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Johannesburg – Mining company Kumba Iron Ore increased total production by 4% for the quarter ended 31 March 2018.
In its production and sales report released on Tuesday, Kumba said total production was boosted by its Kolomela mine in the Northern Cape which increased its production by 26% to 3.5 million tonnes.
On the other hand, its Sishen mine’s production decreased by 5% to 7.3 million tonnes, compared with the 7.6 million tonnes produced in Q1 2017.
The company said the decrease was caused by, “lower DMS plant production due to short-term mining feedstock constraints which were partially offset by higher yields from both the DMS and JIG plants”.
Kumba Iron Ore saw a 1% decline in its total sales.
“Export sales decreased marginally to 9.9 million tonnes in comparison to Q1 (quarter 1) 2017, while domestic sales increased by 6%,” the company said.
Kumba is working with Transnet to try and lessen the losses incurred in this quarter.
“Waste stripping increased by 24% at Sishen and by 32% at Kolomela relative to Q1 2017, demonstrating continued improvement in efficiency,” Kumba said.
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