Behind the eye-catching earnings, mining is becoming increasingly complex:

• Securing access to high quality assets is more challenging than ever and requires an ability to work effectively with governments, communities and JV partners, as well as geological, technical and commercial excellence.
• Huge project portfolios and cap-ex budgets demand rigorous strategic planning, yet uncertain future prices mean that ultimately companies must place some large bets. Investing more behind supporting commodity demand is one way that companies are hedging their bets.
• New projects tend to be situated in far-flung locations, from the northern Arctic to 5,000 meters up in the mountains of Chile. Mining skills are scarce and getting good people to operate existing mines and develop new projects is difficult enough. Managing them to deliver the promised value from Sydney, Toronto or London is becoming a major issue for the industry.

Bain's mining experience

Bain has worked in mining for over 15 years with more than 200 engagements since 1990. We work in all the major geographies around the world, with experienced mining experts in South Africa, North America, South America and Australia. We have a tight-knit group of experienced industry specialists who are passionate about the industry and we bring the best people to the right project when required.

Our goal is to help our clients deliver more mineral at the lowest effective unit cost, which will ultimately deliver the highest value from their investments. We do this by working across the mining value chain helping companies to:

• Create strategies that will yield the highest value from their portfolios;
• Secure a steady stream of high quality assets, and forecasting supply and demand to put in place the right processing and logistical infrastructure.
• Ensure mines deliver the highest output at the lowest unit cost using Bain's proven performance improvement tools to identify full potential from existing assets and the overall portfolio;
• Implement identified full potential and create a culture of continuous improvement that ensures sustainability post the Bain engagement.
• Lastly, we work with commercial departments to stimulate demand and ensure the highest price is achieved.

To keep all this running smoothly we also work closely with senior management to put in place the critical enabling processes such as organization, the role of the center and leadership supply. Our consultants tailor proven analytic methods - full potential analysis, six-sigma, delay reduction - to the unique needs of each mining client. Bain brings a practical, results-driven approach to the no-nonsense world of mining.

To find out more about our work in this industry, please contact Bain's Mining practice.