In our recent reports, we explored the large-scale drivers impacting the mining industry and the way its people make decisions on strategy, innovation and organisational architecture. We know the industry must transform under growing pressure to decarbonise and that technological advancements are paving the way for industry disruption. We also know that the way value chains are designed and operated will change, as will the role of people and their structures within an organisation. What we don’t know is what those changes will ultimately look like in practice. While the purpose of a business might stay the same, the way it operates will change substantially.

This thought process has fostered a series of ideas, which have evolved into the paper presented here. Our aim is to bring together the insights gathered from survey data, interviews and various workshops to explore how future mining business architectures may emerge. We examine mining businesses through the lens of the different business purposes typically found in the industry: an explorer, an operator and a processor business. Each of these will experience their own unique challenges and will respond to these in different ways. In an effort to understand the potential shifts from the current known to the future unknown, we have defined the typical elements that comprise businesses architecture and examined these through the lens of both the key external drivers and our current survey data. The result is a set of potential changes to business architecture we hope inspires you to think critically about the future of the industry and what your business strategy may look like.

The EMC’s final report covers all of the consortium’s activities from 2020 to 2024. It contains specific guidance on implementing the transition to an electric mine as well as a detailed financial model comparing electric vs diesel operations under a number of scenarios. It also provides insights on the current industry landscape, collaboration best practices, and policy recommendations to support electrification.

Within the mining industry, as with many industries more broadly, there is an increasing level of discussion surrounding diversity. Diversity is not a box-ticking exercise, nor is it a purely altruistic pursuit – establishing and enabling diversity within an organisation is a powerful strategic tool for improving innovation, team resilience and performance.

Acknowledging that diversity of thought can advance the competitive advantage of a business is an easy first step, but it’s more difficult to achieve genuine diversity of thought without an embedded culture that includes a true variety of people. Societal diversity is multifaceted, encompassing myriad aspects of identity including gender, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, age, experience, education level, socioeconomic status, and many more.

In celebration of International Women’s Day, we interviewed 15 leaders from the mining industry and beyond, boasting a collective ~350 years of professional experience. They shared invaluable insights into diversity in the workplace, offering their perspectives to inspire change. This piece intends to showcase the resilience of individuals to overcome and dismantle barriers for those who follow, and the remarkable impact that diversity offers. It also intends to spark a vital conversation about the “people problems” faced by mining organisations, to encourage leadership-based solutions benefitting both organisations and their people. We invite you to read it with an open mind, to discuss it with your friends and colleagues, and to reach out to us with your thoughts.

We are entering an era of mining which has a firm focus on the energy transition. Mining companies are scrambling to figure out how to incorporate renewable energy sources and electrified equipment into their greenfield and brownfield sites. The energy transition will be the central focus of the mining industry for decades to come. The question that remains is what the future of mining will look like given the imperative to decarbonise, the growing need to innovate when it comes to exploration and supply chains, and the growing negative perceptions from broader society. Each chapter of this report digs deep into some of the large questions facing our industry today.

The mining industry finds itself at the epicentre of shifting global dynamics – external forces are challenging the status quo, forcing companies to rethink their strategy, organisational architecture and innovation approaches. More than ever, there is a requirement to think long term, embed innovation within strategy and rethink business models to capitalise on the next generation of mining opportunities. This report unpacks how the industry is transforming and what they need to do to harness opportunities and navigate challenges in the ever-evolving world. Look at this report as your handbook to help guide you through your decision-making processes when it comes to strategy, organisational architecture and innovation. We recommend using Chrome for the smoothest download experience.