Article first published in Mexico Business News, August 2025. Reprinted with permission.
At some point in a mine's lifecycle, increasing throughput becomes a strategic priority. This typically arises when ore grades begin to decline, and recoveries no longer meet expectations. However, other factors – such as rising commodity prices, increased demand, or government incentives – can also prompt the need for expansion during ongoing operations.
A narrow lens on throughput
When exploring options to boost production, most mine owners and operators tend to default to two main strategies. The first is to expand existing process circuits using the same technologies and equipment, simply at a larger scale. The second is to integrate new technologies into the current circuit – an approach that often involves evaluating vendor pitches and selecting among emerging solutions.
The challenge with both approaches is the risk of ‘confirmation bias’. Those choosing to scale up legacy systems often rely on historical data, which may no longer accurately reflect current or future metallurgical conditions. Meanwhile, those who lean into new technologies frequently base their decisions on vendor-provided data, which may not fully capture site-specific implications or operational constraints.
Both paths, while logical, can lead to underwhelming results. Improvements are typically achieved, but probably not to the magnitude anticipated.
Every situation is unique.
Why do these strategies often fall short? Simply put: no two mines are the same. Variations in ore characteristics/grades, processing circuits, operational constraints and different financial situations make each project unique.
While benchmarks can be helpful, their value is limited without a thorough understanding of the site-specific variables. The optimal technology mix—and the return on investment—can differ significantly depending on the mine's lifecycle phase. For example, early-stage operations may benefit from simpler circuits targeting high-grade ore. However, as the grade declines and waste material volumes increase, technologies such as ore sorting, screening, or coarse particle flotation may deliver stronger performance, efficiency, and return on investment.
Just as critical is the need to understand the broader operational impacts. Throughput expansion affects more than just tonnage – it influences energy and water consumption, tailings management and logistics.
Understanding and accurately modelling these upstream and downstream effects is crucial to achieving long-term success.
The point is, increasing throughput isn’t simply a matter of scaling up or upgrading equipment. It requires a deep understanding of the specific operation, the relevant technologies, the metallurgical realities, and the full cost and operational implications of change.
A case in point
Ausenco was recently engaged by a large polymetallic mining operation in Mexico, facing declining ore grades. Their goal is to increase throughput without significantly increasing water and energy consumption. The team was evaluating three technology options from different vendors and asked Ausenco to conduct the detailed engineering on the preferred solution.
Before proceeding, our first step was to meet with the client to understand their strategic goals and operational constraints. Drawing on our global project experience and using in-house benchmarking tools, we determined that a better solution could be found that would meet all their objectives.
As we continue to work closely with the mine’s leadership, we plan to conduct trade-off studies to explore a new approach – one that combines multiple technologies, including coarse particle flotation, wet screening and enhanced material sorting. The proposed solution would be designed not only to meet throughput targets but also to align with the client’s water and energy goals. We will also walk them through the upstream and downstream impacts of this solution, providing a clear picture of the CapEx and OpEx implications to support a broader evaluation before a final decision is made.
Five key takeaways
For owners and operators considering a throughput expansion, here are five practical insights from our experience:
- Abandon your biases. Avoid defaulting on what worked in the past or for other companies and sites. Stay open to new possibilities and ideas and test your assumptions rigorously.
- Focus on outcomes first, not technology. Set your priorities right from the start, with a clear focus on what you want to achieve and then find the most effective technology mix.
- Explore all the options. Mining innovation and technology is evolving rapidly. Ensure your analysis includes all viable technologies, including emerging or unconventional solutions, in the evaluation.
- Take a holistic view of the impacts. Before setting off on a course of action, understand how changes in throughput will impact every aspect of your operation – and plan accordingly.
- Engage experienced advisors. Leverage global capabilities and tap into proven experience to help bridge the gap between theoretical performance and real-world execution.