITH TASTE

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“Andreita,” as SQM Salar Quality Advisor Andrea Figueroa is affectionately called, speaks slowly and seems very approachable. She is one of the pillars of the Salar de Atacama Staff Camp professional team. Her work might go unnoticed, but not for the workers’ palates. Andreita coordinates everything related to food and nutrition for the work site’s three cafeterias. She is always looking for a way to introduce attractive options, suggesting new activities or innovative details, which everyone who eats there appreciates.

Andreita holds not one but two engineering degrees—one in food from Universidad de Antofagasta, and one in commercial engineering from Universidad Arturo Prat—and her main objective is to ensure that the workers eat healthy foods and feel comfortable. She is always trying to offer flavors that make them feel at home like the “traditional” ajiaco soup and “tasty” legumes plus the ever-present mixed salad.

Born and raised in Antofagasta, Andrea has spent eight years “continually learning and improving based on a great deal of effort and overcoming many challenges,” she says, noting that her supervisors have given her constant support, as have all of her colleagues and the people who use the cafeterias.

Since she joined the team at Soqui, she has received various gestures of gratitude and recognition for her work, but the most important of all is the workers’ smiles. So if you have a chance to visit Salar and you see Andreita while you’re having lunch, give her a smile!

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11 Cover Story Her Soqui story is practically a family tradition. Karla Inostroza, who holds a degree in chemical engineering from Universidad de Antofagasta, is the director of the Salar del Carmen Lithium Lab. She has worked with our Company for 17 years and belongs to the fourth generation of Soqui employees in her family.

Karla was raised listening to people talk about Soqui. It started when she lived in María Elena for nine years, where her great-grandparents had come to work during at the peak of the nitrate industry. Her grandparents would follow in their footsteps.

Karla Inostroza

THE NITRATE LEGACY

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“My grandfather Abel was a train conductor,” she explains. “My other ‘tata’—Manuel Inostroza—was a crossing guard for the railroad and my grandmother, Ana Siemsen, worked at the María Elena Hospital and competed in a beauty queen contest when she was 17,” Karla explains, adding that there is still a photograph of her on the wall of the town’s Philharmonic Museum.

Her parents carried on the tradition. “Don Nelson” was an administrator in the accounting and payroll office at Pedro de Valdivia until 1988. Her mother, Ana Barraza, was a phone operator in the late 1970s, and her uncle, Eduardo Barraza, was trained as a chemist in the laboratory at María Elena.

Karla lived with her grandparents in Santiago for ten years and then returned to northern Chile to attend Universidad de Antofagasta. She was invited to work at SQM even before completing her studies. “My entire family has been connected to Soqui, and I am carrying on that tradition,” she says. “I would have liked for my son Paolo to do so as well, but he plans to become a soccer player. I hope he makes his dreams come true just as I have at Soqui.”

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Ximena Aravena

THE FLAMINGO MOTHER

Héctor Espinoza

THE PHOENIX

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The diagnosis was Stage 4 terminal gastric cancer. The specialist who gave Héctor Espinoza the news described his case as a miracle because he could not understand how this silent cancer was living in the body of the Project Management ITO for over two years, compromising his left lung and liver.

“I had a few complications, but I thought it was something simple. I went to the doctor just to be sure,” Héctor remembers. “The endoscopy results suggested that something was off, and they did the biopsy that same day. When they told me that I had advanced cancer, my world fell apart, especially when the doctor told me that I should already be dead.”

There was not much they could do. Héctor was not sure that he wanted to follow the oncologist’s treatment plan because he thought it would be a waste of time. He was supposed to start chemotherapy, but instead of traditional treatments, he was to undergo 50 hours of very aggressive sessions. The specialist was trying out new treatments and warned Héctor, “I do not know if your body can take it.”

The story that connects Ximena to Soqui dates back more than ten years to the moment she was hired by the Company in 2007 after working as an environmental consultant for various Chilean firms for four years. However, her love of nature was formed much earlier, when she joined the Chilean Scouts and Guides Association at the age of 12.

She had had excellent math skills since she was very young, but biology was the discipline that led her to study forestry engineering at Universidad de Chile.

She has worked as Environmental Chief for the Office of the Vice President of Potassium Lithium Operations since 2013, which means that she oversees compliance with current legislation, monitors the commitments made, and handles environmental monitoring at the Salar de Atacama and Salar del Carmen work sites.

However, the activity that stole her heart and has made her popular at Soqui is her observation and care of the flamingos. Xime is behind each and every photograph of these beautiful animals, observing and recording every detail that allows us to learn more about these gorgeous birds of the altiplano.

“The best experience was monitoring the reproductive habits of flamingos that live in the Salar de Atacama basin, which I began to do in 2007,” she tells us.

Ximena is grateful for life, nature and especially her parents, Alberto Aravena and Gladys González. “Thanks to their efforts and sacrifices, I was able to become a professional and appreciate the importance of studying for personal development.”

This lesson has pushed Ximena to continue to study and learn new skills.

She has completed environmental planning and environment and water pollution certificate programs and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in environmental law at Universidad del Desarrollo.

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After 15 sessions, the phoenix began to take flight again. The scans provided encouraging results: the metastasis in his liver had disappeared, as had many of the cancer cells in his lung, and still others had been encapsulated. The gastric cancer had shrunk considerably.

Héctor had been out of work for nearly a year. He had lost 20 kilos and had radically changed his lifestyle. Today his illness is controlled and he returned to the Company full of enthusiasm a few months ago. Together with his wife, María Barahona, and his two daughters, he is recovering from the sudden blow.

“I thought I would not ever go back to SQM, but I am here, and I am happy. I am deeply grateful to my colleagues Gerson Salas, Mauricio Olivares and Carlos Díaz, who supported me throughout this difficult process.”

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Macarena Yugovic

THE EVENTS MINISTER

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Kimlin Mitzu Fong

ASIAN DISCIPLINE

As her name suggests, Kimlin Mitzu Fong Zuleta is Asian on both sides. Her father’s family is Chinese and her mother’s is Japanese. There is no doubt that this legacy of Asian discipline has marked her career as an engineer at Soqui, making her an exacting professional who is also very observant and patient.

Kimlin is currently the Iodine Research Director, and has recently taken on responsibility for studying and promoting a series of measures for improving the Company’s iodine plant processes.

This process has required rigor and a deliberate, detail-oriented approach.

“Before the Lean system was introduced, the proposals came from the top of the pyramid,” she explains. “Today they tend to come from the workers themselves, and that requires knowing how to listen and observe, which is something that I had to learn over time,” Kimlin says.

She has been part of the substantive and formal changes that have come with M1, the methodology that came out of Japan. Kimlin has encouraged workers to develop improvements and has helped make them materialize.

With a smile on her face and her classic, “How can I help you?,” Macarena’s story at SQM started 11 years ago on the Communications Team. She arrived as an enthusiastic journalist from the newspaper El Mercurio de Antofagasta after having traveled the world for three years as an entertainment coordinator for cruise ships.

Today she lives with her husband and her son Joaquín in Santiago, but every week she travels to Nueva Victoria or Coya. As the M1 philosophy suggests, it would be impossible for Kimlin to be an all-terrain mom and an engineer without order and organization.

Macarena Yugovic knew how to take the best of that experience into the various roles that she has taken on at Soqui: first in the Communications Area, then as Camp Director at Salar del Carmen, and now as the coordinator of all corporate events under the Office of the Assistant Manager of Compensation and Organizational Development. Her mission is to bring happiness to employees and their families.

Yugovic, of Croatian descent, has shared the past ten years with her husband Paul Beltrand, a fan of technology, computers and Star Wars. Their family was completed by their son Lukas, who was named after his mother’s grandfather and is, of course, a wink to the protagonist of his father’s favorite movie (Luke Skywalker).

In honor of their geek culture and enterprising spirit, Macarena and Paul founded the first theme bar in Antofagasta, Epic!, which focuses on video games, pop culture and board games. “Maca” is a dreamer who sees opportunity where others see obstacles and takes them on with a smile and a great attitude, always willing to surprise us and bring the fun.

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BELFOR TRANQUILO

Belfor Tranquilo does not need anyone to tell him how to produce nitrate. He’s seen it all. And he is not just another name at the Coya Sur site. He was born at what used to be the Chile Nitrate Office, and he started working as a per diem employee at the Alemania Office 80 kilometers from Taltal when he was just 15.

In 1976, Belfor moved on to Pedro de Valdivia and found out about an up and coming career: he started to work as a mechanic assistance and then a shift mechanic, dispatch director and then shift director at the Granulator Plant.

Belfor joined the Coya Sur Prills team in 2007, and is currently an operator at the plant. There he became an expert on the evolution of the nitrate production process. During the days of the Alemania Office, he was part of the nitrate production chain under the Shanks system. He learned the Guggenheim method at Pedro de Valdivia. At Coya Sur, he has been a faithful witness to the industry’s reinvention through the production of potassium nitrate.

His history and knowledge of every aspect of Prills made him one of the most experienced workers at Coya Sur, but he had a very unique form of added value: his boss is none other than his son, Belfor Tranquilo Jr. “When I found out that my son would be the Plant Lead Operator and my boss, I was overcome with a lot of positive emotions,” Belfor Sr. says. “I am proud to see him develop and I try to be a foundation so that he understands that I have a little more experience,” says the 43-year Soqui employee confidently.

When asked about his last name, Belfor tells us a story. “I should be named Belfor Treuquil. From what I understand, my name was written wrong in the Civil Registry. It was a sensitive issue for my father, so he took the details about it with him when he passed away,” explains this father of three, who recently celebrated 41 years of marriage to Tocopilla native Miriam Tapia.

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11 Cover Story Alejandro Echeverría

THE REFEREE

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Alejandro Echeverría was an eyewitness to one of the great milestones of SQM: the first shipment of potassium nitrate to China. But his time at Soqui was also marked by other milestones that no one at Soqui ever anticipated.

Alejandro spent part of his childhood on a piece of land at Paradero 48 in La Florida on the outskirts of Santiago.

His father, a bank employee named Mario, and his wife Guillermina decided to make their dream of living in the country come true. They were productive years for Alejandro. He studied at Liceo 17, enjoyed taking science classes and had a group of good friends in the neighborhood. They played soccer together until the sun went down and they had a cycling club with all of the bikes painted the same colors.

He loved sports but did not have the discipline to practice for hours. “I was bad at soccer but I always liked playing,” he confesses, “So I chose to be a referee so that I could keep the connection alive. I enrolled with the ANFP and I really loved it.”

He remembers everyone telling him he was crazy and teasing him. “I was one of those guys who insulted the refs at the stadium on the weekends, so I knew what I was getting into,” he recalls.

The course he had to take was offered at night far from his house, and the demands of his university studies kept him from continuing on this path. But it has been clear in his work given his focus and cordiality, and the fact that he never has to raise his voice.

Once he earned his chemical engineering degree from Universidad de Chile, he worked at CAP in the Vallenar mining affiliate and later as planning and oversight director in a plastics Company. He joined SQM as the Industrial Nitrate and Iodine Sales Chief. He was building his career at Soqui when he was tempted to try out working as an export manager in the pharmaceutical industry. One year later, he was back as a product manager, Sales Director for South America and finally Product Manager Director for the Office of the Vice President of Iodine, Lithium and Industrial Chemicals.

“I have two marriages with SQM that together represent 30 years. We took a little time off, and I felt the emptiness and decided that I was serious about this team,” he says, half joking.

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Wilfredo Sepúlveda

THE DRIVER

Although the secretaries say that he can be moody and a bit grumpy, Management Driver Wilfredo Sepúlveda is like American-style yogurt: very sweet at the bottom.

People who know and trust “Wil,” as his close friends call him, know that he likes joking around and loves soccer.

A fan of Colo-Colo, he enjoys long conversations with passengers and fellow ColoColo fans like Juan Carlos Barrera, Carlos Díaz, Rodrigo Maffioletti, Pablo Altimiras and Gerardo Illanes, with whom he always talks sports.

Wilfredo came to Soqui in 1999 as a temporary worker for the firm that the Company used for security at the time. One year later, he got a full-time job at the Company’s Santiago corporate offices because he liked Soqui.

He became a group leader, supporting current boss Juan Rivera on building administration tasks and joined SQM’s treasury area in 2010 to do administrative work. He was in the fines office in 2011 and became a driver in 2013.

“It was new to me. I had been a pedestrian,” he says. “It was a quick, radical change because the driver they had needed surgery.”

The hardest part was navigating the streets, “because we did not have Waze back then,” he jokes. He rode with Eduardo Barraza for a while to get used to the routes, and one day he had to go out on his own.

“My first task was to take Mr. Patricio de Solminihac from the airport to his home.

I knew the route a little, but not at night. I was really nervous, and instead of heading east, I went west,” he says. “Don Patricio is always working on his cell phone, and without looking up, he said, ‘Dude, I think you made a mistake.’ I nervously reversed course. A few days later, he remembered it and we both had a good laugh.”

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Every Monday, Wilfredo leaves home at 3 a.m. to drive the executives who head to northern Chile for work. That day he goes home early to rest and catch up on sleep. “Rest is important for my safety and that of my passengers.”

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Frank Biot

THE ENTREPRENEUR

Belgian Frank Biot, our Vice President of Sales, Potassium and Nitrates, is an important character in SQM’s story.

He played a key role in the Company’s commercial development and operation over the past 30 years thanks to the vision and willingness of an executive team that knew how to implement innovation and technological development and change Soqui’s direction.

SQM fertilizers were sold in 40 countries in 1985. Today they reach 110 destinations. Eighteen of these also have NPK soluble blend plants to meet the specific needs of local markets. Frank’s creations began in 1992 with the placement in Amberes, which allowed us to join and compete in the fertilizer industry.

He came to Soqui at the age of 27 to create and develop the sales area and seek out new business, and he has without a doubt been a major driver. He took part in the closure of offices that did not meet production expectations including the London Office (five floors in the city that included a restaurant) and holed up in a small office in Amberes from which he directed the global reconstruction of the sales area. He opened the first new office in Spain and markets in Indonesia, Taiwan, the Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, Italy…

“Frank is always looking for more,” says Eugenio Ponce, who describes him as “a person with great leadership ability, organization, and most of all a great entrepreneur.”

“We do not have competitors in formulation or tailor-made services,” Frank says. “We’ve sold 640 different blends in Turkey alone! That came from traveling, observing and blending. That’s how we realized what the market needed. That pioneering culture is very much present at SQM.” Frank’s family life is also intense and demanding. He is married and has 13 year-old twins who are well-known tennis players in Belgium. “Tennis is a family passion that takes up all of our free time,” he says. “I hope that at least one of them can play international tournaments over the next few years.”

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Solange Edith Arroyo

SECURITY OF STEEL

Juan Carlos Barrera

THE CHIEF

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Juan Carlos Barrera has been the Vice President of Potassium and Lithium Operations for over 11 years and has been with SQM for 27. He has successfully led the growth, innovation and technological development that has taken place at Salar de Atacama and Salar del Carmen in an effort to more efficiently respond to the frenzied demand for lithium in the world market.

Juan Carlos has always set high goals for himself, first at Chile’s Instituto National, then as an engineering student at Pontificia Universidad Católica and at Soqui, where he has sought out many different ways to solve complex problems in record time. For example, he and his team opened the MOP GIII plant in just 11 months, more than half the time the experts predicted they would need.

He has approached the numerous production milestones posed to him with the same hard work and passion, and has brought the same energy to challenges outside of his work life, including his role as a fervent Colo-Colo fan, which takes up a lot of his time.

She was born in Talcahuano, opened her wings in Concepción, put down roots in La Serena and found her place in Antofagasta. Solange Edith Arroyo Salazar has been a Risk Prevention Advisor at SQM Salar for ten years. She learned and grew into one of the most important tasks that a mining Company must take on at that site: the safety and care of its workers.

His dad started taking him to the stadium when he was just three or four, and he is continuing that tradition with his own 18 year-old son. He never misses a Colo-Colo game—he travels to away games and even international matches.

He recognizes that he becomes a different person on game day. “I have a ton of superstitions and I yell and even cry when I am at the stadium,” he says. He also shows his allegiance to his team outside of the stadium. “I was one of the people who spoke at the meeting when the club went private… I like it so much that if I did not have my job at Soqui, I’d love to be the President of Colo-Colo.”

She has had this vocation from watching her father work when she was a little girl. “I think it is in my DNA. My father worked in the Huachipato steel industry for 39 years, and when I went to work with him I saw the risks and the security measures that had to be implemented in that industry. It was almost like talking about a minefield for me.”

“Thanks to this experience, I realize how important safety is at every mining site. Fortunately, these sites have been safe, and we are very much focused on this at Salar. It is a non-negotiable value,” she says.

Although she misses the foods and aromas of southern Chile at times as well as the proximity and affection of her family, she says that she feels at home at Salar, and “very much loved and valued.”

“La Sole” is so focused on security that she is also part of the “Suri” emergency brigade, a group of 150 volunteers that works to protect and ensure the safety of all of the workers at the site.

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11 Cover Story Juan Carlos Órdenes

ORCHESTRA DIRECTOR

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Francis Suárez

THE ARTISTIC ENGINEER

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Ever since she was little, Francis Suárez, the Salar del Carmen Plant Implementation Team Coordinator, knew that mining would be her life. She fondly recalls spending summers with her grandfather in Vallenar when she would tour the gold and copper mines that he managed at the tender age of nine.

As a young woman, Francis would help her “Tata” Juan with his Company’s administrative work. “Those experiences shaped me, and I look back on them with a lot of affection and pride,” she says. “I learned about mining, the deposits, mining work and especially ‘the guys’ and their hard work.”

She lived in Copiapó for several years and studied at the Escuela Técnica Profesional, where she participated actively in ceremonies and founded the rhythmic gymnastics academy.

After a few years living in cities throughout the Atacama Region, she settled in Antofagasta to study Civil Engineering in Metallurgy at Universidad Católica del Norte. There was no rhythmic gymnastics course there, but she enrolled in the dance school.

Since he joined SQM as a contractor in 1996, Juan Carlos Órdenes has shown that he had “piano fingers.” As he moved through positions at María Elena, Pedro de Valdivia and Coya Sur, this chemical civil engineer wrote his own score, which he is now confidently presenting as the Director of the Coya Orchestra.

Juan Carlos is the Operations Superintendent for this site, where his main task is coordinating and synchronizing the joint efforts of the eight production units under his management: PTS, Muriate-Dual, Crystallization, NPT2, NPT3, Pills, Drying and Ponds. Each one contributes to the production of potassium nitrate, Coya Sur’s star product, which has made Soqui a global leader in the specialty fertilizer market.

“Developing these skills makes us more sensitive, whole people,” she says. “It is a way of life that we enjoy as a family. I am learning to play the piano now, and my children study at the Liceo Experimental Artístico de Antofagasta, where the most important thing is developing multiple forms of intelligence through art.”

Francis joined SQM in July 2001 to complete an internship and then her thesis. A year later, the Company hired her as a metallurgist for the new Salar de Atacama Laboratory. She spent time at MOP GIII, Carnalita and on other projects and was added to the Agents of Change team in 2013.

“Soqui believed in me and gave me the opportunity to grow, to do what I like and to develop. I am committed to contributing my ‘grain of sand’ to continue to build a better future for our Company,” Francis says.

Juan Carlos has put a lot of heart and a lot of thought into the development of the project. As a processes engineer he took on the challenge of creating and standardizing the first productive processes in 1998. “We started to define the variables and indicators that would allow us to meet the production goals we had at the time, and those became the foundation that we use today,” he says.

One year later, as the NPT1 Plant Chief, Juan Carlos achieved record production. By 2000, he was leading the NPT2 plant, and a decade later he had been promoted to Director of the Coya Sur Operations Department, where he took on the challenges of activating the new NPT3 plant. He continued as Superintendent of Operations at Pedro de Valdivia and after that site’s partial closure returned to Coya to take his current job.

When it comes to orchestrating the production of KNO3, Juan Carlos has to meet the demanding standards of customers around the world. And this conductor and his orchestra have delighted their audience: they set four annual production records in 2017 with low costs and very low accident rates.

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Heriberto Crespo

THE TREASURE HUNTER

Heriberto Crespo has been a geologist at Soqui for 25 years and knows the desert like the palm of his hand. He had the knowledge—and luck—necessary to lead a great discovery: he and his colleagues Patricio Olivares and Juan Molina found Antucoya, the deposit that SQM subsequently sold to Antofagasta Minerals.

A true fan of Pedro de Valdivia—he says he just went to Tocopilla to be born, he loves the pampa and the secrets that the desert keeps.

His father, a merchant from Cantabria, Spain, and his mother, who is from María Elena, met in Pedro de Valdivia and Heriberto lived there until he was six, when they moved to Antofagasta.

He inherited his passion for collecting antiques from the pampa from his maternal grandmother, and developed it when he was a student at Universidad Católica del Norte. It was there that he began to put together a personal collection that now includes documents, letters, tools, cigarettes, lamps and hundreds of other objects that embody an industry and its society. He has 19th century historical pieces that he has loaned to museums and exhibits. This passionate geologist has toured and sifted through our immense desert from the Andes Mountains to the coast of the Chango people. He has spent nearly all of his life as an explorer in the desert, not the city.

Heriberto has developed his career exploring metals and other elements between the caliche and the salt flats.

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Mayo Shibazaki

MAYO’S CHARM

Until just a few months ago, Mayo Shibazaki was Sales Director of the Office of the Vice President for Commercial Iodine, Lithium and Industrial Chemicals. We say up until a few months ago, because she just retired after over 30 years at Soqui.

Mayo came to us from the Embassy of Chile in Japan at the end of the 1980s to open SQM’s commercial offices there. She led most of the development that was done by that office.

Product Manager Director for the unit, Alejandro Echeverría, has known her for 15 years. “She is very hardworking, responsible, detail-oriented, methodical… very Japanese. She also showed that she has another facet throughout all of the time that she worked with us: she jokes around a lot.”

She speaks English, Japanese and “Chilean.” Echeverría says that it was really funny to talk with her. “She used colloquial expressions like al tiro (right away) a lot. I heard her say weón (a Chilean term similar to ‘dude’) a few times, which was really funny.”

She surprised everyone at a Sales Area meeting held recently in Marbella. At the end of dinner, when there was a little time left over for socializing, Mayo showed off her spectacular tango skills. “I never would have imagined that I would see a Japanese woman dance tango, much less dance it as well as she does!,” Alejandro says.

Mayo’s story is full of professional achievements that have meant a great deal to SQM. For example, she encouraged SQM to start working as a supplier for lithium battery developers, which used to be done only in Japan.

Mayo had the cultural savvy necessary to make this commercial relationship prosper. When she would say, “Yes, but…” it meant that she disagreed; if something was “very difficult,” it meant that it was impossible.

Vice President of Nitrates and Iodine Operations Carlos Díaz remembers it well, and sometimes he also says “very difficult” when something is impossible. Thank you, Mayo!

Though he is only 29, Claudio Kalasic, a native of Tocopilla from a Croatian family, holds four degrees. He graduated from high school with a technical degree in industrial maintenance. From there, he went on to study the same subject at the superior technical level at Inacap, graduating in 2014, and then stayed to become a mechanical engineer in industrial maintenance in 2017. A certificate in management oversight planning rounds out his robust training.

Claudio Kalasic

THE BRAIN

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Claudio was hired as a Mechanical Maintenance Operator at Soqui in 2013, where he had sought work to pay for his studies. He says that he studied and worked at the same time because being at the work site made the theory and knowledge acquired in the classroom make sense. As the youngest member of the team, he is “steeped” in the work history of colleagues with more experience.

Claudio confirms that he has a passion for the field of maintenance and has gone so far as to propose a series of operational innovations and improvements. “The last change that I made was in ‘Prills’ in the additive lines.

This product is used to dye the pril format product red is very viscous, so the valves would get clogged. There was no flow regulation, so I created and installed a decanter filter to filter the additive and provide continuity for the process. This allowed us to ensure that the product would meet specifications and contributed to maintaining constant flow of the additive,” Kalasic explains.

His commitment and skills have led him to take on new tasks in Improvement Engineering, where he hopes to share the knowledge he has acquired at the work site, particularly in finished product plants. His mission is to support other professionals in the field, discovering new formulae that ensure excellent and operational continuity in the site’s various productive units.

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Griselli Durant

GAROTA DO MARKETING Her unmistakable Portuguese access and vibrant laugh are the most evident signs of Soqui Marketing Communication Manager Griselli Durant’s Brazilian roots. The São Paulo native first heard about Soqui in her home city during one of the many seminars that the Specialty Plant Nutrition Area offers abroad. Griselli worked at the event and stayed in touch with SQM. In 2004, she packed her bags and moved to Chile to work as a Marketing Coordinator.

“Spanish was not hard, but it was tough to learn Chilean Spanish and understand all of the expressions, especially the ones that involve animals,” she jokes and we note that she actually uses many classic Chilean expressions.

She met her husband, with whom she now has two daughters, at work—he had the desk across from hers. At the time, Sergio Acuña was an analyst for Market Intelligence, and Griselli says that he won her over with his easy laugh and laid-back nature. “He is a happy soul,” she says.

They were good friends until they took a trip together to the Elqui Valley in 2008 and Sergio finally made his move.

Griselli says that he had everything planned out. “We were supposed to go with a group of people, but in the end it was just the two of us,” she laughs.

Happy and spontaneous, Griselli misses Brazil but has a great deal of affection for Chile and its people, whom she describes as respectful. And when the Chilean national soccer team plays, Griselli wears a red jersey… as long as they are not playing against Brazil!

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12 M1 Abroad

THE ROAD TO EXCELLENCE IN SPAIN

By Mario Sánchez Pérez

M1 has crossed the Atlantic and reached Spain, specifically Barcelona, and Soqui’s commercial office, generating a global business perspective to improve process monitoring and oversight.

Over the past few years, the Lean methodology has been a fundamental tool for the development of our Company’s processes. We have seen substantial changes that have allowed us to situate our Company in a leadership position for productivity and improve our quality and security standards.

M1 has facilitated the achievement of many results: record production and considerable cost improvements, innovative ideas for more efficient processes, a reduction in energy consumption, improved safety indicators, and more.

It was thus decisive for this methodology to reach the 20 sales offices that SQM has on five continents around the world. Over time, Lean has been incorporated into our offices abroad. Operations and ICH Director Enrique Torras talked to us about the meaning of this process from his SQM office. “The key has been the connection between departments based on performance dialogues and interaction in order to identify opportunities, get to the root of the problems and

First row, standing: Yolanda Álvarez, Lara Moreno, Javier Soriano, Enrique Torras, Bibiana Ruiz, Luis Mellado. Second Row: Julia Riera, Susana Grau, Cristina González, Cristina Gómez, Dolors Fernández. Third row, below: Teresa Palma, Marc Diviu, Erik Lütken.

introduce solutions. This process has brought the best out of every member of the team,” explains Soqui’s executive in the Catalan capital.

In this process, logistics and finances play an essential role in daily work, planning is essential and performance dialogues allow for the generation of space in which to adjust the work of the various areas, providing a broad and cross-cutting vision of operations and considering the rate of 40 to 50 orders per day.

For Commercial Director José Andrés Cayuela, M1 has provided a fundamental overview of the business. “It allows us to see what he did not see before and to identify and adjust details to make things better, encouraging teamwork so that the processes are more efficient.”

Yolanda Álvarez is an Accounting Assistant in the commercial office in Spain and notes that processes have improved. “It was a little more difficult in the beginning.

We had to change how we worked. But the results have been 100% positive. M1 has standardized processes and helped us to improve a great deal every day.”

Everyone agrees that the approach has led to progress and allowed people to strengthen connections through sharing common problems and seeking out collaborative solutions. “We meet and discuss each port’s problem. We look at it as a group and from the perspective of each area. That approach allows us to agree upon solutions and reach more effective ones,” Yolanda explains.

Participation, dialogue and ongoing improvement are concepts that have become part of SQM’s culture and language in Chile and around the world. “M1 continues to bring the best out of everyone at Soqui,” Enrique Torras says.

The performance dialogue between departments is held weekly and also includes the Madrid Sales Team, which participates via videoconference.

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13 Global Customers

PARTNERS IN HEALTH By Álvaro Cifuentes Sánchez

Every day, over 100,000 people around the world receive a dose of iodized contrast dye so that their healthcare providers can use X-ray images to arrive at more certain diagnoses of a wide range of pathologies and thus help specialists to make decisions about the best courses of treatment. Behind this common medical procedure there is a long chain of production, logistics and supply that ranges from the provision of key inputs like iodine to the final product. Over the past 35 years, GE Healthcare, a global leader in the production of iodized contact media, and SQM, the world’s largest iodine supplier, have been working together, establishing a solid commercial alliance.

GE Healthcare is part of General Electric, better known as GE, one of the largest conglomerates of companies in the world with a market capitalization of over US$60 billion. Founded by Thomas Alva Edison himself in 1878, it has various divisions and a decisive presence in such diverse industries as energy, technology for health and infrastructure.

This enormous corporation is behind sophisticated developments for such diverse products as the contrast media used in medicine and airplane motors.

With over 300,000 employees around the globe, GE has helped provide healthcare to millions of people through GE Healthcare. SQM has been a strategic ally in this effort by providing iodine to the Company for over three decades.

GE Healthcare is a leader in medical imaging solutions including X-rays, magnetic resonance and ultrasound. In contrast to other imaging solutions providers, GE Healthcare is vertically integrated in the development of the medical equipment used to carry out these procedures and the software used to operate the machines.

Iodine is a key primary material in iodized contrast media for X-rays, which are injected to allow medical personnel to clearly observe organs and soft tissue.

They can be used to identify clogged arteries and cancer at the early stages.

GE Healthcare makes possible precision medicine in the form of diagnostics, therapy and monitoring through the use of smart devices, applications, services and data analysis.

For GEHC Senior Sourcing Manager Bard Reinholdtsen, being a leader in the contrast media market is a great responsibility. “We have to guarantee access to these solutions in hospitals around the world because people’s health is at stake,” he says.

Reinholdtsen also extends this responsibility and commitment to SQM and highlights the role that the Company plays as a leader in iodine provision.

“SQM’s role is important because it has to ensure the supply of the pharmaceutical market and contrast media for the immediate future through strong planning that considers population growth. It must obviously provide a product with adequate purity, and with SQM we are used to receiving that.”

GE Healthcare Senior Sourcing Manager Bard Reinholdtsen at the factory in Lindesnes, a city in southern Norway.

From there, it is sent to the GE Healthcare factory in Lindesnes in southern Norway where the active pharmaceutical ingredient is made.

Once the molecule that encapsulates iodine for incorporation into the human body is generated, it is sent to GE Healthcare factories in Cork, Ireland; Shanghai, China; and Oslo, Norway, where the final product is made and bottled for distribution to hospitals around the world.

The X-ray contrast media produced by GEH include Omnipaque®, which has as its main active ingredient Iohexol, a molecule with three iodine atoms in its structure. It is mainly used in X-rays of arteries, veins, cerebral ventricles and the urinary system.

Iodine travels from the Chilean desert, specifically Nueva Victoria, thousands of miles to the SQM European distribution center in Amberes, Belgium.

GE Healthcare makes precision medicine for diagnostics, therapy and monitoring possible through the use of smart devices, applications, services and data analytics.

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14 In Focus

SQM SPORT More and more of our employees are taking part in sporting events at our work site and beyond. We encourage this approach to achieving better health and wellbeing!

Check out these pictures, which were submitted by employees brave enough to send us their pictures!

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1. SQM team members who participated in the Atacama Challenger. Congratulations to José Díaz Díaz, Víctor Pizarro Zuleta, Carlos Álvarez Marchant, Víctor Gallardo Dimter, Walter Locher Krause and Gonzalo Rojas!

2. MOP Harvest Shift Chief Marcelo Lobos and MOP Li and SOP Harvest Survey Engineer Cynthia Duarte Cifuentes are members of Running Salar and took part in the 2018 Río Marathon.

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3. The SQM Women’s Basketball Academy team representing Tocopilla placed third in the U14 championship held in María Elena.

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4. Juan Yong after finishing the 2018 Santiago Marathon 10Ks. Unlike previous years, physical problems kept him from running all 42K. 5. Víctor Gallardo Dimter after crossing the finish line at the Atacama Challenger, which was held in San Pedro de Atacama.

6. José Díaz gave us this beautiful shot of the desert, which he took during the Atacama Challenger cycling competition.

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7. Employees Víctor Contreras, Rodrigo Contreras and Marcelo Lobos, members of the Salar Runners team, after the Santiago Marathon.

14 In Focus SOLIDARY GOLF The PRO Am Golf Tournament was organized by Fundación Desafío Levantemos Chile to raise money for residents of Villa Santa Lucía in the municipality of Chaitén who were affected by the flood in late 2017.

Soqui sponsored the event and three of our employees participated: Alfredo Doberti, Felipe Smith and Ricardo González.

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It was hosted by the Club de Golf La Dehesa and featured the enthusiastic participation of nearly 100 golfers representing the companies who participated. Every single one of them made it to the 18th hole, which was hosted by SQM.

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1. The tournament was full of camaraderie. SQM hosted the 18th hole, where players could enjoy some Soqui hospitality.

2. Business Intelligence and Development Manager Felipe Smith putts to come in one over par at the 4th hole.

3. A close-up of the stars of the tournament: the clubs.

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4. PRO Am players enjoyed a sunny, golf-filled day.

5. Manager of Business Intelligence and Development for Specialty Fertilizers Alfredo Doberti’s concentration was his best ally.

6. Geology Manager Ricardo González goes to retrieve his ball after a great shot.

7. One of the competing teams sets off.

8. SQM’s team poses at the 18th hole. The Company was wellrepresented!

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14 In Focus A CARNIVAL OF MUSIC AND TRADITION Toconao put on its finest for the first Lakitas Ckoi Nisaya Ckhuri (The Voice of the Wind) festival, which featured eight music groups from as far away as Argentina. The smooth sound of the panpipes blended with the beat of the drum and the chimes of the frenetic cymbals to give life to an unprecedented performance in San Pedro de Atacama that was attended by thousands of people.

The event, which lasted for several hours, was organized by the group Lakitas Renacer Andino with the support of the Toconao Residents Board No. 2 and SQM. The initiative was designed to encourage the Atacaman legacy to be handed down to new generations in the area.

Enjoy these beautiful photographs of the festival!

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14 In Focus

THE GRADUATES With ceremonies in every single office and work site, SQM celebrated Labor Day by recognizing the contribution that so many workers make to the development and achievements of our Company.

Nueva Victoria, Tocopilla, MarĂ­a Elena, Salar de Atacama, Salar del Carmen, Antofagasta and Santiago hosted celebrations to recognize graduates from 2008, 1998, 1988, 1978 and 1968. The focus was their effort and commitment to Soqui. The guests of honor dressed in caps and gowns and those marking their 50th year wore togas. Regardless of how many decades they have been with the Company, all of them are part of the Soqui Class of 2018, the year the Company celebrates its Golden Anniversary.

TOCOPILLA

SANTIAGO

NUEVA VICTORIA

SALAR DE ATACAMA

ANTOFAGASTA

MARIA ELENA

SALAR DEL CARMEN

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15 Without Borders

CONQUERING A SLEEPING EMPIRE By Álvaro Cifuentes Sánchez

In a constantly changing agricultural market, SQM has chosen to turn changes into opportunities, offering producers a direct and immediate solution to every problem or challenge that the market presents. The Company recently organized a 10-day tour during which Juan Palma, as representative of the Global Markets and Products Development Area, toured the Asian giant in order to learn how to support commercial management in the area of citrus fruits.

Over the past few years, oranges and tangerines have become very popular on the other side of the planet, specifically in China. At this point, the demand exceeds the supply and the country must import citrus fruit from South Africa, Egypt, Australia and the Americas.

This increase in the consumption of citrus fruit also generated significant benefits for growers, such as the opportunity to increase the amount of surface area used for these crops. However, the market requires greater plant nutrition knowledge in order to achieve that growth.

SQM Beijing CEO Víctor Larrondo organized this trip in coordination with Alice Li, Henry Li, Kevin Li and specialist Juan Palma, the Global Markets and Products Development Manager for SQM.

Juan is well-received everywhere he goes. The hospitality makes him feel right at home.

The ten-day trip included visits to various sites in the Guangxi and Sichuan Provinces as well as lectures for some 400 farmers in each city in China’s southern Yunnan Province that they visited: Mangshi, Binchuan, Yuxi and Kunming. The visit allowed SQM staff to observe weather conditions and the agrological makeup of the soil. In addition, SQM Beijing’s Technical Sales team was trained on how to improve upon recommendations regarding the use of specialty fertilizers and the exact combination needed in each location.

SQM is working with China’s soils to contribute to the creation of this Asian citrus empire through a sort of “dynasty” of expert farmers. Using technical advising to convince Chinese producers to use our fertilizers for their oranges and tangerines is another great step forward in SQM’s commercial technical strategy in the world.

Juan Palma explains the compositions of the products and differences between them to Chinese farmers.

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16 At Work

THE IODINE FARMER

By Claudio Álvarez Uribe

You can see Mario Órdenes preparing to irrigate the pampa every day. Yes, you read that correctly. We see him walking on the gravel cakes, checking the irrigation system, a key piece for lixiviating the treated caliche that will give life to iodine.

Mario Órdenes is wearing rain boots, a PVC jacket and waterproof overalls, as if he were heading out in a storm. He tours five gravel cakes located east of the Pedro de Valdivia work site. His mission is to irrigate them and “harvest” the iodine contained in those tailings.

The gravel cakes were formed using one billion tons of treated caliche. It was considered refuse a little over 80 years ago. Once the sodium nitrate was extracted, it had no value.

It was a material used to produce nitrate between 1931 and 1968, when Pedro had not yet started to engage in industrial iodine production.

Mario is Operator A, and his main role is to monitor and maintain the irrigation system used to lixiviate the iodine contained in the cakes. He has been with Soqui for six years. In 2015, he was responsible for assembling and installing the irrigation grid, which currently covers 320,000 square meters. The brine obtained after sprinkler irrigation is the primary material used to produce iodine at Pedro.

Like farmers, Mario and his colleagues harvest the earth in the middle of the pampa. There are eight irrigation or lixiviation areas that operate 24/7. Brine harvesting is different from the lixiviation process carried out in the ponds developed in Nueva Victoria.

At Pedro de Valdivia, the solution is extracted from the heart of the cake through deep trenches or ponds.

Mario Órdenes observes the performance of the irrigation system used to lixiviate iodine at Pedro de Valdivia.

This initiative is environmentally friendly because it is designed to wash all of the salts and chemical elements off of these specific mining tailings.

The purpose of the sprinkler system is to wash the mineral and extract iodine. “The solution concentrates as it drains. We extract it through nine 60-meter deep ponds and use multi-stage pumps to bring the brine to the surface,” Mario explains.

The other method uses the over 10 kilometers of trenches that have been built around the cakes, where the solutions naturally drain.

The brine obtained using the two methods is pumped directly into a series of tanks. Vigorous chemical controls are executed in the last stage of the process to ensure the quality and quantity of the primary material, which is sent to the iodine plant and used to meet the operation’s production needs.

no iodine without brine, and that inspires me to approach every shift enthusiastically,” Mario says.

This project is undoubtedly responsible for the wonderful second chance that Pedro de Valdivia has enjoyed since its partial closure in 2015.

For Production Manager Mario Rojas Parra, the site has become a strategic city for Soqui. “We are producing low-cost iodine very efficiently,” he explains. “With just 120 workers and no need to have a mining area, crusher and transport, we have managed to produce over 1,800 tons of iodine since the project was generated in 2015.”

This project also has had a positive impact on Coya Sur because Pedro has sent it nearly 300,000 tons of sodium nitrate as pre-concentrate solutions and another 30,000 tons of potassium. Both elements are contained in the refuse solution that is generated by the iodine production process.

With the recent arrival of M1 at the site, all eyes are on Pedro. SQM’s goal is to expand the lixiviation area on an ongoing basis and increase annual iodine production from 800 tons to 1,200 tons.

The challenge that Mario undertook in this innovative project and his time in the Lixiviation Heaps at what used to be the “El Toco” work site—five years ago— make him the most experienced operator in his area.

“I love my work, especially knowing that we play a crucial role in the production stage at Pedro. There’s His experience, leadership and professionalism have made him a key member of the team.

Mario in one of the eight irrigation areas in the gravel cakes at Pedro de Valdivia.

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17 Timeline CINCO DÉCADAS REINVENTANDO UNA INDUSTRIA 1931 The Pedro de Valdivia office begins operating using the Guggenheim production system to manufacture sodium nitrate and iodine.

2006 SQM acquires DSM’s iodine business in Chile and invests in expanding production capacity at its iodine plant in Nueva Victoria.

The Company issues its first Sustainable Development Policy, and SQM obtains environmental approval to increase extraction at Salar de Atacama.

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1951 A nitrate crystallizing plant is built in Coya Sur in order to take advantage of nitrate precipitation from solar evaporation ponds.

2007 Production begins at the new nitrate prilling and granulation plant at Coya Sur.

1968 SQM is created through the merger of Corporación de Ventas de Salitre y Yodo, Compañía Salitrera Anglo Lautaro, Compañía Victoria and the Chilean government.

2008 SQM increases its lithium carbonate capacity to 40,000 tons per year. A joint venture agreement is signed with Migao Corporation for the production and distribution of potassium nitrate in China. The Atacama Tierra Fértil program is launched at Salar de Atacama.

1971 The Company is nationalized, with Corfo taking 100% control of the Company.

2009 Continuing its internationalization process, SQM signs new joint ventures with Coromandel (India), Qingdao Star (China) and Roullier (France).

1983 The privatization process starts, concluding in 1988, when Chilean pension funds purchase a stake in the Company.

2010 SQM Vitas launches a new line of soluble phosphate products in Dubai.

1986 Potassium nitrate is first produced in Coya Sur using a completely new process designed by SQM.

2011 Production starts at a new potassium nitrate plant in Coya Sur, increasing annual production by 300,000 tons.

SQM and Migao Corporation inaugurate a new potassium nitrate plant in China. The Allyu wine program begins at Toconao.

17 Timeline

1993 The Company begins leasing mining claims in the Salar de Atacama from Corfo, paving the way for the production of potassium and lithium. Operations begin at a technicalgrade potassium nitrate facility in Coya Sur. SQM completes its first share issuance on international markets through its ADR program.

2013 SQM’s operations in Nueva Victoria are certified in Responsible Care

by ASIQUIM, the Chemical Industry Association of Chile. SQM sells the Antucoya project to Antofagasta Minerals. Together with CONAF, SQM inaugurates the Environmental Education Center at the Pampa del Tamarugal National Reserve in the Tarapacá Region.

1995

The Company completes its second ADR placement on the New York Stock Exchange.

SQM obtains the first environmental permit to operate in the Salar de Atacama and begins producing potassium chloride.

The Company signs an agreement with the Chilean National Forestry Corporation (CONAF) to monitor lagoons and bird fauna in the Salar de Atacama.

2014 The Company places US$250 million in international bonds in the United States. The Lean work methodology is implemented through a program known as M1. The Puquios de Llamara Observation Trail is inaugurated in the Pampa del Tamarugal National Reserve.

1997

SQM begins producing lithium carbonate in its facilities in the Salar del Carmen. Iodine production begins at the Company’s plant in Nueva Victoria.

2015 The Company earns “Protect & Sustain” certification from the International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA).

Production is suspended in Pedro de Valdivia.

The production of iodine, iodide and nitrate salts is now concentrated in Nueva Victoria.

2000

The Company expands its potassium chloride production in the Salar de Atacama and builds a new potassium nitrate plant at Coya Sur.

2016 SQM expands its lithium business to Argentina through a joint venture with the Canadian company LAC to develop a lithium project in the Salar de Caucharí. It also invests US$20 million in the Australian company Elemental Minerals Limited for a potassium project in the Congo.

Production capacity of lithium hydroxide in Chile is increased from 6,000 to 13,500 MT each year.

SQM implements its Strategic Development Plan.

2001 The Company several commercial agreements with important international companies, expanding its production capacity and the extensive sales network for which it is known today.

2017 SQM and Kidman Resources start a joint venture to develop the Mt. Holland lithium project in Western Australia.

2005

SQM purchases Kemira Emirates Fertilizers Company (Kefco), which manufactures soluble fertilizers. Production of lithium hydroxide begins at a new plant in the Salar del Carmen.

2018 SQM and Corfo sign an agreement for the arbitration proceedings related to its operations in the Salar de Atacama.

Corfo authorizes SQM to increase itsquotas for the production and sale of lithium and lithium derivatives produced to 2.2 million tons of lithium carbonate equivalent until 2030. SQM commits to make large lease payments and investments in production capacity, as well as significant contributions to communities and regional research and development.

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18 M1

M1 DISCOVERS NEW FORMULAS

By Claudio Álvarez Uribe

The sustained increase in demand for cell phone batteries and electric cars suggests that lithium demand will grow at about 18% per year for the next five years. In view of this challenging context, SQM has made important announcements regarding increases in productive capacity, using M1 to develop new mechanisms to work more efficiently in order to deliver on time and at a lower cost.

The announcements have been made and it is full speed ahead with the work. In late 2018, we should increase production from 48,000 tons of lithium carbonate to 70,000 tons. By the end of 2019, the Company anticipates reaching 120,000 tons. The third stage of this growth plan projects achieving a production capacity of 180,000 metric tons by early 2021.

In order to reach these levels, three units in our Company—following the M1 methodology— launched a coordinated inter-area effort to strengthen coordination between Packaging and Dispatch, Salar del Carmen and Logistics and Lithium Sales. The common goal of this new work structure is to strengthen the operating system and management of all participants in order to ensure timely dispatch of this product to our final customers in fulfillment of the respective regulations.

During the first stage, 15 opportunities have been identified that have been addressed in order to strengthen document management and the

The shared goal of this new structure is to ensure that the client is dispatched to final customers in a timely manner and in compliance with all applicable regulations.

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integration of the information that each of the key stakeholders in the lithium value chain handles.

“Each area was very isolated and blind to the others,” explains the Planning Manager for the Office of the Vice President of Sales, Iodine, Lithium and Industrial Chemicals Belén Fernández.

“The lack of information impacted the Sales and Logistics Area programming as did the plant’s high levels of inventory given that it has limited space in which the store the product.

Salar del Carmen Quality Control Chief Kristel Willing says that this synergy is already generating the first results. “We have established dispatch planning with a mobile horizon of two months so that the Logistics area has enough time to make reservations with the shipping companies, thus ensuring that containers are available when the product is ready to be dispatched. That allows us to keep the inventory at the plant at optimal levels and comply with the dispatch schedule.”

The areas’ joint efforts have resulted in a considerable improvement in dispatch of final products.

This new work formula optimizes flow by conducting detailed monitoring of indicators and commitments through Performance Dialogue that features three areas: Packaging and Dispatch makes the stock required available and makes efficient use of warehouse space; Logistics has space available on ships and the time and amounts necessary; and Sales handles the volumes promised for each client.

The point-to-point process is coordinated quickly, ensuring that the value chain is fully optimized.

National Logistics Manager Rodrigo Jasen explains that the process is assessed from product availability at the plant to export. “We address physical flow together by monitoring the lithium route as a product unit. We then create the flow document to identify the documentation necessary to export lithium. Finally, we identify all of the data systems that support this interaction, in which various opportunities for development emerge.”

After the assessment, the three offices have a compass to guide their next steps in function of the challenges of the lithium market. “This work has allowed us to have a clearer, more concrete vision of what we have to do. We have identified the risks that could be involved in lithium distribution and are working to mitigate them and thus ensure the continuity of the operation,” Jasen says.

19 Without Borders

A VISIT FROM ANOTHER WORLD By Álvaro Cifuentes Sánchez

In order to learn about the various agricultural techniques used in the planting and harvest of grapes, a delegation of 15 producers from India visited us. They returned home full of new knowledge that they could use to improve their crops on the Asian continent.

According to local farmers, it was the largest delegation of Indian producers to visit Copiapó Valley, one of the destinations that the group had the opportunity to visit during their trip to Chile, which was organized by SQM’s main office and Global Markets and Product Development Manager Juan Palma.

They also toured the Del Monte Fresh and SQM wsNPK facilities in San Antonio.

From Chile they traveled to Peru to look at SQM’s joint venture Vitas Perú and observed grape tests conducted using the SQM equipment over the course of several seasons with our Ultrasol and Speedfol line in the various phenological stages of different grape varieties.

The field visits were very useful for the Indian delegation because they were able to see the differences between their systems and the ones used in Chile and Peru.

“In Chile, they work to ensure quality, which is why they do so well with their crops.

If certain practices are standardized in India, they could achieve quality exports and even double their prices,” said SQM Coromandel Business and Development Manager Jitendra Kumar Singh, who also took part in the visit in representation of the Company’s joint venture in India.

The visit, which was organized by the Specialty Plant Nutrition Commercial Vice President’s Office, received top marks from participants. Arun More, the Director of the Maharashtra Grape Producers Association Director, which has 30,000 members, said, “We have learned a great deal about land management, irrigation and fertilization. The methods that they use in Chile are more precise in regard to the need of the soil and the plant. We discovered opportunities to look at the feasibility of incorporating them into our practices in India.”

For Agrochem Vanita Director Netaji Power, the agricultural product distributor in India, “SQM doesn’t just sell projects. They make a difference through their agronomic support, the personalized advising that they provide to each farmer allows them to achieve optimal results. That is the key.”

Prior to living Chile, the Indian delegation attended the talk “Nutritional Aspects of the Table Grape” offered by Juan Palma, where they reviewed everything that they had learned in Chile.

The visit to Chile ended with a reception at SQM’s corporate building.

Our guests had an opportunity to see the blend of fertilizers based on the needs of each producer in San Antonio.

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20 In community

“TAKE A CHANCE AND GET ON BOARD” WITH TOCOPILLA PORT CO-WORKING

By Tamara Rebolledo Salamanca

The collaborative space promoted by SQM and supported by Fundación La Semilla seeks to create a community in which entrepreneurs and business owners can develop their capacities, skills and business challenges. The entity will provide technical advice, the transfer of experiences and other tools designed to make projects sustainable.

Regional Minister of Economic Development and Tourism Geraldo Jusakos, Tocopilla Mayor Luis Moyano, SQM CEO Patricio de Solminihac, Tocopilla Province Governor Daniela Vecchiola and Regional Minister of Mining Humberto Burgos at the inauguration of Puerto Cowork.

The call for business owners and entrepreneurs for the “Take a Chance and Get on Board” initiative at El Puerto Cowork garnered nearly one hundred applications.

The main fields represented were linked to trade (70%) and industrial services (16%), though applicants also presented new business ideas focused on tourism (7%) and recycling (7%).

The application process, which attracted 95 submissions (54% from women and 46% from men), most from Tocopilla, lasted for 20 days. Business ideas were proposed by both established businesses (51%) and entrepreneurs who have not yet formalized their entities (49%).

Applicants will be interviewed and a team of evaluators will decide which will be included in the “Take a Chance and Come Aboard” program, which includes mentoring the development of the businesses.

Puerto Cowork

Together with the pioneering education firm Mei, Puerto Cowork issued a call for all Tocopilla schools to participate in workshops, lectures and funding opportunities related to sustainable tourism, the environment, recycling, heritage and science and technology.

Soqui is working on the center with Fundación La Semilla, which will provide guidance and technical advice to entrepreneurs from Tocopilla.“The Entrepreneurs Development Center will provide specialized advising services for system users as well as a Business Development Center,” said Héctor Anabalón, the Director of Innovation for Inacap and member of the El Puerto Cowork project Board of Directors.

“The public and private sectors come together here around a higher goal. We can change the history of Tocopilla, said the city’s mayor, Luis Moyano, at the inauguration of Tocopilla’s first collaborative workspace, Puerto Cowork.

The goal of El Puerto Cowork is to generate a culture of innovation in Tocopilla. To this end, training will be provided for project development along with financing, the transfer of experiences and productive sequencing that is generated in both the public and private sectors. Users will have access to workspaces outfitted with furniture, Wi-Fi, computers, meeting rooms and mentoring services.

“We are fully committed to Tocopilla because we are part of this community,” said our CEO, Patricio de Solminihac. “This initiative will allow us to promote new productive and economic realities, benefiting residents’ quality of life.”

The space will be available to all who wish to undertake a new business initiative, and an education line will also be provided for innovation workshops, programming, robotics and prototyping.

This is Tocopilla’s first collaborative workspace. It will provide entrepreneurs with an innovative location that offers first-rate equipment as well as technical advice and the transfer of experiences.

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20 In community

CASA TELAR WEAVING LICKANANTAY MEMORY

By Tamara Rebolledo Salamanca

It began in December 2017 as an initiative supported by SQM and Fundación ONA in the Salar de Atacama basin communities. The program encourages people to engage with ancestral knowledge and art from the Lickanantay culture.

The second stage of this program, which seeks to encourage people to appreciate Atacaman textile arts as a form of artistic and cultural expressing, recently began in Toconao, Socaire, Larache and Talabre.

In addition to learning new techniques, participants can learn about marketing and sales and acquire skills that can be used to start a family business.

But the program’s meaning goes beyond the economic. Knitting is not simply a matter of creating a detailed, beautiful textile. It is also a valuable way to engage Atacaman historical memory.

This year, Casa Telar will work in eight communities in Salar de Atacama, integrating them into a textile caravan that has been developing in the area. Three textile masters from the area will be included in the effort. Irma Panire, María Varas and Rosa Varas were especially successful in the first stage of the project and will not be ambassadors of the richness of Atacaman textiles. In the short-term, the goal is to add new master weavers.

The initiative also has provided infrastructure in the form of two new workshop spaces in Toconao and Socaire which are to become centers for learning and sharing culture.

Salar Community Relations Director María Alejandra Zuleta noted that this program is tailor-made and is adjusted based on the training, experience and development of the communities. For example, the first stage in Toconao started from zero. There was already some knowledge of the technique in Socaire, so instructors focused more on dyeing.

This year, Casa Telar will add lectures focused on technical topics in museums and archaeological laboratories as well as classes on agricultural and livestock development, which is directly linked to improving the quality of the primary materials used in weaving in the area.

Casa Telar breathes new life into supportive relationships among the various communities in Salar, creating trust and cooperation in daily life through new dynamic encounters.

The First Graduates After four months of intense work and ongoing learning, 60 participants from Socaire, Larache, Toconao and the Solor Weavers’ Association who took part in the first stage of Casa Telar were recognized for their contribution to the recovery and appreciation of Atacaman cultural and textile heritage.

“It is important to recognize the milestone that these communities have reached. Thanks to their effort and dedication, many other local artisans have decided to take part in the second phase of this textile caravan,” said Fundación ONA Executive Director Macarena Peña.

“I congratulate each of our students for making this dream come true, and I would like to acknowledge SQM for believing in this undertaking and providing constant support to each of its neighboring communities.”

The first exhibition of Casa Telar textile products will take place at the International Artisans Fair to be held in Santiago by Pontificia Universidad Católica.

Casa Telar is meant to encourage appreciation for material and symbolic heritage in order to generate handicrafts with high added value.

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21 Without Borders

LEADERS AT LITHIUM FORA By Álvaro Cifuentes Sánchez

Vice President of Sales, Iodine, Lithium and Industrial Chemicals Sales, Daniel Jiménez, during his remarks at the 2018 Metal Bulletin Cathode Materials Conference.

Given the level of expectation generated by the strong advances made in electromobility and significant increase in demand for all of the inputs used to develop it, the Vice President of Sales, Iodine, Lithium and Industrial Chemicals has been an active participant in the most important international conferences on the lithium industry.

As the world’s leading producer of the substance, SQM has participated in the most important lithium symposia and conferences in the world. In Shanghai, Vice President of Sales, Iodine, Lithium and Industrial Chemicals Daniel Jiménez presented at the 2018 Metal Bulletin Cathode Materials. He also met with the SQM Asia team at the Company’s offices in the Chinese capital city. In London, he presented at the Annual Meeting organized by the European Lubricating Grease Institute, a professional association for lubricating grease producers, which is another important industry for SQM because of its consumption of lithium hydroxide.

Almost simultaneously, Business Intelligence and Development Manager Felipe Smith represented us in Las Vegas at the 2018 Argus Specialty Metals Week. This international conference is an important gathering in terms of numbers and projections for metals markets. The event in Las Vegas was attended by companies and entities that make major decisions on the lithium industry, such as the National Argonne Laboratory in the US, the Department of Energy, Deutsche Bank, Apple, BASF, Ford, Honda Motor, Honda Training, LME and USGS.

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Both events focused on such topics as the supply of batteries, nickel, cobalt, molybdenum, chrome, tungsten, tin and tantrum as well as issues such as energy storage, lithium titanate and Redox batteries, electric vehicles, consumer applications and recycling.

Both Daniel Jiménez and Felipe Smith offered detailed presentations about SQM and its business lines, mining properties, operations and sales.

They also touched on projects designed to expand capacity in Chile, Argentina and Australia, the current situation of the lithium market and perspectives for lithium over the next few years based on projected demand.

“We expect demand for lithium to grow at around 18% per year over the next five years. We are working on an expansion project in Chile that will allow us to produce 70,000 metric tons by the end of 2018, and is projected to reach 180,000 tons per year by early 2021,” explained Felipe Smith. “SQM also continues to make progress on lithium projects in Argentina and Australia.”

Business Intelligence and Development Manager Felipe Smith at the 2018 Argus Specialty Metals Week event.

22 Tente en el Aire

¿WHY TENTE EN EL AIRE?

By Mario Sánchez Pérez

The expansion of the Nueva Victoria mining area expansion became operational in mid-April 2017. The Western Mine annexed a new operations sector that would allow for good quality caliche to be obtained in order to continue to develop the mine. Its name was Tente en el Aire.

Located 10 km from the Western Mine, Tente en el Aire (TEA) is a rural desert that is home to two thirds of SQM’s iodine production for 2018. It is taking over the Western Mine, which held that position for several years. This means that this site will sustain SQM’s leadership in iodine and nitrate over the next few years, which makes it vitally important for the market for these products.

The area is not well-defined, and except for the presence of hills and the Salt Route, it is not noteworthy, situated in the middle of the vast Tarapacá Desert that runs from the Pama del Tamarugal National Reserve to the Coastal Mountains.

In 2017, around 37 million tons of caliche were moved in Nueva Victoria. The Pampa Hermosa Environmental Impact Study for this year authorized increasing that amount to 43 million tons. Of these, over 28 million will come from TEA and the remaining 15 will come from the Western, Southern, Northern and Torcaza Mines. All of this is a challenge for Tarapacá’s main non-metal mining site.

Tente en el Aire appeared for the first time in 1955, when the information that the Chilean government gathered under the presidency of Carlos Ibáñez del Campo was sketched out on the map. The idea was to consolidate all of the atomized data that had been collected at the furthest-flung points on Chile’s diverse geography and to make one major document for the entire country.

Tente en el Aire began in 2017 and has become a strong part of the Nueva Victoria operations.

Known as Pampa Hermosa, Quebrada Honda and by many other names, Tente en el Aire always appeared on maps and in letters throughout Chile. There are two theories about the origins of its name, and no one knows which is true. The first suggests that it is named for a caste in colonial Chile that was formed by years of cultural blending. The other theory is that it is an imprecise translation that refers to the windiness of the location and the direction in which the wind blows.

Regardless of its origins, the area has become a major part of the production of SQM iodine, fertilizers and nitrates. We thus prefer to say that the location received its name because it keeps Nueva Victoria’s production sky-high.

Today, Tente en el Aire is Tarapacá’s main production site. It has its own civic center, look-outs, cafeteria, offices and roads that connect it to the rest of Nueva Victoria’s operations. Tente en el Aire plays a vital role that involves high-tonnage trucks, front loaders, crushers and the incessant comings and goings of vehicles that are indicative of its productive power to transform the desert into key inputs for the healthcare, nutrition and technology that move the world.

The extraction of caliche in the Nueva Victoria mine is key for the extraction of the minerals that give life to the iodine and sodium nitrate production process.

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23 Touching the Sky

ON TOP OF THE WORLD

These two Soqui employees proudly show their team colors. This classic photo is a must for climbers.

By Álvaro Cifuentes Sánchez

They prepared for months, climbing and planning out every detail of the adventure of their lives: Taking on Aconcagua. Learn about the experience of these two young Soqui professionals as they took on the greatest challenge in mountain climbing.

It was a 1,000 square meter plateau of pure snow with a cross in the center… the cry and hug shared by National Logistics Manager Rodrigo Jasen and Internal Auditor José Tomás Castro was an explosion of joy. They will never forget that Sunday, January 28: they had made it to the summit of Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in the southern hemisphere, measuring 6,962 meters.

José Tomás was moved to tears. He had recently had a back surgery that had made him think he would never attempt a summit like that again. Rodrigo respectfully kneeled in front of the cross. Images of their loved ones and crucial moments passed by in a whirlwind of memories. They were the first to reach the summit, and Aconcagua gave them silence as their great reward.

They enjoyed the moment and that sacred space until the other groups began to arrive and they had to start their descent. And so a story of rigor, discipline and a great deal of passion that began much earlier came to an end.

“Eighty percent of success is in the preparation. We spent a lot of time thinking about it and put a lot of engineering and effort into that process in order to ensure that we would achieve the objective of getting home in one piece and, if the mountain allowed it, reaching the summit,” Jasen explains.

The two young Soqui professionals met at Universidad Católica where they studied Civil Engineering and both developed a passion for climbing. The friendship and trust that they developed led them to undertake this great challenge together, their second Seven Summit -for the seven highest summits on the continents.

They had conquered their first, Kilimanjaro in Africa, in September 2013.

They chose to start their journey on Saturday, January 20, 2018. The delegation, which included other friends from college, had a hard time sleeping the night before. They met at Jasen’s apartment at dawn accompanied by their wives and girlfriends. After a quick goodbye, they started out for the Los Libertadores border crossing.

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They went through Chilean Customs, registered in Argentina and then entered ORCONES International Park, which is located at 2,200 meters above sea level between the two border checkpoints. They started climbing at exactly 3 p.m.

It took three and a half hours to meet the first camp, which sits at 3,300 m. During that time, José Tomás had some concerning stomach problems, but he managed to control them with an over-the-counter medication called Viadil.

On Day 2 (Sunday, January 21), they started out at 7:30 a.m. after a brief, filling breakfast. They were on their way to the second camp by 9. They had to cover a similar distance for this segment, including a 10 km valley, and estimated it would take eight hours. However, they managed to do it in 6.5, which gave them a healthy dose of confidence.

They started to work on adjusting to the altitude there, at 4,400 m. The first day they rested, the second they climbed and then descended in order to acclimatize, the third day they rested to prepare for the fourth day, which would involve climbing to the third camp (5,600 m).

On the fifth day, Wednesday, January 24, they started their ascent to the third camp. The lack of oxygen and the physical effort began to take its toll. After 5,000 m, they had to use crampons -similar to the chains used for car tires but for feetbecause from there on out the path was all snow.

“We were connected at all times. It is crucial to take every precaution, so we had a cell phone to report our position and check in, and a satellite phone in case of emergency,” José Tomás said.

At that point, they started to see things they had never imagined.

“We were up so high that we could see the ocean at dusk. The sun set in the horizon into the sea, which was truly spectacular,” Rodrigo recalls.

On Thursday, January 25, José Tomás broke a crampon during the ascent and acclimatization descent, which they had not expected. “They never break,” he said. “I was beside myself and no matter how hard I tried, no one travels with replacement crampons. Rodrigo played a key role in calming me down. Teamwork was essential.”

But how could six engineers fail to find a solution? On Friday, January 26, they decided to rest and—using materials provided by park rangers—they designed a piece to replace the crampon safety… and it worked.

23 Touching the Sky

Rodrigo and José Tomás celebrate reaching their goal.

José Tomás and Rodrigo in one of the many photos from their Aconcagua journey.

They left the last camp, which sat 5,950 meters above sea level, on the eighth.

They were close. Jasen did not sleep much, but he was on top of his game. José Tomás managed to sleep and reviewed every detail.

“That is the importance of doing any job with the right safety tools and adequate preparation and knowledge,” Rodrigo explains. “One might think otherwise, but that preparation allowed me to react automatically, almost like a reflex.”

“The day before, we just melted snow so that we would have water to take on the summit. We had to collect 4 liters each and keep it warm so that it didn’t freeze,” Rodrigo explains.

But that was not the only challenge they faced as they moved forward. A little further up, José Tomás lost a glove to the wind, but was later able to find it. It would have been hard to complete the climb with an exposed hand at -20°C.

With just 2.5 hours of sleep, they faced the cold Aconcagua night at 4 a.m. It was two days before the Super Moon, so the skies were in all of their splendor. “At that altitude and after the first two hours, you go on autopilot physically, and all that is at play is mental strength,” Jasen says.

Both moved forward, and the summit looked so far away. “We were pacing ourselves, taking ten steps and then resting,” Rodrigo says. “Until we saw it appear at 11:15, and it was within our grasp.

During the ascent, after passing a Russian roped team, the climbers realized that they were the first, and that they were blazing the trail with Rodrigo in the lead and José Tomás a few meters behind. Halfway up, the path narrows and it is impossible to walk side by side. On the left is the snow-covered mountain and on the right a long rocky slope. Thanks to their technical knowledge, they successfully passed the critical section where Rodrigo Jasen’s walking stick saved him from slipping and falling.

” The rest is history.

The sunrises and sunsets were spectacular.

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24 Records

TOCOPILLA´S RECORDS The employees who are part of this port operation set records—and they did so without any accidents that would have resulted in lost time.

This milestone was celebrated with a Lean M1 event attended by employees from every area of the port.

May was a great month for Tocopilla: the port shipped out record amounts of potassium nitrate and chloride produced at Coya Sur and Salar de Atacama, respectively. A total of 252,494 tons were shipped to final clients on five continents.

The new level was 2.4% higher than the record reached in November 2017.

“The workers are responsible for this record. They used Lean M1 to see the operation in global terms,” said National Logistics Manager Rodrigo Jansen.

“The record was reached without any accidents resulting in lost time in 2018.”

The various areas of the port worked together to achieve this result. Planning between the various departments allowed us to streamline and perfect ship loading,” said Héctor Álvarez, Chief of Maritime Operations. “We reduced the number of days spent servicing ships by 20%.”

Eight boats were serviced in May that carried nearly 97% of the bulk product through the mythical mechanized arm.

WIN WITH SQM! More and more children are enjoying their prizes from the SQM Today Word Search.

It is easy to win. Find the word search on page 47, cut it out and put it in the mailboxes in the Communications and Human Resources Offices at SQM work sites.

1

2

3

4

Congratulations to all of our winners! If you have not participated yet, what are you waiting for?. Here is a list of winners from our last issue:

Site

46

Winner

Employee

Photo

Nueva Victoria

Maximiliano Pérez

Andrea Ramírez

Tocopilla

Paz Romero

Christian Romero

2

María Elena

Kiare Rojas

Cristian Rojas

1

Salar de Atacama

Mateo Estrada

Erick Estada

4

Salar del Carmen

Makarena Belén Soto

Michael Soto

3

Antofagasta

Agustina González

René González

Santiago

Antonia Riquelme

Hugo Riquelme

SQM today

Don’t miss out! Be one of the lucky winners of a Chilean national team jersey or a set of Alex paints.

25 Fun for Kids

This game consists of a 9x9 grid divided into 3x3 areas. The object is to fill all empty squares so that the numbers 1 to 9 appear

exactly once in each row, column and 3x3 box. A Sudoku puzzle is well designed if it has a unique solution.

ANSWERS ATTENTION! Remember that each facility will award one prize per edition, so you have more chances to win.

Don’t miss your chance... PARTICIPATE! Children’s Contest

WORD SEARCH...

1. What peak did the Soqui mountain climbers conquer?

2. What sport is once again being played in Tocopilla?

3. What is the name of the Japanese island where Soqui’s oldest customer is located?

4. What is the last name of the person featured in the section My name is…?

5. What is the first name of “The Referee”?

6. What is the sleeping empire?

7. What is the name of the SQM program working to revive the art of the Lickanantay culture?

Children under 14 years of age may participate. Find the seven answers in the word search and submit it along with your information by Friday, September 7th at your site’s Human Resources Office.

You could win a Chilean national team jersey or a set of Alex paints.

Cut here and submit...

i M J P I C D S L C T P Ñ T G A R W D F

G P X J Ñ H U W C J H X U L K T O E A H

D T Z H A L N H E N R I Q U E Z F A C J

Y K C O K F D O I H Z G N S A Z T R O C

L Y O L E B Q K C I F J P A D L D A N X

F R A C C T M K J F B A M Q O B L I C S

D I T A L E J A N D R O H T K X D E A G

E J U M U N E I V L P O A K Ñ C Y L G N

Full Name

Address

Employee Name

City

Work Site

Telephone Number

Y U Z A Q A I D N I C X L P C A O Z U Y

R F I U R R K O P J B T D O M S R N A U

E A A E M U H E L L O W S P L A K O D I

O H S S Ñ A C N U U S P N T X T T G K E

E U U N U E M T Z R O R D R P E U S O A

A X O Q N C D U K N T B I T N L R H I D

C U L U T U C C A F I T O M J A T X A U

D B A S E B A L L I S T Z P S R O A L O

O P R D C T L O M T X O T N R C S N O I

F L P P E L I T A C O H S I D X U A L N

D H S D X M Ñ S F K D Z U L O B T C O R

K L X E M I G L R Q V X J A Ñ T O Z M T

july 2018

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SQM is promoting the Support in Mathematics Program offered by Corporación Crea+ for the eighth consecutive year. The program currently benefits over 1,600 students and families in the Tarapacá and Antofagasta Regions.

The photo shows two Grade 10 students from a school in Toconao who received excellent results in their first year of supports. They scored 270 points on the SIMCE test, surpassing the national average and positioning the school as a solid option for accessing higher education.

In 2017, Crea+ formed an alliance with the Center for Advanced Research in Education at Universidad de Chile, applying the program “Activation of Problem Solving in the Classroom,” which allowed it to train teachers from San Pedro de Atacama, Toconao and Pintados on a new methodology for developing students’ math skills.