By Victor Kunda Mwaba, MBA, CSSBB-ASQ
It is professional dishonesty of the highest order, for Mopani Copper Mines management to prematurely conclude that job losses are ‘inevitable’ in the current business climate in Zambia. For starters, the fundamentals underpinning growth in copper mining, increasing demand for electric vehicles and batteries for energy storage, are very strong. What Mopani Copper Mines needs to do given the current copper market conditions, is produce more copper with the current resources they have, not cut them. Job losses are the easiest cost cutting measure management defaults to, usually just to send a political message to shareholders that management can make tough decisions, and that they are serious about long term business sustainability. Such an easy measure, a low hanging fruit we call in business improvement, is hardly sustainable. Usually, when you cut labor, morale and production go down with it. The business can cannibalize itself if management is not thoughtful in turning around an operation.
The demand for copper, and pricing strength are projected to continue rising in the US and China, not just because of real estate construction, but most importantly, the explosive demand for electric vehicles and battery power storage systems. That is why, in 2017 profits for Glencore, Mopani’s parent company, grew 400%, from $1.38 billion in 2016 to $5.78 billion in 2017. Such explosive growth in profits does not seem like a struggling company. Glencore paid $2.9 billion in dividends to shareholders. (Glencore Annual Report – 2017). Clearly, shareholders are feasting, Zambians are in famine, in addition to facing job losses. According to Glencore’s website, every Mopani Copper Mines employee has 8 dependents. So, for every 100 employees laid off, Mopani would essentially condemn 900 local citizens into poverty, while paying record breaking dividends to shareholders; A tale of two Mopanis, the best of times for shareholders, the worst for local citizens. Not to condone crime, but does anyone wonder why we have an increase in crime, particularly gang activities in Kitwe and other copper mining towns? The lack of commitment to poverty alleviation, and lack of ethical leadership from the current PF government does not help the cause either. We will discuss that issue at a later date.
That is why, in 2017 profits for Glencore, Mopani’s parent company, grew 400%, from $1.38 billion in 2016 to $5.78 billion in 2017. Such explosive growth in profits does not seem like a struggling company.
I get it, I’m a business man and entrepreneurial in the way I run mine operations. The business has to grow the pie, before sharing bigger portions for all stakeholders. At the same time, the social license, the privilege to conduct business in someone else’s backyard, has to be maintained. The rules of business engagement that get deployed in mature economies such as the US, with unemployment rates below 5%, coupled with a robust social welfare system, have to be different from those that get deployed in environments such as Zambia, with unemployment rates over 70% (Estimated by the Afrobarometer.com), with no social welfare system to speak off. If Mopani management did not learn this situational awareness in business school, they need to demand for refunds from their respective universities. On a serious note, leaders at multi national mines need to shift their modus operandi, from a cookie cutter approach of cutting and pasting business improvement methodologies that work well in developed economies, to truly customizing solutions to local conditions. They truly need to think global (Shareholder value), but act local (Maintain the social license)! It need not be a winner take all dichotomy between shareholders and local communities, but a duality of aligned values, interests and dreams.
The best way to lower unit cost ($$/ton) may not necessarily be cutting the divisor ($), but improving the denominator (tons). You can never go wrong with this approach; get more production with the resources you have. Planning is key to getting this done. No doubt, the price of copper will fluctuate from year to year, decade to decade, but that should never be our default excuse where poor planning may exist. In mine planning and execution, there exists a temptation called high grading. In theory, a well planned mine will extract an ‘average’ grade of ore over the life of the mine. The focus on quarterly profits and frequent changes in management brings in the temptation of going after the highest grade in the short term, and leave future leaders with the burden of accessing what is left of the deposit, usually lower grade ore. A well planned mine takes away the shock waves of ups and down in the ore grade, and spread it over the life of the mine. Employees should not suffer lay offs when the ore grade dips, because the planners did not plan well.
Labor is by no means an inconsequential cost component of mining. However, low wages in developing nations and higher grades of ore make up for the underutilization of labor. In a mine setting, or any business setting for that matter, labor has to be controlled, among other cost variables. First, you cut down the use of overtime, secondly, you place employees on reduced work hours, such as from 40 hours a week to 32 hours a week, if possible. If push comes to shove, you lay people off. Also, expatriate labor, which could cost several hundred multiples compared to local labor, must be controlled. Miners must train locals to be able to fill all jobs at the mine site from executive to laborer and everything in between. Relying on expatriate labor is unsustainable in the long run.
Outside of cutting labor, a plethora of canned business improvement methodologies exist, from Six Sigma, Lean, TPM, Toyota Production Methodologies, just to name a few. What is most critical to business improvement is improving the culture of ownership, morale and aligning goals all through the value chain – Inclusive mining. It is in the absolute long term best interest of shareholders for Mopani management to maintain their social license, for sustained return on equity. Do not forget the sweat equity component; labor.
A product of Mpelembe Secondary School, Engineer Victor Kunda Mwaba, MBA is a seasoned operations and business improvement expert based in the USA. He spent decades in mine operations leadership and mine planning in copper, industrial minerals and construction materials. His academic qualifications include, but not limited to BSc – Engineering, MBA in General Management, Certified Six Sigma Black Belt practitioner. Certificate in Business Analytics from The University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business. Certificate of completion from Duke University in Oil and Gas Exploration and Production, among other conference attendance and training.
Mr. Mwaba is the Head of Mining and Mineral Resources of Zambia’s newest political party; Movement for Economic Emancipation (MEE)
GREAT, WE NEED TO KEEP REMINDING THESE “ECONOMIC MERCENARIES” THAT AS THEY STRIP THIS COUNTRY OF RESOURCES AND COUNT THEIR PROFITS, THERE ARE PEOPLE FEELING ROBBED IN THIS COUNTRY DUE TO THEIR LACK OF HUMANE BUSINESS PRACTICES!! These Mining companies keep talking about reducing labor each time realistic taxes are introduced, yet they NEVER tell us how LOWLY are our Brothers and Sisters are paid in these mines compared to their counterparts in the same sector!! Even revised electricity tariffs could still be a lot cheaper compared to other copper mining countries and yet these companies keep refusing to pay appropriate taxes bcoz they believe everything from Africa must be gotten free especially THROUGH CORRUPT POLITICIANS AND GOVT OFFICIALS!!
This is ridiculous-Mopani mines grew 400% and yet local Zambians are hardly benefiting from this ,if at all. Why can’t we nationalize the mines? #BringbackZCCM One day we need to grab back our mines, ZCCM trained enough experts like this author who can provide invaluable expertise. It is really heart breaking to see the state of of the copperbelt.Polluted air,rivers and no money being plowed back in the area. Little social donations are a facade.Zambia wake up!!! Government should stand strong with their new taxes and not be intimidated by these mines
THE LOBBYING CONTINUES. I SAID IT AND THAT HOW THE GAME GOES. EACH TIME YOU WANNA TAX THEM INAPPROPRIATELY, THEY GO NUTS. PIN YOU DOWN ON JOBS AND THIS SENDS SHIVERS DOWN GOVERNMENT’S SPINE AND THATS HOW THEY HAVE SURVIVED BECAUSE GOVERNMENT WILL HAVE TO SUCCUMB TO PRESSURE AND NOT ENDURE THE JOBLESSNESS IN THE MINING SECTOR. Ts&Cs apply.
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That’s the mess double h put us in and through. Only LPM and Magande won in this ordeal. Tge owner of Mopani then yells 1-0. The arm twisting has just started and Government can’t bear the pain from these infestors.
Yaba.
Yes Mpelembe has produced some very fine minds. But this author, I do not now.
Everyone that has been to a seminar in the USA is now an expert at running the country.
But these extra long articles are just unnecessary!
Some of us have work to do please.
Bullet points will suffice next time.
Yes Mpelembe has produced some very fine minds. But this author, I do not **know**.
We have heard that the Chinese have bought 50% shares in Barrick. Soon we will see an influx of these unwanted elements at Lumwana. They were there last week checking on their investment. The sad part is that despite giving advise to these capitalists, they will still go ahead and fire some employees in the rank and file echelons just to send a message. We Zambian should take the bull by it horns and start investing in these ventures, otherwise we will keep yapping and crying like babies. Don’t just write good stuff, be in the fore front by showing how it is done.
@2 Bamwine, IT IS VERY SAD INDEED!! When we are supposed to be increasing our shareholding as ZAMBIA EVEN THROUGH ZCCM, WE JUST SEE MINES CHANGING HANDS BETWEEN FOREIGNERS!! Even the little shares we had in Lumwana, RB sold them, never even explained the reason and where the proceed thereof went!!
Great article there …veli veli nice write-up….Thats what an MBA can do.So any MBA graduate would agree with this article.
Shallow PF political analysis. Nothing to do with business. Has this MBA run a mine? Where? PF have always dreamed that there are bagful of money from the mines but since 2011 they have failed to deliver on their wet dreams despite changing the mining tax regime every year.
If you don’t have its not my fault….
No wonder these guys want to rule us forever using their dirty tactics like painting a gloomy picture of Zambia on outside debts especially with China.
Very refreshing article. The threats by the mines and their conduit the Chamber of mines are baseless.Worse off, is the decision by the Minister of Finance to reconstitute the Tax Policy Review Committee to deal with technical issues regarding the implementaion of the new changes in taxation.Why reconstitute the Tax committee? The committee had nearly the whole year to review the technical issues and probably recommended the new tax changes hence their inclusion in the 2019 national budget.Reconstituting the committee is tantamount to saying the members did not do a good job which is not the case.The Mineral Royalty Tax(MRT) rate changes are marginal, fair and progressive( by the way, the increment is only 1.5 percent across all bands).MRT rates are catering for mines in bad and good…
MRT rates are catering for mines in bad and good times and even when there is a copper windfall(copper prices are booming).While these mines are wailing about tax increments, the expected revenue contribution from new MRT will only be only 5% of the entire budget i.e a paltry K5 billion. As regards Sales Tax system replacing the VAT system, currently it is the most efficient way of taxing the mines owing to their preference to exporting base metals and not value addition. Those companies adding value to copper have their taxes almost halved to 15%.My question is why reconstitute the Tax Policy Review Committee and what are they going to reviewed? Review the review? is that not reversing madam Minister of Finance?
I meant….My question is why reconstitute the Tax Policy Review Committee and what are they going to review? Review the reviewed? is that not reversing madam Minister of Finance?
Good write up,this.But is it directed toward Glencore or the Government of Zambia?Sure, the “average-grade” concept is ideal.But it does not work when the owner of the mine is not resident in Zambia.What should stop the guy from digging up and shipping the top-grade ore/concentrate and stock-piling the stuff in his home backyard (incentive to manipulate supply),never mind the social license.
Indeed there’s a new kid on the block, MEE! I don’t know how my brother Freedom will interpret this article as Minister in the Office of the President, PF in disarray. Only a blind man can’t see through Glencore’s dirty and shallow business tactics. I expect Laura Miti to say something, she’s only good at demeaning Edgar? This is beyond Hichilema’s kleptomaniac tactics
On the one hand the author is telling Milan to cover their losses by increasing output while on the other he is advising to reduce labour costs by cutting man hours and overtime. How do you increase the output while reducing labour. Increased labour equals increased output.