Specialist on getting value for money

24th January 2014 By: Zandile Mavuso - Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor: Features

Performance improvement specialist Partners in Performance (PIP) regards the Investing in African Mining Indaba as a platform for the company to showcase its ability to assist mining companies in improving performance and notes a current upsurge in interest in transitioning from being contractor operators on mines to becoming mine owner operators.

PIP director Gareth Huckle says the majority of the company’s core services – which include helping its clients increase throughput, reduce costs and optimise their capital expenditure – are still as relevant today as they were years ago.

“Our presentation, titled ‘Capital projects – getting the best bang for your buck’, will be valuable to many of the small, medium-sized and major miners attending, as this is in line with our business of identifying and delivering rapid performance improvement in industrial, resources and services companies using a specialist team and a hands-on approach,” highlights Huckle.

He adds that PIP specialists consistently deliver lower costs and higher revenues for the company’s clients.

Meanwhile, Huckle adds that PIP decided to become an official sponsor of the Mining Indaba, as the company wanted to reinforce its commitment to enhancing Africa’s mining industry.

“PIP is a pre-eminent provider of performance-improvement support for the mining industry worldwide and in Africa, and the Mining Indaba is the premiere African mining conference, so it’s a natural match.

“The resulting concentration of PIP clients in one place also offers an excellent opportunity to not only keep in touch with our clients but also stay abreast of their challenges, some of which our presentation addresses,” Huckle points out.

He further mentions that the indaba is a platform to showcase opportunities in Africa’s mining industry and is also an effective medium for matching capabilities with needs. As such, it helps unlock the full potential of Africa’s mining industry, which, in turn, benefits the related communities.

Service Offering
PIP says it can assist organisations in delivering rapid, substantial and sustainable performance improvements without significant capital investment.

“We take a pragmatic at-the-coalface approach to performance improvement, working as a business coach across an organisation. Our teams apply practical frameworks and toolkits to our clients’ businesses, based on practical experience of what works on site and in the field,” explains Huckle.

He adds that PIP’s service offering also provides insight into operating strategy, procurement, revenue, debottlenecking, expenses, maintenance, safety, training and environmental and organisational culture.

“Irrespective of the state of the mining cycle, PIP’s clients, andpotential clients, remain interested in either increasing output or reducing costs, or both – and that includes capital cost. This explains the current interest in insourcing support to ensure the potential value of insourcing is captured without impacting on output,” highlights Huckle.

He notes that PIP is prepared to be paid on a contingency basis, according to actual improvements delivered.