Operational improvement management specialist OIM Consulting has launched a new payoff line at the 2024 Investing in African Mining Indaba – ‘Refining Lives. Releasing Value.’ – which captures the value added by the company’s Supervisory Development Programme.

More than 2 000 supervisors have benefitted from the programme developed by OIM Consulting, after being deployed at operations owned by global multinationals, such as Gold Fields, Rio Tinto and De Beers, as well as local mining majors, including African Rainbow Minerals, Sereti Coal and Northam Platinum.

The programme is a culmination of the company’s years of experience in operational efficiency, organisational performance and leadership development, explains OIM Consulting CEO Arjen de Bruin.

“Mining is seen as a ‘hard, tough’ industry and, quite weirdly, now we are introducing words like ‘refining’ and ‘lives’ that can come across as a bit ‘soft’. But we are a people-centric consultancy: we chase the hard numbers, but we do it by capacitating the people who must achieve those targets, daily on the ground.”

Basically, OIM Consulting believes that if a company impacts the individual, refining his/her life by giving them tools, sharpening their skills, moulding their mindsets and shaping their behaviour, they will tackle their job with more vigour and success.

OIM Consulting’s in-depth coaching has a direct effect on their lives, confidence levels and job success. By releasing value for the individual, mining companies will benefit from reduced costs, better efficiencies, higher tonnages and more stable operations, and that success usually spills over and impacts on the wider community, advances De Bruin.

“We are very excited about our new payoff line and think it will resonate with the mining community. Even though miners come across as hard and tough, they are people and want to be successful. We at OIM Consulting, come alongside them and say: we are here to help.”