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Straight Talk
for Mining Leaders

Field-tested analysis on operational performance, leadership, and the decisions that determine whether your site runs — or struggles.

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Blog

Featured articles

Strategy

Unlocking the True Value of Mining

Intangible assets made up only 18% of the S&P500 value in 1975. By 2020, that had risen to 90%.

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March 26, 2026

Strategy

Why Tech Won’t Save Your Site

Mining productivity is falling despite massive tech investment. EY reports that 74% of executives struggle with tech integration—double the global industry average. This blog exposes why digital tools fail on low-maturity sites and how to build the adaptive capacity required to turn expensive software into a high-performance engine.

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March 18, 2026

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Operations

The Silver Bullet Trap

Is your mining operation "lurching" from one failed initiative to the next? Learn how to identify the four categories of Silver Bullets

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March 17, 2026

Operations

Operational Debt: The Silent Killer of Mining Productivity

While financial debt is visible, operational debt is often ignored until it triggers a production crisis.

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March 16, 2026

Operations

The $64B Execution Gap: Why Smart Mining Strategies Fail to Hit the Bank

Does your mining strategy look world-class in the boardroom but fail to deliver? You’re likely facing the Execution Gap. While McKinsey reports a 25% decline in mining productivity since 2005, the real cost is the $64B lost to missed guidance. In this post, Alex Franklin explains why smart strategies fail and how First Principles Consulting bridges the gap using the Strategy to Bank process. Learn how to stop firefighting and start unlocking latent capacity by aligning your operational capability with your strategic ambition.

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March 8, 2026

Operations

Scale mining production without CAPEX

Eliminating chaos, scale production, and unlock latent capacity.

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March 4, 2026

Operations

Why traditional consulting is dead

The shift from traditional consulting to a more modern approach.

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March 2, 2026

Operations

Short term planning

Are you aware of the pitfalls when using averages?

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August 4, 2024

Operations

A glimpse of what is possible

The right places to make small changes that quickly creates buy in and builds momentum

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August 4, 2024

Operations

The problem with boom cycles

Why you need to act now!

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August 4, 2024

Operations

Operations Management System

An organisation has any number of Management Systems e.g. risk, asset etc. yet most large operations focused organisations don’t have one for their operations.

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August 4, 2024
press coverage

Check out our interviews, articles and podcats

Podcast

Behind the Scenes with Bryan

Alex and host Bryan Ulrich on the technical work that never gets implemented — the Iceberg of Ignorance and operational debt in mining.

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Behind the Scenes with Bryan

Podcast

Entrepreneur to Author

Alex on writing Mining for Value — frameworks, feedback, and a two-week first draft.

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Entrepreneur to Author

Article

Value for Mining: A Blueprint to Eliminate Chaos, Scale Production and Unlock Latent Capacity

Austmine's coverage of Alex's book, Mining for Value — a blueprint for eliminating chaos and unlocking latent production capacity.

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Austmine

Article

Mining's $64 billion blind spot: Why miners keep missing their own targets

The pattern behind miners repeatedly missing their own guidance — and the $64 billion it's costing the sector.

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ZiMining Magazine
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