Ferrovanta Mining Services — Operations Plan
The operating model, the mining-fleet and equipment strategy, maintenance and asset management, supply chain and procurement, and the operational performance metrics.
Section 7 · Business Plan
Operations Plan
The operating model, the mining-fleet and equipment strategy, maintenance and asset management, supply chain and procurement, and the operational performance metrics.
7.1 Operational Philosophy
Ferrovanta’s operational philosophy is built around five
non-negotiable principles: safety leadership, fleet availability
discipline, cost-per-tonne accountability, productivity benchmarking,
and data-driven decision-making. Each operational site is run as a
discrete profit centre with full financial and operational
accountability vested in a Site Manager reporting through a Regional
Operations Manager to the Group Chief Operating Officer.
7.2 Fleet Composition and Capability
The Ferrovanta fleet is structured around four primary equipment
classes — production drilling, primary loading, primary haulage, and
ancillary fleet — combined with mobile crushing and screening assets and
a workshop and maintenance fleet.
| Equipment Class | Typical Models / Spec | Y1 Units | Y5 Units | Y7 Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Excavators (70-200t) | Cat 6020B, Komatsu PC2000, Hitachi EX1900 | 22 | 84 | 100 |
| Rigid Dump Trucks (90-150t) | Cat 785/793, Komatsu HD785/HD1500 | 44 | 168 | 200 |
| Articulated Dump Trucks (40-50t) | Bell B40, Bell B50, Volvo A40 | 18 | 84 | 96 |
| Production Drill Rigs | Atlas Copco DM45, Sandvik DR580, Epiroc Pit Viper | 8 | 32 | 38 |
| Track Dozers | Cat D9/D10, Komatsu D375 | 10 | 38 | 46 |
| Motor Graders | Cat 16M, Komatsu GD825 | 6 | 20 | 24 |
| Front-End Loaders | Cat 988/990, Komatsu WA600 | 8 | 30 | 36 |
| Mobile Crushing & Screening | Sandvik QJ341, Metso LT130 | 4 | 16 | 22 |
| Support & Ancillary Fleet | Service trucks, water carts, lighting plants | 30 | 108 | 132 |
7.3 Maintenance Strategy
Fleet availability is the single most powerful operational lever in
contract mining. Every percentage point of fleet availability translates
directly into incremental revenue at minimal incremental cost, while
every percentage point lost directly compresses contract margins.
Ferrovanta’s maintenance strategy is built around a tiered system
designed to deliver fleet availability of at least 88% across the
principal equipment classes by Year 3.
| Maintenance Tier | Scope | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Daily Pre-Shift | Visual inspection, fluid levels, tyre pressure, hour-meter check | Every shift |
| Preventative (PM) | Scheduled service intervals per OEM spec (250h, 500h, 1000h, etc.) | Per OEM schedule |
| Condition Monitoring | Oil analysis, vibration analysis, thermal imaging, telematics review | Continuous / weekly |
| Component Change-Out | Major component swaps (engines, transmissions, final drives) at planned hour limits | Per component life |
| Mid-Life Rebuild | Comprehensive rebuild at ~20,000h on excavators, ~30,000h on trucks | Once per asset life |
| Emergency / Breakdown | Reactive response with on-site mobile workshop, parts kit, qualified technicians | As required |
7.4 Workshop and Infrastructure Network
Ferrovanta will operate a tiered workshop network combining a primary
central workshop, regional hubs, and on-site mobile workshops at each
operational mine. This network ensures that minor maintenance is
delivered on-site with minimal equipment downtime, mid-tier work is
delivered at the regional hub, and major rebuilds and component
overhauls are centralised at the primary workshop where specialist
tooling and skilled labour are concentrated.
| Facility | Location | Role | Year Commissioned |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Workshop & HQ | eMalahleni, Mpumalanga | Major rebuilds, component overhauls, training centre, executive offices | Y1 |
| Regional Hub North | Kuruman, Northern Cape | Manganese-belt site support; mid-tier maintenance | Y2 |
| Regional Hub Limpopo | Polokwane, Limpopo | PGM-belt site support; mid-tier maintenance | Y3 |
| Regional Hub Cross-Border | Francistown, Botswana | Botswana ops; staging for Zambia | Y4 |
| Regional Hub Copperbelt | Kitwe, Zambia | Zambia copper-belt site support | Y5 |
7.5 Operational KPIs
Operational performance will be measured against a defined set of key
performance indicators that align directly with both client expectations
and investor return drivers.
| KPI | Industry Benchmark | Y1 Target | Y5 Target | Best in Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate | 0.30–0.50 | <0.30 | <0.15 | <0.10 |
| Fleet Availability — Excavators | 82–86% | 84% | 90% | 92% |
| Fleet Availability — Trucks | 84–88% | 86% | 91% | 93% |
| Fleet Utilisation | 65–72% | 65% | 78% | 82% |
| Operator Cost per BCM (Index) | 100 | 100 | 85 | 75 |
| Diesel Consumption per BCM (L) | 0.55–0.70 | 0.65 | 0.55 | 0.48 |
| Tyre Life (hours) | 5,500–6,500 | 5,800 | 7,200 | 8,000 |
7.6 Technology and Digital Strategy
Ferrovanta will deploy a unified digital backbone from day one,
avoiding the costly retrofitting challenges faced by older incumbents.
The technology stack comprises five integrated layers: an Enterprise
Resource Planning (ERP) system (SAP S/4HANA Mining); a Fleet Management
System (FMS) covering all production equipment (Modular Mining DISPATCH
or Wenco); telematics on 100% of mobile equipment from commissioning;
predictive maintenance (CMMS) software linked to OEM cloud platforms;
and a unified BI and operational data warehouse providing real-time site
and group-level dashboarding for production, cost, safety, and ESG
metrics.
7.7 Procurement Strategy
Procurement strategy is structured around three principal categories
— capital equipment (fleet), consumables (fuel, tyres, parts), and
services (insurance, transport, professional services). Fleet
procurement is governed by master OEM frameworks negotiated centrally,
with consumables managed under category-led national contracts that
aggregate site demand to achieve volume-based pricing. Long-term diesel
supply contracts with Sasol and at least one of the IOC majors are
non-negotiable and will be in place from Month 3.
Confidential — this business plan is provided to prospective investors and lenders for evaluation purposes only and may not be reproduced or distributed without the written consent of Ferrovanta Mining Services (Pty) Ltd.