A 5% uplift in Transnet’s rail performance supported a 6% increase in sales volumes for iron-ore miner Kumba Iron Ore in the quarter ended March 31.

The company sold nine-million tonnes of iron-ore in the period, which constitutes all of the volume it produced.

Kumba has been working with Transnet and the Ore User’s Forum to prioritise maintenance related to an independent technical assessment having been done on the iron-ore line.

Following this positive start to the year, Kumba maintains its production and sales guidance for the full year at between 35-million and 37-million tonnes of iron-ore.

The company realised an average free-on-board export iron-ore price of $98/t for the quarter, which is 11% above the benchmark price of $88/t.

CE Mpumi Zikalala says that, against the backdrop of an uncertain global macro environment, Kumba’s strategic focus on operational excellence and cost optimisation is even more relevant.

“The successful reconfiguration of our business in 2024 significantly improved our resilience in a tougher operating environment. Pleasingly, we have continued to unlock value through our high-quality iron-ore products, achieving an average realised price 11% above benchmark prices.”

Kumba improved its waste stripping by 8% to 40.5-million tonnes in the quarter under review on the back of an optimised mine plan to manage operations as an integrated mining complex and develop greater flexibility across production processes.

While the Sishen mine’s production decreased by 9% year-on-year to six-million tonnes, the Kolomela mine’s production increased by 12% year-on-year to three-million tonnes.

Importantly, ore railed to port increased by 5% year-on-year to 9.8-million tonnes.

Kumba has total finished stock of 7.8-million tonnes of stock ready to be shipped at Saldanha Bay port.

The company’s average iron content in the quarter was maintained at 64.2% while its average lump-to-fine ratio improved to 68:32.

Meanwhile, the company is on schedule with its ultrahigh dense medium separation plant at the Sishen mine, which will increase production of premium grade iron-ore products.

In fact, Kumba is ahead of plans with converting the first coarse module and engineering design and fabrication.