Grupo Cintac, Chile's largest construction materials and modular infrastructure company, has inaugurated a major industrial facility to serve surging demand from the mining, energy, and data center sectors. The company opened the Planta Industrializada Modular Chacabuco - an 80,000 m² manufacturing complex in the municipality of Colina, near Santiago - in May 2026, coinciding with its 70th anniversary. The plant operates under Promet, Cintac's dedicated modular construction unit.
Background
The inauguration underscores the accelerating role of offsite construction in meeting complex infrastructure demands across Latin America and beyond. The global offsite construction market was valued at USD 172 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 225.7 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 4.6%, according to ResearchAndMarkets.com. Labor shortages, urbanization, and the growing complexity of projects in remote, technically demanding environments - such as mining sites and large-scale data campuses - are driving demand.
In Chile, the data center sector is generating significant infrastructure pressure. The Chilean data center market is estimated at USD 820 million in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 1.24 billion by 2030, according to Mordor Intelligence. Capital commitments from hyperscalers including AWS, Microsoft, and Google exceed USD 8 billion from 2025 onwards, compressing delivery timelines and intensifying demand for faster, cost-certain construction methods. Developers in Chile are already experimenting with modular steel pods pre-certified for seismic compliance, trimming site schedules by 12%, according to engineering firms operating in the market.
Details
Vicente Smith, CEO of Grupo Cintac, described the new facility as central to the company's strategic direction. "The inauguration of this plant is a strategic step for our company and for the country's development. Thanks to the expansion of this installation, the plant will enable investments of more than USD 1 billion in modular infrastructure projects for mining and energy over the next four years," Smith stated at the opening ceremony.
The event drew public sector representation: Chile's Minister of Energy and Mining, Daniel Mas, and the Mayor of Colina, Isabel Valenzuela, both attended the inauguration.
The facility ranks among Chile's largest modular construction plants by productive capacity. According to company statements, industrialized construction at the Chacabuco site reduces build times by more than 30% compared to traditional methods and cuts waste and CO₂ emissions by more than 60%. The plant's product range spans mining camps, office facilities, data center infrastructure, and residential housing.
Job creation is also a stated objective. The plant's expansion is expected to generate approximately 1,000 new direct jobs, while the mining sector alone is forecast to require more than 20,000 new workers over the next three years, according to figures presented at the ceremony.
Vicente Smith holds an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was appointed CEO of Grupo Cintac in June 2025, replacing Patricio Merello. Cintac is part of Grupo CAP, one of Chile's largest industrial conglomerates.
Broader market dynamics support the company's sectoral focus. Modular prefabricated approaches in data center construction are compressing project timelines by up to 40%, according to Technavio. Santiago is Latin America's second-largest data center market, with vacancy rates below 5% even as inventory grew 23% year-over-year in Q1 2025, according to CBRE.
Outlook
Grupo Cintac has indicated it will pursue cross-border opportunities, with CEO Smith highlighting international expansion in mining and energy as a medium-term priority, according to BNamericas. Chile's hyperscale data center market is forecast to grow from USD 1.41 billion in 2025 to USD 4 billion by 2030, representing a 23.27% CAGR, according to Mordor Intelligence - a trajectory likely to sustain demand for large-scale modular construction capacity in the region. Regulatory frameworks for data center permitting remain a variable: Chile's National Data Centers Plan, introduced in December 2024, targets USD 2.5 billion in inward investment and is designed to shorten permitting cycles, which could accelerate deployment schedules for modular-built facilities.
