Stratflow
Are You Trying to Maximise Efficiency in Each Department... or Actually Getting Tonnes Through the System for Lower All-In Cost?
HELPING MINERS REDUCE ALL-IN COST QUICKLY
The Problem
For decades, mining has rewarded each department for its efficiency and pushing tonnes out—whether the system can handle it or not. As everyone tries to hit their own numbers, we start to experience moving bottlenecks and total saleable production suffers.
The real measure of performance isn’t departmental efficiency. It’s how many tonnes make it all the way through to port, ready for sale.
When every team chases its own target, the system becomes unstable, departments have to slow down because of a shortage of material to work on or because the next department can’t handle more. And saleable tonnes are lost—along with margin, safety, and predictability.
Unlock the Capacity Already Hidden in Your System
We help miners increase ROM tonnes through their system, mostly without incurring a dollar of new CAPEX. By implementing a disciplined, flow-based operating system, we bring focus and a single direction for all cross-functional teams.
The result is not just a production lift and lower all-in cost per tonne, but a calmer, safer, and more predictable operation.
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Improved Safety: By giving everyone clarity on the real priority, we reduce "spot fires" and rushed decisions. As one manager noted, better planning and controlled execution are "where most safety issues tend to creep in".
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Reduced Firefighting: Leaders regain their time. One Head of Operations described a "strange sense of calm," wondering if this was what his role was "meant to feel like" because there were no urgent issues to attend to.
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A stable mining plan: Tremendous effort has gone into solving the problem of too short shelf life of mining plan (Stochastic planning, soft interventions aimed at improving cooperation between production and planning). But if production stability improves, so does the mine plan shelf life.
From Chaos to Calm: The Journey to Operational Discipline
The shift goes beyond KPIs. It's a transformation that moves your operation from a state of reactive firefighting to proactive control.
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​This new way of working is felt at every level. One site had workers saying it was "the best system they've seen in the mine's history" and that management and workers were "finally working together".
A Proven Playbook for Aligning Your Mine
This isn't theory; it's a practical, common-sense approach to managing flow. As one CHPP Manager who unlocked a 33% production jump explains it:
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WE FIND THE DRUMBEAT: "We looked at the whole operation as one connected system and identified the CHPP as our bottleneck... That became our Drumbeat". The process is designed to find the one leverage point that controls the output of the entire system.
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WE ALIGN THE SYSTEM TO IT: "Instead of pushing coal from the Longwall, we shifted to managing flow based on what the CHPP could consistently handle... Every other part of the operation — mining, haulage, maintenance — adjusted to support that flow".
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WE USE BUFFERS TO ABSORB VARIABILITY: "We built in just enough flexibility... by using the ROM stockpile as a buffer with triggers that signalled when the LW should operate... By operating under a Pull model... we smoothed out variability, and unlocked the extra 33% capacity".
This is all coordinated in a Flow Room—a daily stand-up that gives everyone visibility, surfaces future risks, and fosters combined accountability.
Overcoming the Hesitation to Change
We understand the "I know it best" attitude in mining and the fear of trying something new. Here is how we make it easier:
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It's Reversible: One manager secured buy-in by assuring critics "that we could turn it off and go back to the way we were overnight".
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It's Funded In-House: As one General Manager did, you can often use your existing consultancy budget to get started without a complex corporate approval process.
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It Delivers Early Value: Even identifying the wrong bottleneck at the start helps "expose the real issues to address operational inefficiencies," driving incremental improvement from day one.
The biggest support comes when the results are delivered.
What Are You Waiting For?
A manager who led this transformation was asked what he would say to sceptical peers. His answer was simple:
"The results speak for themselves, there isn't a single person I speak to that hasn't asked why we didn't do this sooner, so just do it…….or you continue to do what you've always done and see the same result next year!"
The Stratflow Productivity Platform
In this video Stratflow owner, Hendrik Lourens, explains how focus on the actual mining constraint increases profit and enables miners to reliably meet operational KPIs. If you would like to hold a private discussion on how this may help your mine, click on the link.
90
Mining Projects completed over 20 years
4
Average consultation duration (months)
20%
Average production increase
36
Average total consulting time (days)-clients complete project after training
CLIENTS
ENDORSEMENTS
Mining Manager - Iron Ore, Open Cut, Kumba, South Africa
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"We managed to exceed all of our production targets." "The Flow Room has substantially improved the communication and coordination between different departments."
"It enables our employees to see clearly how their area of responsibility fits into the overall performance and to hold each other accountable."
"We see problems developing in advance and deal with it in a spirit of calmness. I do not want to manage without it."
CHPP Manager - Longwall, Australia
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“The union says that for the first time they feel management and workers are working together. They love the bonuses!”
“The Operations Manager says that since September he has so much more free time, no more firefighting. For the first time he can focus on discharging his responsibilities. “
“The management team believe that our safety performance is directly attributable to the new way of working.”
General Manager - Longwall, Australia
"The highest ever rolling 12 months CHPP feed was achieved."
"We unlocked 33% hidden capacity simply by aligning the parts of the business."
"In 40 years of operation, it is now operating as efficiently as ever."
"Recent visitors to the mine commented that the standards observed are some of the best they have seen."
Mining Manager - Board and Pillar, Anglo American, South Africa
"Surprisingly simple improvements have been made at negligible cost and in a short space of time we have increased production volumes from an average of 14500 tonnes per day to 18000 tonnes per day".​
"Teams made up of colleagues across all levels and disciplines dealt with an initial five focus areas and presented their work at a closeout session in which they determined how the improvements they have made will become part of the new normal...."
In 2024, an Australian longwall client boosted production within a month by 33%, without spending on CAPEX. Production flow has stabilised at higher output leading to better profit generation, significantly reduced cost/ton, more safety and a highly engaged workforce. The union complimented management on the improved industrial relations.
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Have a look at the Services page for the intervention process as well as the Flow Room. And make sure you visit our Why Stratflow page.
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Dont miss our resources page. Lots of industry publications highlighting seemingly intractable, wicked mining problems with simple solutions. The blog page contains many easy to read posts on the same issues.