Typically, the improvements made in clients’ businesses include improving business processes; developing and implementing management systems to improve forecasting, planning, scheduling, control and reporting activities; and Human Capital Solutions where the focus is on changing behaviour to improve performance, which leads to increased efficiencies and profitability, and to engender a continuous innovation mind-set.

Whilst Weathervane’s Associates have worked in all sectors, below are a few of their engagements:

​Mining & Metals:

• Improving current efficiency and increasing output for a chrome smelter
• Improving blasting fragmentation and production output, and yellow fleet availability for a large Angolan diamond mine
• Developing a contractor optimisation operating model for an Aluminium producer
• Addressing soluble loss and increasing recovery for a Namibian uranium mine
• Leading a study for a major gold miner’s technology and innovation consortium with the focus on continuous mining
• Improving recovery, and reducing the amplitude of variability in recovery, in a concentrator for a Congolese copper mine
• Developing an operational readiness programme for the restart of a Namibian uranium mine
• Developing a small mine concept for a major South African coal miner
• Improving production output and recovery for a large Zambian copper mine
• Improving current efficiency and reducing operating costs for a major aluminium producer
• Developing project management manuals for a Saudi Arabian gold miner
• Reducing cost and improving monthly contract achievement (production output) for a large mining contracting company
• Improving blast fragmentation and mine production, and yellow fleet availability for a gold mine in Burkina Faso
• Improving port/harbour productivity, increasing output/distribution and reducing demurrage costs for a Liberian steel producer
• Assisting a platinum client with the introduction of extra low-profile mining

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Manufacturing and Heavy Industry:

• Throughput increase and waste reduction for a high-speed beverage can manufacturer
• Conducting a marketing and sales analysis for a major battery manufacturer
• Developing a project manage and cost reduction programme for an EPCM engineering organisation
• Reducing cost and improving service delivery for a pharmaceutical distributor
• Conducting a concept study and developing a financial model for a polysilicon plant
• Implementing a cost reduction programme for a major emergency response organisation (ambulance service)
• Improving production output and improving maintenance reliability for a major South African cement manufacturer
• Improving output, packaging, distribution and sales for a South African traditional beer producer
• Reducing cost and improving on time despatching in the packaging plant for a major South African sugar producer.
• Improving provisioning, reducing overtime and increasing sales for a major US telecommunications provider
• Reducing faults per unit, reducing cost and improving output (vehicles off the line) for a major vehicle manufacturer in the UK
• Introducing lean manufacturing, reducing cost and improving output for a North American boom and scissor lift manufacturer
• Improving availability and increasing output in their rolling mill for a major South African steel manufacturer
• Improving productivity, picking and distribution accuracy, and on-time client delivery in a paperless pharmaceutical warehouse
• Improving production output and sales for a major rockdrill manufacturer
• Increasing sales volumes through improved planning and scheduling, manufacturing efficiency improvements and improved warehousing and distribution for an international adhesives manufacturer

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Financial Services:

• Solution based selling strategy for a credit card producer
• Implementing a sales improvement (revenue enhancement) programme for a major South African insurance company
• Developing and implementing a relationship selling skills programme for a major South African bank
• Increasing back-office efficiency and effectiveness in the investment banking division for an international bank
• Reducing the cost per policy for an international insurance company
• Rationalising branches and improving call centre effectiveness for a South African insurance company
• Developing workflows for a new ERP system in the personal financial services division of a major South African insurance company
• Increasing call centre productivity and effectiveness for major insurance providers