No matter where you are in the commodity price cycle you need to ensure a safe and productive operation. For over 70 years Proudfoot has been working with clients in natural resources to help them.
* We helped Rio Tinto and it’s contractors and partners work to one plan in the world’s largest development site;
* You might need to focus on the delivery of rapid cash release;
* We achieved record production safely at a gold mine in Turkey;
* You might need to address your supply chain;
* You might need to focus on achieving maintenance excellence;
* We helped achieve safe operational excellence in the North Sea.
* We delivered the right resource plans for a water utility in France.
We understand the ups and downs of natural resources and commodities. You need to bring predictability where you can. And where possible remove complexity. A safe productive operation is always your number one priority. You must balance this with your need to achieve expected shareholder returns. And that’s why we focus on delivering measurable; operational and financial results. We balance those results by developing the culture of your organisation. You only get high performance through your people.
We work with clients in the areas of:
* Future Mine™ - Creating your Future Business Model
* Operational Readiness (Ramp Ups)
* Analytics and Solution Design
* Safe Operational Excellence
* Rapid Cash Release
* Capital Productivity (Includes Lean Construction)
* Cultural Transformation
* Proudfoot Change Leadership
* Community & Stakeholder Engagement
* IPP (Integrated Planning)
* MRO
We know the natural resource sector. Proudfoot has been delivering results using our deep subject matter expertise for decades.
We work directly with your people in their workplace. We use our unique engagement model with one-on-one coaching. We balance this with our technical know-how. By focusing on your company culture (employee engagement and management capability development) as well as your operating models we deliver a lasting and significant return on investment.
Our clients accelerate transformative change to achieve dramatic, measurable and sustainable operational outcomes – changing the way work gets done to provide results you can take to the bank.
Our clients are willing to provide references and details upon request. So call us now to find out more.
We design, implement and accelerate operational and digital transformation through people. We partner with organizations to solve strategically important problems that impede top-line growth or bottom-line results.
This allows us to create new capabilities and harness the power of your people to build an engaged culture, turbocharge leadership
Through collaboration with your front-line supervision, your middle management, and your senior executives, we fully implement solutions that transform your operations - the way you and your people do business.
Greg Field, General Manager, Oyu TolgoiProudfoot told us they have a flat organization. Many big companies say this when they have senior people doing the sales before sending junior people to do the work. Not Proudfoot: the on-site team was genuinely made up of the most senior people – it was fantastic. Jon Wylie (Proudfoot's President, Global Natural Resources) was here every six weeks. This was a real testimony to their 30 years of operational excellence – a real game changer.
Riaan van der Merwe, Senior Vice President: Eskom Collieries , Anglo Coal - Anglo American PLC GroupA business improvement project was conducted at Anglo Coal’s New Vaal Colliery during 2001/2002, utilizing a team from Proudfoot Consulting working alongside operational staff.
A 3:1 return was achieved, and the resulting capacity improvement enabled the colliery to increase output significantly to serve growing power station demand. The project enabled operating staff to gain a deeper understanding of the mining processes and the effect of quality on process flow, creating more stable and predictable output and quality of product.
Most of the activities resulting from the project have been integrated into the day-to-day management of the operation, ensuring sustainability of the benefits created.
The Proudfoot team interacted very well with mine personnel, creating trust and openness, which is essential for success in a project of this nature.
JP De Witt, Avgold LimitedWe at Avgold Limited - Hartebestfontein Division engaged Proudfoot Consulting to assist us with an expense reduction program, focusing on labour distribution, overtime and contractor costs. With their assistance we realised significant improvements in expenditure.
The reduction in cost provided a 10:1 return on investment. Proudfoot also enhanced our management disciplines and played a key role in cost awareness throughout the mine. We highly recommend their professional approach and their experience in business solutions to achieve the desired results.
Lance Hockridge, President, BHP Steel - Industrial MarketsThe Proudfoot team has been actively supporting the BHP Steel “Reform” project at Port Kembla.
Proudfoot's main focus was the necessary supervisor behavioural change required to build our new organisation. The consultants integrated well at all layers of management. The training and coaching were hands on, and as such, enabled a pragmatic application of the new concepts we at BHP Steel believe in. Proudfoot’s approach was creative and focused on sustainability as they implemented change in mobilising front line management around their future roles in the organisation.
Peter Vaughton, Project Manager, BlueScope SteelSitting here today, we are more capable, and much better equipped. Our thinking has moved on regarding focused implementation. We now have an organisation which, with Proudfoot’s support, is in a much better position to quantify and embrace the necessary productivity improvements in order to maintain our competitive edge.
Phillip Brumit , General Manager, Operations, PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara - Batu HijauPT Newmont Nusa Tenggara, Batu Hijau, engaged Proudfoot to focus on the change in behavior that we felt was needed in our organization’s continuous quest to go from “good to great”. We needed to make significant changes, particularly in the frontline supervisors and their crews, and achieve these changes at an accelerated rate.
By working together in developing and implementing improved Management Operating Systems as well as engaging in a significant skills training effort, we were able to bring about significant changes in the way we were operating. This was achieved despite some of the cultural barriers inherent in operating in an Indonesian environment.
The emphasis on the frontline supervision and their crews has enabled the operations to consistently focus on achieving the day-to-day results required to meet our targeted production performance levels. This emphasis on installing the appropriate foreman behaviors and accountability, in conjunction with other on-going initiatives, translated to improved production performances at sustained levels.
Gustav Greissel, Chief Operation Officer, BHP AluminiumBHP Billiton Aluminium SA completed two new initiatives in strong co-operation with Proudfoot Consulting in the Hillside and Bayside Smelters towards the end of 2008. Projects "3P" and and "DELTA" delivered substantial bottom line results which are standing both smelters in good stead, given the current prolonged economic downturn. Aluminium is not immune to the downturn, LME linked commodities need to be at the low-end of the cost curve to manage through tough times and these two initiatives placed us in a better position to manage through these challenging times.
Success in both these initiatives was enabled by great teamwork and the quality of the team members from within, as well as from Proudfoot. The methodology, discipline, experience, drive and momentum Proudfoot brings to the table are some of the key ingredients to success and the initiatives also delivered a number of untangible benefits, specifically on the people side of the business. The Proudfoot Project Director and his team were exceptional - their drive to achieve success and deliver the agreed benefits, even during challenging times were unquestionable and absolutely focussed. It was a real pleasure and privilege working them as partners in delivering ongoing improvement!
Jim Gowans, President & CEO, De Beers CanadaProudfoot assisted my people in executing faster and at a higher level – at all levels of the organization. Most importantly, we worked together in developing rapid change.
Mike Sylvestre, President, Manitoba Operations - Vale IncoI’d heard of Proudfoot from my mining days in Canada but my perception of them had been that they were focused purely on head-count reduction. So their initial recommendation was a little surprising in that its aim was to improve overall output with no head-count reduction. The results speak for themselves: we have achieved record production levels successively for the past three years. Their “toolkit” of on-the-floor execution is excellent; its really a manual for how to change a culture for higher performance and then to make it stick. Their people are good leaders with the tools, discipline and experience to make effectiveness in execution routine in the workforce.
Chris Sheppard, Executive Vice President: MiningLonmin engaged Proudfoot Consulting to work with our team at all levels on one of our leading underground shafts. The primary objective was to develop and install the most appropriate shaft management operating system as well as to achieve a step change in culture to one of “continuous process improvement”. The objective in measured terms was however to enable the shaft to deliver an additional 100,000 tons on an annualized basis. On a financial basis, the project needed not only to be self-funding, but to deliver an approximately 3:1 return on the once off investment and thereby provide the platform for the continuing higher level performance in future years.
Proudfoot quickly integrated, in their hands-on approach, with the shaft employees at all levels. They systematically installed, through our management team, the necessary enhanced ways of planning and controlling work, as well as assisting them to increase the predictability of the outcomes. The Proudfoot staff became completely part of the shaft team, and was really good at influencing our people’s attitudes and behaviors. I can recommend Proudfoot to any organization that is seeking to improve its productivity and performance. We have recently commenced further work with Proudfoot on a completely different fixed term assignment.
David Salisbury, Managing Director, Rössing UraniumThe significant challenges of an aggressive global U3O8 market have driven Rössing to find ways to meet the formidable task of reducing operating costs. Furthermore, time is critical as lower prices markets are presently in effect and our competitive position must be secured immediately.
Personnel from Proudfoot worked closely with Rössing leaders to identify shortcomings that prevented further reductions in operating costs. First steps included training all leaders in skills to identify, measure, and action opportunities for improvement. This comprehensive training was fundamental to our installing the motivation for change. Most important, training has been internalised and is now readily transferable and sustainable.
Proudfoot has transferred and assisted in the integration of effective analytical, measurement and reporting systems that are the basis of sustainable continuous improvement. These systems have had immediate impact and the Rössing leadership team is committed to seeing that they have a lasting effect in adding value to the business.
Peter Coates, General Manager, Ulan CoalThe ‘Facing the Future’ project which was introduced at Ulan with the help of Proudfoot, along with realizing substantial cost savings, has given Ulan a management system which provides the necessary information and controls to more effectively run business.
This business management system will provide the basis for a process of continual improvement which has the potential to realize even more significant productivity gains and profits improvements in the future.
John Mansanti, Manager of Milling, Newmont Gold CompanyThe gold mining industry has been plagued with low gold prices for the past several years. Improvements in margins became necessary to continue growth. Newmont targeted its process maintenance sector for improvement and elected to bring someone in to evaluate the potential.
Proudfoot did not do the evaluation themselves but actually taught our maintenance staff practical methods to analyze and improve working systems and to measure performance. They performed as a catalyst to the improvement process, reducing the individual's resistance to change and facilitating the change process. Their approach will have lasting value. As a result of their training, our people continue to be positive with regard to change and to identify opportunities to improve efficiency and to reduce costs. Their people conducted themselves professionally and focused on the targets agreed upon.
Proudfoot takes a finalist position for Best International Project in the 2018 Management Consultancies Association (MCA) Awards. The International Project Award is open to all Consulting firms worldwide, and the winner is announced at the 2018 MCA Awards ceremony, April 26th in London.
Proudfoot was chosen for its work in Mongolia for global mining company, Rio Tinto. Our project team, on the ground since February 2016, has been supporting the creation of Oyu Tolgoi, the world's largest underground mine, capable of producing copper for the global market for the next 100 years... Read More
In June 2018, Angus Maclean, a leader in Proudfoot’s Global Building Materials Practice discussed next-generation Target Operating Models (TOM) with Global Cement Magazine.
Leading companies implement a TOM to ensure successful use of critical behaviours, underpinned by processes and management tools, from ‘quarry-to-lorry’ across a cement producer’s business.
TOMs go beyond simply optimising each individual cement plant. Addressing the company’s network of plants and logistics operations, they optimise... Read More
TOM Cement: Management at a world-leading building materials firm which operated across more than 60 countries globally and had just undergone a major merger, were struggling to develop a uniform way of operating individual Cement Plants around the world, mostly due to clashing legacy practices on each plant.
European Refining Business: The Head of Refining for a major oil company was confronted with increasingly high costs at its four largest refineries in the US and Europe. Energy usage, at nearly 60% of operating cost, was continuing to rise.
Open Pit Gold Mine: The CEO's concern with his open-pit gold mining operation in Peru, was the decline in metal prices and an increase in cost per ton. Additionally, as the productive life of the mine was coming to an end, establishing an organizational structure that was in line with the current reality to maintain a cost-effective operation was paramount to success.
Working Capital: As a strategic priority, the CEO of a global equipment and services provider for the energy industry established an imperative to improve their working capital status.