When Inka Guixà is asked which generation she represents now that she has taken the reins of La Farga Yourcoppersolutions, she answers that the second and third. How is it possible? "Because the company was founded by my father and my maternal grandfather," she replies. Although the story is even more complex because the origins of the copper producing company date back 215 years. She was born in 1808 in Barcelona's Barceloneta by Francesc Lacambra, who initially made pots. In 1852 the activity was transferred to Les Masies de Voltregà, with the aim of taking advantage of the water from the River Ter. In 1980, Vicente Fisas and his son-in-law Oriol Guixà revived the company, which was no longer in the hands of the Lacambra family.
Inka Guixà has held the position of CEO since January 1. It is not usual to see a woman in charge of a steel monster with plants in Les Masies de Voltregà and in Indiana (USA), where she operates together with a local partner.
“I am in a family business that I joined in 2009. And one of the challenges of family businesses is the generational change. I know the sector very well”, argues Guixà, 41 years old. She has a degree and a master's degree from Esade. Before the family business, she worked in other companies such as the Grupo Damm brewery, the Antares Consulting consultancy or the Novartis pharmaceutical company. The company has a family protocol that requires compliance with a series of requirements to participate in the management team.
La Farga Yourcoppersolutions is dedicated to the manufacture and sale of semi-finished sustainable copper and its alloys for sectors such as energy, automotive, telecommunications, construction, metal packaging and the railway industry, among others. It was precisely Oriol Guixà, an aeronautical engineer, who patented the copper recycling system that the Catalan company has been perfecting for years.
Inka Guixà explains that currently 50% of the production comes from recycled materials and details that the growth of this percentage will depend on the evolution of the regulation. Copper is a material that can be recycled unlimitedly. In 2021 the turnover was 1,499 million euros with the sale of more than 213,000 tons of copper to more than 74 countries. Guixà details that, pending the final closing of the 2022 financial year, turnover last year grew by around 4 or 5%, to reach around 1,600 million. It is a business that moves large volumes but with tight margins that leave gross profit at around 15 million. Guixà assures that the company will close with a positive result.
The group's staff is made up of more than 400 people. According to the company, La Farga is the world's leading company in copper recycling technology. In Les Masies de Voltregà the group has four floors where two ovens are located. Unlike other foundries, at La Farga the furnaces are not electric, but gas. Where they do use electricity is in the metal drawing process. The company has another factory in the United States called SDI La Farga in collaboration with Steel Dynamics. La Farga explains that it exports its recycling technology to more than 30 plants around the world.
Inka Guixà is a fervent defender of the industry due to its importance in the economy. "In Europe and Spain we must protect the industry or we will stay on the road," she reflects. The directive recalls that the Catalan and Spanish industry competes with that of the rest of Europe, which is why it warns of the need to properly regulate its activity and to have adequate energy prices. The company exports 40% direct and up to 70% indirect. In fact, 1% of all Catalan exports are made by La Farga.
