PGM intelligence - why choose SFA?

Our team have over 80 years’ combined experience in the PGMs sector, with expertise covering the many-faceted dynamics of production, the economics of supply, and consumption, including equity analysis, trading and hedging activities and in-depth comparative analytics of industry stakeholders.

Our extensive knowledge of the PGMs and their markets will augment your strategic decision-making, whether you need extensive production forecasts or costs analyses for ground-level operations, or an incisive profit-focused summary of the market going forward for your executive board. Our team can provide detailed, confidential, value-adding reports tailored to the needs of producers, consumers, or the investment community within timeframes negotiated to best suit your needs.

Recent examples of bespoke client projects include:

Providing a detailed breakdown of the comprehensive economics of primary supply for a specific project, including a “like for like”-based projection of expected mine costs and margins, with scenarios flexed to demonstrate the cost-warping potential of impending wage negotiations, and the longer-term effects of prolonged power shortages, and legislation resulting from political regime changes
In depth analysis groundwork to add a robust foundation for a client’s feasibility study of new start-up projects, including site visits, evaluation of the facilities and infrastructure, and a benchmarking and peer-group ranking comparison of other producers on a local and global level
Analysis providing a full evaluation and benchmarking of new junior PGM projects, including a comprehensive breakdown of expected costs and logistics for each stage of the mining, concentrating, smelting and refining production stages
A metallurgical “mass balance” across all PGM processes from mine to ingot, including the provision of scenario-based long-term pricing for project feasibility purposes for platinum, palladium, and minor PGM projects (Rh, Ir, Ru)
A full assessment of the current and probable future end uses of PGMs under the existing background market dynamics and drivers, including:

Autocatalysts, including new technologies, and increasingly stringent emissions legislation
metal substitution, including the ongoing substitution of platinum by palladium and rhodium
jewellery consumption, including the affects of income elasticity and price elasticity
industrial applications, including petroleum, chemical and glass applications on a capacity basis

Forward-looking authoritative macroeconomic research and price forecasts supported by our strong ties with statistical research specialists, Oxford Economics
Ongoing monitoring of the economic and political climates of major PGM-producing regions, including detailed SWOT and PEST analyses of politically unstable areas such as Zimbabwe, South Africa and Russia, outlining and highlighting principal sources of threat and opportunity on a client-specific basis
Identifying opportunities for new entrants waiting to participate in the PGM value chain including timely investment in existing projects, periods of advantageous market and/or macroeconomic conditions, and assessment of new project prospects against the current and likely future producer peer group

Please see our Meet the Team pages for more information on the specific expertise within our consultancy team or view our Previous Projects page for examples of the type of bespoke work undertaken.