The adoption of a value-over-volume strategy has delivered a three-fold increase in EBITDA to R20.1B for the June half-year (H1FY19) for South African iron ore producer Kumba despite an 11% decline in production volumes to 20.1Mt largely due to unscheduled plant maintenance.
Q2 production was 10.5Mt, 12% higher than Q1.
Chief exec Themba Mkhwanazi says integrating sales and operational strategy improved average realised iron ore price by 57%, reflecting stronger iron ore prices and quality premiums plus Kumba’s marketing and beneficiating capability.
The Anglo American company is progressing towards its $US10/t margin enhancement target. Increased operational efficiency of 67% plus cost optimisation delivered R460M savings, underpinning its 58% EBITDA margin and $32/t break-even price.