Peñoles is a subsidiary company owned by

Grupo BAL Grupo BAL is a cluster of Mexican companies in various sectors of the economy. Its president was Alberto Gonzalez Baillères,the second richest man in Mexico in 2013, according to '' Forbes''. Gonzalez's son Alejandro Baillères has been preside ...

. Peñoles is the second largest Mexican mining company, the first Mexican producer of

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

zinc Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...

and

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cut, ...

and the world leader in

silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...

production. Peñoles is a company with active mines within Mexico and with some prospection projects in South America. Holdings includes the

Fresnillo Fresnillo (/fres'nijo/), founded in 1554 by Francisco de Ibarra, is the second largest city in Zacatecas state, north central Mexico and the seat of Fresnillo municipality. As a rail and highway junction, Fresnillo is the center of a rich mining ...

Silver Mine /

Mina Proaño Mina Proaño, an underground silver mine located in central Mexico, is one of the world's largest and most profitable silver mines. The mine is located just outside the city of Fresnillo, Zacatecas; and is also known as Mina Fresnillo and Fresn ...

, the

Met-Mex Peñoles Met-Mex Peñoles is a large metallurgical and chemical company located in Torreón, Coahuila Mexico. This industrial site processes the majority of the zinc and lead mineral ores mined in Mexico and some other countries. The facility produces the ...

metallurgical complex and Química del Rey; a Chemical facility; three operations. Peñoles produces about of silver and of gold annually. Other metals that the company produces are

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pink ...

bismuth Bismuth is a chemical element with the symbol Bi and atomic number 83. It is a post-transition metal and one of the pnictogens, with chemical properties resembling its lighter group 15 siblings arsenic and antimony. Elemental bismuth occurs ...

, and

cadmium Cadmium is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cd and atomic number 48. This soft, silvery-white metal is chemically similar to the two other stable metals in group 12 element, group 12, zinc and mercury (element), mercury. Li ...

. The main product of Peñoles is refined silver in the form of

ingot An ingot is a piece of relatively pure material, usually metal, that is cast into a shape suitable for further processing. In steelmaking, it is the first step among semi-finished casting products. Ingots usually require a second procedure of sha ...

s and granulated silver which are 99.99% pure silver, this product is made in

Torreón Torreón () is a city and seat of Torreón Municipality in the Mexican state of Coahuila. As of 2021, the city's population was 735,340. The metropolitan population as of 2015 was 1,497,734, making it the ninth-biggest metropolitan area in ...

(

northern Mexico Northern Mexico ( es, el Norte de México ), commonly referred as , is an informal term for the northern cultural and geographical area in Mexico. Depending on the source, it contains some or all of the states of Baja California, Baja California ...

) and from this location is exported all over the world. In 2012, the company was awarded with the Fray International Sustainability Award for its initiatives in sustainable development. They approach sustainability by achieving three dimensions: Economics, Ecology, and Ethics, and by consistently measuring and analyzing their environmental impact.

History

Peñoles' history begins in 1887, with the mining concession of certain mines located within the

Sierra de Peñoles Sierra (Spanish for "mountain range" and " saw", from Latin '' serra'') may refer to the following: Places Mountains and mountain ranges * Sierra de Juárez, a mountain range in Baja California, Mexico * Sierra de las Nieves, a mountain rang ...

in the state of

Durango Durango (), officially named Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Durango; Tepehuán: ''Korian''; Nahuatl: ''Tepēhuahcān''), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in ...

and the foundation of the Compañía Minera de Peñoles under the regime of President

Porfirio Díaz José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori ( or ; ; 15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915), known as Porfirio Díaz, was a Mexican general and politician who served seven terms as President of Mexico, a total of 31 years, from 28 November 1876 to 6 Decem ...

. From 1890 to 1960 the company suffered several mergers, fusions and acquisitions with others mining companies. During this time the company was owned by different shareholders, among them some from the United Kingdom, United States and Germany. During the decade of 1960 to 1970 the Mexican mining industry was "mexicanized" and therefore Mr. Raúl Bailleres acquired the majority of the company shares, after that the company received the name of Industrias Peñoles.

Divisions

Peñoles has three mining related divisions and a branch created for other business. They are located mainly in northern México. * Grupo Metalúrgico, located mainly in

* Grupo Minas-Químicos, scattered along northern Mexico * Grupo Exploración, with several geological prospects all over the country and in South America * Grupo Infraestructura, with a thermoelectric power facility and an important sharing in a drinking water service company. * The company is also the controlling shareholder of Linea Coahuila Durango.

Grupo Metalúrgico

* Met-Mex Peñoles, zinc

refinery A refinery is a production facility composed of a group of chemical engineering unit processes and unit operations refining certain materials or converting raw material into products of value. Types of refineries Different types of refineries ...

that uses an

electrolysis In chemistry and manufacturing, electrolysis is a technique that uses direct electric current (DC) to drive an otherwise non-spontaneous chemical reaction. Electrolysis is commercially important as a stage in the separation of elements from n ...

process * Met-Mex Peñoles, lead-silver

foundry A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...

* Met-Mex Peñoles, lead-silver

smelter Smelting is a process of applying heat to ore, to extract a base metal. It is a form of extractive metallurgy. It is used to extract many metals from their ores, including silver, iron, copper, and other base metals. Smelting uses heat and a c ...

and refinery * Fertirey,

sulphuric acid Sulfuric acid (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphuric acid ( Commonwealth spelling), known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen and hydrogen, with the molecular for ...

processor * Met-Mex Peñoles, metallurgical specialities (Bermejillo, Durango) * Aleazin, production of special

alloys An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which at least one is a metal. Unlike chemical compounds with metallic bases, an alloy will retain all the properties of a metal in the resulting material, such as electrical conductivity, ductility, ...

facility ( zamak)

Grupo Minas-Químicos

Cuprite-tenorite-chrysocolla, Milpillas mine, SON

* Unidad Fresnillo, the world richest silver mine located in

Zacatecas , image_map = Zacatecas in Mexico (location map scheme).svg , map_caption = State of Zacatecas within Mexico , coordinates = , coor_pinpoint = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type ...

* Unidad Francisco I. Madero, a big zinc ore deposit also in Zacatecas * Unidad Sabinas, located near the town of

Sombrerete Sombrerete () is a town and municipality located in the northwest of the Mexican state of Zacatecas, bordering the state of Durango. It was founded in 1555 by Spanish conquistador Juan de Tolosa as a mining center, due to the wealth that the mine ...

, Zacatecas * Unidad La Ciénega, a gold mine located at the foothills of the

Sierra Madre Occidental The Sierra Madre Occidental is a major mountain range system of the North American Cordillera, that runs northwest–southeast through northwestern and western Mexico, and along the Gulf of California. The Sierra Madre is part of the American ...

* Unidad La Herradura, a gold mine in association with the American mining company

Newmont Mining Corporation Newmont Corporation is a gold mining company based in Greenwood Village, Colorado, United States. It is the world's largest gold mining corporation. Incorporated in 1921, it owns gold mines in Nevada, Colorado, Ontario, Quebec, Mexico, the Domin ...

and an open pit mine located in Sonora * Unidad Bismark, located near the Mexican–American border * Unidad Naica, a big lead ore deposit, located in the state of

Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to: Places *Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state **Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state **Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state **Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state **Chihuahua Mun ...

* Unidad Tizapa, a lead and zinc mine located in central Mexico (Zacazonapan, State of Mexico near

Valle de Bravo Valle de Bravo () is one of 125 municipalities in State of Mexico, Mexico. The largest town and municipal seat is the town of Valle de Bravo. It is located on the shore of Lake Avándaro, approximately 156 km (97 miles) southwest of Mexico ...

recreational complex) * Química del Rey, production of

sodium Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na (from Latin ''natrium'') and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 of the periodic table. Its only stable ...

sulfate The sulfate or sulphate ion is a polyatomic anion with the empirical formula . Salts, acid derivatives, and peroxides of sulfate are widely used in industry. Sulfates occur widely in everyday life. Sulfates are salts of sulfuric acid and many ...

and

magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 of the periodic ...

oxide An oxide () is a chemical compound that contains at least one oxygen atom and one other element in its chemical formula. "Oxide" itself is the dianion of oxygen, an O2– (molecular) ion. with oxygen in the oxidation state of −2. Most of the E ...

. * Magnelec, production of special

magnesite Magnesite is a mineral with the chemical formula ( magnesium carbonate). Iron, manganese, cobalt, and nickel may occur as admixtures, but only in small amounts. Occurrence Magnesite occurs as veins in and an alteration product of ultramafic ...

chemical compounds

Grupo Exploración

* Milpillas Project, underground copper mine, located in the State of Sonora and with a future production of copper

cathode A cathode is the electrode from which a conventional current leaves a polarized electrical device. This definition can be recalled by using the mnemonic ''CCD'' for ''Cathode Current Departs''. A conventional current describes the direction in whi ...

s (2006)

Grupo Infraestructura

* TEP / Termoeléctrica Peñoles, is a pet coke fired thermoelectric power plant, focused in the own generation of electricity and located near Tamuin, San Luis Potosí. The excedents of power generation are sells to CFE. * Drinking water service, a joint venture with the French company Ondeo which is concentrated in several Mexican urban sites like

Cancún Cancún ( ), often Cancun in English (without the accent; or ) is a city in southeast Mexico on the northeast coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. It is a significant tourist destination in Mexico and the seat ...

and

México City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Penoles Non-renewable resource companies established in 1887 1887 establishments in Mexico Companies based in Mexico City Mining companies of Mexico Gold mining companies of Mexico Silver mining companies of Mexico Porfiriato Companies listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange Metal companies of Mexico