Mining & Commodities

Quick Facts on the Ecosystem

Leveraging 35+ years of continuous support to global mining and commodity players, CVA has developed a unique expertise on a wide range of commodities including:

  • Critical metals and minerals such as copper, zinc, iron ore, lithium, cobalt, REEs, gold, green aluminium and green steel

  • Agri-inputs including grains & seeds, fertilizers (nitrogen, phosphate, potash, sulfur), crop protection, biostimulants

  • Agricultural commodities such as olives, potatoes, tomatoes, oilseeds etc.

Our expertise covers the entire value chain, from mining/Extraction/Production to all the downstream applications in all key markets (Europe, Africa, Middle East, Americas, Asia, Oceania, etc.).

Macro trends and business implications on the ecosystem:

  • Social: as global communities become more interconnected, understanding and aligning with local societal values is essential to successful extractive or agricultural operations. This necessitates transparent engagement with local communities and ensuring operations are in harmony with their aspirations.

  • Political: the evolving geopolitical landscape and the raise of new superpowers and alliances demands robust compliance and risk mitigation measures. Navigating these shifting political terrains and understanding policy changes are paramount for crafting sustainable and resilient market strategies.

  • Economical: in light of the growing global economic uncertainties, the emphasis on operational excellence is critical. This calls for streamlining operations, optimizing costs, and designing agile strategies that are responsive to economic fluctuations and challenges.

  • ESG: ESG considerations are of increasing importance, with growing pressure on all commodity players to adopt sustainable practices, integrate ESG into their core strategies, and commit to achieving environmental and sustainability benchmarks. The mining sector, in particular, is poised to be pivotal in the green energy transition, catering to the surging demand for various transition metals.

  • Technology: the future is digital. To achieve operational excellence and remain competitive, investments in digital tools, AI, automation, and data analytics are essential. These technological advancements should seamlessly integrate with operations and market strategies, fostering efficiency and innovation.

Platform vision & service offering:

CVA has developed a unique set of methodologies to support its clients throughout their strategic journey. These methodologies are key to better understand the trends downstream industries are currently ongoing, and how mining and industrials should adapt in order to best serve customers.

A dedicated team is working continuously for a wide variety of clients on these multi-dimensional value chain – feel free to reach out if you want to know more about how they can help you!

  • Go-to-market strategies, such as volume allocation by market/product, netback optimization, pricing, customer coverage, logistics solutions, M&A and partnerships for all international markets (Europe, Americas, Africa, Asia, Oceania).

  • M&A and post-merger integration, such as management of M&A pipeline (e.g. for Potash, Phosphate, Nitrogen, AgriTech, specialties), distribution, incl. screening and assessment of M&A and partnership options worldwide, full-cycle M&A process management (e.g. commercial DD, financial modelling, post-merger integration design and implementation).

  • Operational excellence, such as supply chain strategy (e.g., spot vs. TCs, storage, vessels optimization, combined shipments, etc), local & international sourcing strategy optimization, fertilizer product quality improvement, fertilizer production flexibility, asset debottlenecking, cost optimization and productivity improvement…

  • New products development, such as screening and implementation of market opportunities, experience with all types of semi-specialties (e.g., NPK, NK, KS, NKS, PK, micronutrients, Polyhalite, water-soluble, inhibitors, coatings, organic, biostimulants, foliar, etc.), organization build up including new tools, people & process development…

  • Pricing strategy & optimization, such as commodities pricing strategy (spot vs. formula) including toolkits, pricing formula and models for semi-specialties, supply agreement and partnerships including detailed pricing mechanisms, pricing strategy and assessment of “value-in-use” for premium fertilizers and specialties.

  • Industrial projects development, such as project structuring, partnership design, business support, financial modelling and stakeholder management for new projects, Capex optimization (-30%), JV structuring and implementation…

  • ESG, such as baselining & diagnostics of ESG-performance, ESG roadmap development, tracking of ESG roadmap delivery…

Platforms

  • Agri-Food Transition

    Raising concern for food safety, quality, environmental impact.

  • Auto-Mobility

    Working with car makers, national importers and leasing companies.

  • Energy & Circular Transition 


    Transforming the energy sector - power, oil, gas, industrial utilities.

  • Mining & Commodities

    Shaping the future of earth minerals extraction, transformation and commercialization.

  • New Building Infrastructure & Construction

    From affordable & sustainable construction to smart operational management.

  • New Healthcare Systems

    Re-thinking healthcare systems and paving the way for innovative medicines.

  • New Service Models

    Assisting financial institutions and services companies.