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Trend 3: Seize opportunity amid uncertainty

by Andrew Swart, Bill Marquard
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5 minute read 03 February 2020

Trend 3: Seize opportunity amid uncertainty Why miners should prepare for the next downturn now

5 minute read 03 February 2020
  • Andrew Swart Canada
  • Bill Marquard United States
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  • Bold plays for consideration
  • Ways to help companies thrive during a downturn

Commodity prices rise and fall in tune with economic trends, which are currently foreshadowing a potential global downturn. To avoid being blindsided, there are some bold plays mining companies can consider to prepare.

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It seems the mining industry has barely recovered its stability before once again facing slowing economic growth. Globally, trade volumes are down and geopolitical tensions remain high. The inversion of the yield curve in the US, Canada and UK bond markets over the third quarter sent a strong market signal that a downturn might be in store.1

Concerns about China’s economic revival remain front and center. For the third quarter of 2019, the country’s GDP grew only 6 percent year-over-year—its slowest gain in more than 27 years.2

Several key forces appear to be driving this current level of economic uncertainty. Growing income disparities around the world seem to be giving rise to more nationalistic and populist governments. This is spurring a trend away from multilateralism. Free trade has even given way to protectionism in some countries, and the global economy is resetting to this new norm.

These macroeconomic headwinds are weighing on the industrial metals sector. Volatility across the sector has been rising, from base materials to bulk commodities, with some commodities being supported by supply side constraints (figure 1). For their part, precious metals have been benefiting from the investment community’s flight to safety.

Rollercoaster ride for industrial metals, LME Index

Despite these variable fortunes, however, one thing is clear: commodity prices rise and fall in tune with global economic trends, and, right now, those trends may be heralding a downturn.

Bold plays for consideration

“If miners are to learn from history, the time is ripe to begin shielding against a downturn,” says Andrew Swart, Global Mining & Metals Leader, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited. Companies with commodity portfolios that may continue to soften should think about taking proactive action so they can emerge from any potential downturn more robust and in a better position to take advantage of the cycle.

Organizations can lay a foundation for this future through various bold plays.

1. Future-proof tomorrow

A downturn offers a clear opportunity to build the muscles to forge the future, not just react to it. Here’s how:

  • Prepare, don’t predict. Since 1988, the IMF has never forecast a recession in a developed economy more than a few months ahead.3 That’s why it makes sense, instead, to prepare for a range of plausible scenarios rather than one generic “downturn” scenario.
  • No plan ever survives contact with the enemy. To determine the reliability of their existing strategies, mining companies should stress-test those strategies against the “enemy” of volatility by asking how various scenarios might affect their strategies, how competitors are likely to react, and at what point they should shift their plans.
  • Build institutional muscle. Both scenario planning and stress testing are exercises that, like interval training, build institutional muscles that can be critical regardless of economic conditions. Leadership teams that engage in these exercises can get to know each other’s strengths, weaknesses, thought processes, and biases, allowing them to build cohesion and identify ways to make the business stronger.

2. Don’t abandon innovation

When the going gets tough, many companies abandon their innovation and research & development (R&D) portfolios, seeing these as longer-term plays that don’t drive short-term value. It’s hard to resist this temptation. However, most downturns only last four to six quarters, and keeping that innovation focus now can position the organization for competitive advantage. Digital programs can also be refocused around key areas that drive short-term value, such as:

  • Automation. The business case for automation in key areas of the organization is clear, and companies can benefit from continuing down this path.
  • Analytics. Optimizing key portions of the process using big data analytics can yield substantial value. We typically see double-digit savings in optimizing different metallurgical processes.
  • Waste removal. Focus in on key processes where there is often redundancy and where more streamlined processes can drive greater efficiencies. These are areas like integrated planning or driving short interval controls.

There are, of course, many other examples where innovation and digitization can add key value in the short to medium term. Companies should remain laser focused on driving these.

3. Don’t burn—redesign

Drastic cost cutting during a downturn can see companies trimming muscle, rather than fat. Typically companies that go through drastic cost reductions without redesigning the underlying processes see all that cost come back within a year to 18 months. Organizations need the muscle and, in the absence of rethinking how the work gets done, the cost will likely return. To avoid this:

  • Take the time to redesign. Companies would be wise to look at the major workflows in their organization to identify alternative ways to get that work done—perhaps by automating, outsourcing, or using contract employees. The aim is to create something sustainable to position for lasting change.
  • Preserve key talent. When leaders become overwhelmed by economic pressures during a downturn, they often neglect to invest in employee experience and reduce workforce management to an income statement exercise. To encourage employees to remain loyal through the bad times, companies should focus on helping employees find meaning in their relationship with work—even when the going gets tough.

4. Relook at your relationships

Downturns provide a great opportunity for companies to relook at their relationships and decide which ones to invest in, which ones to abandon, and perhaps which ones to renegotiate:

  • Invest in the ecosystem. The easy answer might be to squeeze the supplier base for more savings and better prices. The harder, but potentially more value-creating, option might be for companies to look at new ways to create different incentives and work with their supplier base to achieve their goals. Making suppliers part of the solution rather than treating them as a commodity can help set miners up for longer-term value creation.
  • Collaborate. Now might also be a good time to create collaborative relationships with competitors who might also be feeling the downturn. Very often, they are facing similar challenges and have a similar cost focus.

5. Acquire resources

The instinct is always to cut and reduce, but now might also be the time for companies to invest in key resources—specifically, assets and people:

  • Take advantage of M&A. Mining companies going into a downturn with balance sheet strength have considerable advantage. Making strategic acquisitions at depressed multiples can create long-term accretive value. Many firms, however, leave it too late and find themselves acquiring when the market has already turned. Take the long view.
  • Recognize people as tremendous assets. Whether it’s from within or outside of your industry, downturns can be great opportunities to make strategic hires. Now is the time for companies to think through their longer-term vision for the kinds of talent that can enable their long-term strategy and use the next 18 months to hire strategically.

“A period of volatility may offer unique opportunities that businesses can leverage if prepared. The key is to harness both the energy and constraints of volatile conditions to solve tough challenges and spark innovation.” says Bill Marquard, Director, Monitor Deloitte US.

Ways to help companies thrive during a downturn

  • Align the executive team. Staying the course and taking advantage of opportunities requires an aligned management team. A regular cadence to review strategy, review the scenarios, and pivot accordingly can serve companies well.
  • Own the narrative. These are uncertain times for everyone in the organization. Over-invest in communication, town halls, and one-to-one meetings. People long for transparency and, in the absence of clear communication, will create their own narrative.
  • Create board alignment. Many of the actions discussed here may be counterintuitive to some. Creating a strong alignment with the board will often be critical for any management team.
Acknowledgments

Cover image by: Doublelix

Endnotes
    1. Deloitte, “Growth persists amid uncertainty: Economic outlook,” Deloitte, October 2019, accessed October 18, 2019. View in article

    2. Huileng Tan, “China says its economy grew 6% in the third quarter, slower than expected,” Consumer News and Business Channel (CNBC), October 17, 2019, accessed October 22, 2019. View in article

    3. Simon Kennedy and Peter Coy, “Why Are Economists So Bad at Forecasting Recessions?,” Bloomberg Businessweek, March 28, 2019, accessed October 22, 2019. View in article

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Topics in this article

Energy & Resources , Oil & Gas , Mining & Materials , Energy, Resources, & Industrials

​Energy, Resources & Industrials

Deloitte’s Global Energy, Resources & Industrials specialists provide comprehensive, integrated solutions to all segments of the Oil, Gas & Chemicals, Power & Utilities, Mining & Metals and Industrial Products & Construction sectors. Offering clients deep industry knowledge and a global network.

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  • ​Andrew Swart
  • Global Mining & Metals Leader
  • Deloitte Canada
  • aswart@deloitte.ca
  • +1 416-813-2335

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Andrew Swart

Andrew Swart

Managing Partner, Energy, Resources & Industrials

As managing partner for the Energy, Resources & Industrials practice, Andrew is responsible for setting the strategic direction and go-to-market strategy. With more than 20 years of industry and consulting experience, He is passionate about client service, having worked in many major resource and industrial markets around the world, including Canada, Chile, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Brazil, Germany, India, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Andrew works with C-Suite executives on some of their most pressing strategic issues including corporate and competitive strategy and large organizational transformations.

  • aswart@deloitte.ca
  • +1 416 813 2335
Bill Marquard

Bill Marquard

Managing Director Monitor Deloitte

Bill is a managing director in Deloitte’s strategy and analytics practice—and a former philosophy major with a passion for applying liberal arts disciplines to business leadership. He leads Deloitte’s market efforts on resilient leadership, and also works with CEOs, senior executives, and their teams to develop and deliver growth strategies and retail customer experience. Earlier in his career, Bill served as a c-level executive for a Fortune 200 wholesaler/retailer, where he started and ran a chain of limited assortment stores, managed a $3bn supply alliance, and led major cost and IT transformations. He is the author of Leadership Lessons from Leonardo, as well as Deloitte’s five signature articles on resilient leadership which emerged from the COVID-19 crisis. His business strategy book, Wal-Smart: What it Really Takes to Profit in a Walmart World was selected as one of the top five business books of the year, and he has been featured as a leader in business strategy in multiple media outlets including CNN, CNBC, First Business, the Wall Street Journal, and the Chicago Tribune. Bill also served on the faculty of Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, and has lectured on leadership issues at the White House, Duke University, the University of Notre Dame, and DePaul University.

  • bmarquard@deloitte.com
  • +1 312 486 4958

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