SA’s largest iron ore miner, Kumba Iron Ore, increased production and sales in the September quarter, with improved productivity underpinning the gains. The flagship Sishen mine in the Northern Cape boosted output by 46% to 8.3-million tonnes compared to the second quarter "due to a significant improvement in productivity," the Anglo American subsidiary said on Tuesday morning. "The improvement in production was due to increased run of mine feed rates, improved quality feedstock material and better plant yields," said Kumba, adding a change in the work roster to three shifts in September would benefit operations. Sishen would deliver 27-million tonnes of ore this year. The mine has been restructured and redesigned to minimise the amount of waste needed to be stripped to expose ore and waste fell by nearly half to 35-million tonnes compared to the same period a year earlier. The Kolomela mine increased output 8% quarter-on-quarter to 3.4-million tonnes and was forecast to top 12-mill...
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