Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro

Mine planning involves more than developing schedules. It also requires understanding risk, responding to changing operational conditions and providing the information needed to support effective decision-making.
In Part 2 of the Rethinking Mine Planning series on Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro, Dr Tarrant Elkington is joined by Mark Bowater, founder of Insignia Mining and author of Crimes Against Mine Planning, to explore why mine planning should focus on enabling informed decisions rather than simply producing and following schedules.
In this episode, they discuss:
Why mine plans can quickly become outdated as operational conditions change.
The importance of communicating risks, constraints and contingencies within mine plans.
How planners can better support operational teams in making informed decisions.
Why reviewing decision quality can be just as important as measuring compliance to plan. How decision-making applies across short-term, strategic and life-of-mine planning.
The role of mine planners as decision enablers and facilitators.
 The conversation highlights the importance of looking beyond the plan itself and considering how planning information can support decisions throughout the mining operation.

Are traditional mine planning horizons still the most effective way to structure mine planning?
In this episode of Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro, Tarrant Elkington is joined by Mark Bowater, Founder and Director of Insignia Mining and author of Crimes Against Mine Planning, to discuss an alternative approach to mine planning: planning by purpose rather than time horizon.
Drawing on more than 35 years of experience in mine planning, Mark challenges the conventional approach of developing plans around fixed timeframes and explores whether mining companies could improve efficiency by reconsidering the purpose of each plan.
Topics discussed include: Traditional mine planning horizons:
Why mining companies develop life-of-mine, mid-term, annual, monthly and weekly plans, and whether each serves a necessary purpose.
Planning by purpose: A proposed framework built around three key functions: strategic planning, operational readiness and execution planning.
Operational readiness: The importance of preparing equipment, infrastructure, approvals and other requirements to support successful execution.
Planning cadence: How the frequency, duration and level of detail of mine plans should reflect their intended purpose.
Organisational structure: How the location and reporting structure of planning teams can influence communication and coordination between strategic planning and mine operations.
Mark also shares his perspective on how mining companies could begin reviewing their existing planning processes to reduce unnecessary work and improve alignment between long-term strategy and operational execution.
This is Part 1 of our Rethinking Mine Planning series. Stay tuned for Part 2, coming next week!
About Fresh Thinking
Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro explores technical topics, industry challenges and emerging ideas through conversations with experienced mining professionals. Subscribe to our channel for more discussions on mine planning, geology, Mineral Resource estimation and other technical topics affecting the mining industry.

In Part 2 of Snowden Optiro's Fresh Thinking tungsten series, Senzeni Mandava Matondi, Laurie Hassall and Melanie Bulley discuss the key technical considerations for tungsten projects from a resource geology perspective.
Building on Part 1's exploration of tungsten markets, pricing and global supply chains, this episode shifts the focus to deposit geology, mineralogy, assaying, metallurgical recovery and geometallurgy.
The discussion explores:
Tungsten deposit types: The geological characteristics of skarn, quartz vein, stockwork, granite-related and stratabound deposits.
Scheelite and wolframite: Why identifying the dominant tungsten mineral is important for exploration, processing and recovery.
Exploration and assaying: The use and limitations of fluorescence, analytical methods, quality control and historical assay data.
Tungsten grade reporting: The distinction between elemental tungsten (W) and tungsten trioxide (WO₃), and why consistent reporting is important.
Metallurgical recovery: How mineralogy, grain size, liberation and ore sorting can influence processing.
Geometallurgy and resource classification: The importance of understanding geological and metallurgical variability when evaluating tungsten projects.
The episode highlights why tungsten grade alone does not provide a complete picture of a project's technical characteristics, and why geology, mineralogy and metallurgical recovery need to be considered together.

In this episode of Snowden Optiro's Fresh Thinking podcast, Julian Aldridge, Regional Director – EMEAA, is joined by Melanie Bulley, Senior Consultant, and Laurie Hassall, Principal Consultant, for the first discussion in a two-part series on tungsten.
The discussion examines tungsten from a market and supply chain perspective, with particular attention to the recent rise in APT prices and the factors affecting the availability of tungsten products.
Topics discussed include:
Ammonium paratungstate (APT), its role as an intermediate tungsten product and its use as a market price reference.
The relationship between APT prices, tungsten concentrate and mine revenue, including payability considerations.
China's role in tungsten mine production, concentrate consumption and downstream processing.
The effects of Chinese export controls, US tariffs and defence procurement restrictions. Tungsten's strategic applications and the challenges associated with substitution.
Responsible sourcing, conflict minerals requirements and 3TG traceability.
Processing capacity outside China and its importance in developing non-Chinese tungsten supply chains. The contribution and limitations of tungsten recycling.
The implications of recent APT price movements for new tungsten projects and long-term price assumptions.
Part 2 will explore the technical aspects of tungsten projects, including deposit types, geology, mineralogy, assaying, metallurgy and Mineral Resource estimation.

Inferred Mineral Resources are the lowest-confidence Mineral Resource category, but what role should they play in mine planning?
In this episode of Fresh Thinking, Tarrant Elkington is joined by Allan Earl, Executive Consultant at Snowden Optiro, to discuss the practical and regulatory considerations around including Inferred Resources in mine plans.
Tarrant and Allan explore the distinction between mine plans developed for operational and strategic purposes and those used for public reporting.
They discuss how Inferred Resources are treated under different reporting frameworks, including JORC, NI 43-101 and S-K 1300, and some of the challenges this creates for mine planners.
The discussion also considers the practical implications of including or excluding Inferred Resources, particularly for long-term and underground mine planning, and the potential for companies to maintain different plans for internal, strategic and public reporting purposes.
Subscribe to Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro for more technical discussions from across the mining industry.