Mine Efficiently And Build Great Culture
For 20 years, we've partnered with mining leaders who are done fire-fighting and ready to build something that lasts.
Serving Mining operational improvements & lean mining consulting since 2000
Driving Authentic & Sustainable Improvement
Reduce conflict among team members
and departments
Increase employee satisfaction
and performance
Cut operational costs
without cutting people
Build problem-solving
skills on the frontline
Mine Efficiently And Build Great Culture
For 20 years, we've partnered with mining leaders who are done fire-fighting and ready to build something that lasts.
Driving Authentic & Sustainable Improvement
Reduce conflict among team members
and departments
Increase employee satisfaction
and performance
Cut operational costs without
cutting people
Build problem solving skills
on the frontline
You see it—the gap between how things run now and how they could run.
Safer. Smoother. Better.
Your frontline teams see it too. The question isn't whether improvement is possible. It's whether you're ready to make it happen.
We help mining companies improve their operational, cultural, and financial capacity
Our programs guarantee long-term gains for your company, your employees, and your community by helping individuals master incremental improvements.
- Empowered
- Positive
- Inclusive
OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE
Your Organization
- Measurable
- Supported
- Sustainable
Trusted by mining companies worldwide, Onward Business Mechanics delivers industry-leading global mining support services across top mining regions, including Canada, the United States, and leading markets throughout Europe.
We help mining companies obtain Operational Excellence through discovering opportunities, build capability, and sustain excellence through operational improvement systems that last.
Authentic & Sustainable Value Creation + Financial Improvement Analysis for your Organization
- Empowered
- Positive
- Inclusive
Your Organization
- Measurable
- Supported
- Sustainable
Trusted by mining companies worldwide, Onward Business Mechanics delivers industry-leading global mining support services across top mining regions, including Canada, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Australia, South Africa, and leading markets throughout Europe and Asia.
Three Focus Areas:
Operational
Problem-solving tools and exercises to harness technical leaders and frontlines' expertise
People
Leading change with the right mindset and skills
Financial
Translating the reality of the operations into business impact
WHO THIS IS FOR
This work is for leaders who want to make a difference.
- You're managing day-to-day operations, putting out fires, and dealing with "the way things are." You might be overwhelmed by an abundance of opportunities to improve and you don't know where to start.
- But you also see the potential. You know your people are trying their best with what they have. You want to shake things up, break through the patterns holding you back, and leave a legacy worth being proud of.
- You're not looking for another binder of recommendations from a big consulting house. You're looking for a partner who understands mining operations, respects your frontline, and will stick around until your team can run it themselves.
If that's you, we should talk.
We’ve helped clients with:
- Missed production targets
- Spiraling operations costs
- Standards aren’t being followed
- Disengaged / unmotivated front lines
- Smoothing out collaboration between site and corporate
- Navigating mergers, acquisitions, and reorganizations
- High turnover and living in fire-fighting mode
- Portfolios of improvement projects that are stuck
- Pressure from their Board to produce more results
Clients We've Served
WHAT YOU GET
Results that stick
Four Benefit Blocks:
Less downtime, fewer bottlenecks
Your teams standardize what works so every shift runs predictably.
Turn your data into decisions
Clear dashboards your site leaders actually use—not reports that sit in someone's inbox.
Engaged teams who solve problems
When people have tools and trust, accountability takes care of itself.
Systems that work across sites
Build it once, scale it everywhere, and sustain it long after we're gone.
HOW WE'RE DIFFERENT
We're not here to audit you. We're here to work with you.
You've probably seen consulting engagements that start with a dozen analysts flying in, asking questions you've already answered, and leaving you with a 200-slide deck that tells you what you already know. Then they leave. You're stuck with recommendations that don't account for your reality, KPIs that don't fit how miners actually work, and no one to help you navigate the hard part: implementation.
We speak mining
We don't force you into generic templates built for manufacturing or tech. We use the language, metrics, and workflows that make sense for mining operations. We understand the cultural, financial, and operational realities you're dealing with—because we've worked inside them, not just read about them.
We bring a deep track record and a full toolkit
Erica, OBM's founder, has 20 years of experience at the intersection of mining and improvement. She's worked with dozens of mining improvement people and projects. What might take a new grad several months to deconstruct, she handles easily. She's built original learning content designed specifically for mining change leaders—purposeful, road-tested, and calibrated to mining operational needs. You're not getting off-the-shelf frameworks. You're getting tools that have been proven in operations like yours.
We implement, not just recommend
We stick around to help you navigate resistance, build momentum, and get things actually rolling. The hard part isn't knowing what to fix—it's making it happen. That's where we do our best work.
We give away the playbook
Our methods aren't proprietary. We teach your team how to use them so you can keep improving long after we're gone. The real experts are already inside your organization—we just help you unlock them.
We celebrate what's working
We don't show up with a clipboard to point out everything that's broken. We recognize the ingenuity, diligence, and care your frontline brings every day. When you treat people like valuable collaborators and give them the mic to say what they wish they could change, they'll tell you. And their ideas are better than ours.
WHY LEAN ISN'T ABOUT CUTTING JOBS
We're changemakers. So are you.
Lean is NOT about cutting jobs. It's about empowering the people who run your operation every day to solve the problems they see. When you build their capacity for incremental improvement, you free up the space and resources for the breakthrough innovations your mine actually needs.
I've applied these tools and gotten breakthrough results myself. I've supported the people on mine sites' frontlines to drive real change. I understand how hard it is to do your regular job and think about how it could be better at the same time. Yet it's also the most natural, exciting, and rewarding thing in the world—when you have the right tools and support.
That's what we do. We give your teams the skills to see opportunities, the confidence to act on them, and the systems to make it stick. And we do it alongside leaders who are ready to challenge the status quo and build something that outlasts them.
HOW WE WORK
We work in three phases, and leave when your team can run it themselves:
Stage 1: Discover Opportunities
Find what’s costing you money and time. We run Kaizen events where your frontline teams solve real problems—ones they’ve been living with—and we put a dollar value on the fix.
What you get:
- Kaizen Events with Financial Valuation
- Systems Assessment
Stage 2: Build Capabilities
Turn scattered improvement projects into a system that sticks. We train your leaders in the tools, coach them through real challenges, and connect the work across sites so it compounds instead of competing.
What you get:
- Program Development
- Lean Training + Coaching
Stage 3: Sustain Excellence
Make it yours. We help you build an internal team that can keep driving improvements without us. This isn’t about dependency—it’s about building the engine so you can drive it.
What you get:
- Internal function-building
- Sustainable improvement systems
Find what’s costing you money and time. We run Kaizen events where your frontline teams solve real problems—ones they’ve been living with—and we put a dollar value on the fix.
What you get:
- Kaizen Events
- Systems Assessment
Turn scattered improvement projects into a system that sticks. We train your leaders in the tools, coach them through real challenges, and connect the work across sites so it compounds instead of competing.
What you get:
Ready to unlock your mining company’s next level?
Let's talk about what's possible.
Discover Opportunities
Identify and capture hidden performance potential across your mining operations. We help your teams collaborate, solve real challenges, and prioritize improvements that create bottom-line impact.
Build Capabilities
Develop the strategy, systems, and leadership alignment to make improvement part of daily work. We connect scattered initiatives into programs that strengthens culture and performance.
Sustain Excellence
Establish an internal improvement function that drives operational excellence from within. We help mining organizations build the systems, tools, and culture that sustain performance long-term.
Benefits Achieved with Onward Business Mechanics
Streamlined Mine-Site Processes That Reduce Downtime
Eliminate bottlenecks and standardize workflows to create consistent, predictable performance across every shift.
Real-Time Insights for Better Decision Making
Transform operational data into clear, actionable insights that drive faster, more informed decisions on site.
Higher Workforce Productivity and Accountability
Equip teams with clear expectations, optimized routines, and stronger alignment to improve day-to-day output.
Scalable Systems Designed for Long-Term Growth
Implement proven operational frameworks that scale across sites and support sustained operational excellence in mining.
Case Study #1
Kickstart an Improvement Culture
A mining company, 700 employees, $600M annual revenue
The Client Pressure:
- Rising operational costs
Symptoms:
- Low appetite for risk, siloing of departments,
- Project-based improvement
Case Study #1
Redesigning a Stalled Improvement Program into a $19M Value Engine
The client:
Mid-tier copper mining company with 700 employees and $600M annual revenue
The pressure:
Rising operational costs
The symptoms:
Low appetite for risk, siloing of departments, project-based improvement
The engagement:
3 workshops over 4 weeks on site
The results:
Combined annualized value of $19M USD
Client testimonial:
“We’re now focused on value (not just cost), and prioritizing more effectively. We’re no longer trying to do everything. Our Directors agree this is very good progress. My experience in working with Erica was very positive and I would recommend working with Erica to others!”
— Diego Escobar, CFO, MATSA
THE WORK WE HAVE DONE
Case Study 1
Redesigning a Stalled Improvement Program into a $19M Value Engine
— Diego Escobar, CFO
Case Study 2
From Fragmented CI Efforts to a Unified, Company-Wide Improvement Strategy
- Provided recommendations for celebration and recognition at the site level
- Designed and delivered CI Awards of Excellence
- Produced communication pieces on CI activities for the company intranet
- Designed and ran a Global CI Summit to source input from across the organization
- Created company-wide CI strategy
- Designed a program with clear objectives and produced training content (including Everyday Kaizen and Leading Change modules) to bring CI reps onto the same page
— Niklas Frank, Senior VP of Operations
Case Study 3
Designing a Self-Sustaining Internal BI Function
- No corporate-level BI resources, systems, or processes
- Gaps in capturing and sustaining high-value results company-wide
- Limited executive engagement in BI as champions
- Phase 2 - Function-Building (2027):** Build internal BI team, embed processes, achieve self-sufficiency
- Data-driven decision-making capacity mapping and opportunity identification
- BI strategy and roadmap aligned to core business priorities
- Executive coaching to develop BI champions at the leadership level
- Training and capability-building for site-level improvement teams
- Systems design for project governance, value tracking, and knowledge-sharing
- Recruitment and onboarding support for internal BI function lead
- Identified $19M in enterprise risk reduction through concentrate sales strategy
- Captured $2.4M in operational cost reduction opportunities in crushing operations
- Unlocked growth profile of 120,000 oz per year through long-term mine planning workshop
— Carlos Aguiar, COO, Hecla Mining Company
CASE STUDY 1
Redesigning a Stalled Improvement Program
CASE STUDY 2
From Fragmented CI Efforts to a Unified, Company-Wide Improvement Strategy
CASE STUDY 3
Designing a Self-Sustaining Internal BI Function
What Clients Say
We’re now focused on value (not just cost), and prioritizing more effectively. We’re no longer trying to do everything. Our Directors agree this is very good progress. My experience in working with Erica was very positive and I would recommend working with Erica to others!”
