OBITUARY: Metals veteran Francisco Testor dies at 81

Francisco (Paco) Testor, founder and president of RP Metaltrading, died on August 6, 2018, after battling with cancer for a year.

Francisco (Paco) Testor, founder and president of RP Metaltrading.

Paco began his metals career at Rio Tinto Patiño in late 1968 after achieving a PhD in industrial engineering from Barcelona University in the same year.

At Rio Tinto Patiño, later known as Rio Tinto Minera, Paco held the role of commercial vice president responsible for copper concentrate purchasing for the Huelva smelter, as well as copper metal and sulfuric acid sales.

He moved to metals trading in 1990, becoming global head of concentrate trading at Pechiney World Trade (PWT) in Connecticut, the United States. He returned to Spain in 1993 and established Gesmetal SL in 1994, representing PWT in Spain, Portugal and Morocco for concentrate trading and metal brokerage.

Paco set up RP Metaltrading in 2006.

Paco is survived by his wife Isabel, and four adult children: Isabel, Francisco, Carlos and Marta, as well as numerous grandchildren.

What to read next
Fastmarkets wishes to clarify that it accepts data submissions in outright price and as a differential to the Mineral Benchmark Price (HPM)-plus-premium for its Indonesian domestic trade nickel ore price assessments. Fastmarkets is also seeking market feedback on recent changes to the Indonesian government’s HPM specifications.
Own-sourced copper output from Glencore’s African copper assets — KCC and Mutanda in the Democratic Republic of Congo — surged by 68% year on year to 67,900 tonnes over the same period, while Glencore’s cobalt production fell by 39% year on year amid the DRC’s export quota system.
Copper’s long-term outlook is constrained by the industry’s limited ability to bring new supply online fast enough to meet rising demand, with permitting delays, higher capital costs and policy risks slowing project development, industry executives said at the FT Commodities Global Summit on Wednesday April 22.
Capital is flowing back into junior mining, but selectively. Investment is increasingly favouring development‑stage assets with clearer paths to production, supported by government funding and strategic partnerships. While demand for critical minerals underpins the cycle, early‑stage explorers continue to struggle for capital as investors prioritise discipline, ESG alignment and near‑term cash flow.
Copper in concentrate production from Ivanhoe Mines' Kamoa-Kakula complex in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) fell to 61,906 tonnes in the first quarter, down by 54% from 133,120 tonnes a year earlier, with the company now evaluating local third-party concentrate purchases to advance the ramp-up of its on-site smelter, according to an April 13 production release as the market focused its attention on the impact of global sulfuric acid shortages during CESCO Week in Chile from April 13-17.
China's planned sulfuric acid export ban from May 1, historic lows for copper concentrates treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) and a fragmenting 2026 benchmark system dominated CESCO Week 2026 in Santiago from April 13-17.