Sierra Rutile Limited has announced that in July this year it produced 10,551 tonnes of rutile and 2,059 tonnes of ilmenite, a new monthly record for the company which is 13% higher than the previous monthly production record set in December 2006, according to a press release from the company.
The release says the record production was achieved with “an unblemished safety record”.
Since October 2010, says the company, it has invested substantial capital and time in upgrading and optimising its existing mining and processing facilities. This it says has led to significant increases in the recovery, availability and reliability of all existing mining and processing facilities.
It says that in June a major planned maintenance shutdown was completed, focused on upgrading key components of the dredge and equipment in the mineral separation plant. The record production in July 2012 is a direct result of the June 2012 shutdown and the cumulative result of the last 20 months’ efforts.
John Sisay, Sierra Rutile Chief Executive Officer said, “This production record is a significant milestone in the turnaround of our operations. It clearly demonstrates that the most effective investments we can make are those that enhance the productivity and efficiency of our existing assets and we have already identified a significant pipeline of such projects which we hope to execute over the coming months and years”.
