Establishing a National Benchmarking Framework to Elevate Mining Sector Performance

A national mining authority responsible for monitoring sector performance and supporting policy development sought support to establish a robust benchmarking framework for Saudi Arabia’s mining industry. The client aimed to compare operational performance, cost structures, safety metrics, and sustainability indicators across mining operators, while also benchmarking the national sector against global peers. The goal was to identify performance gaps, inform policy interventions, and encourage continuous improvement across the industry.

We developed a comprehensive Saudi mining benchmarking framework, including standardized KPIs, data definitions, collection processes, and reporting templates. The framework covered productivity, cost efficiency, safety, environmental impact, energy consumption, and workforce indicators. We designed a secure benchmarking platform to collect, anonymize, and analyze operator data, ensuring confidentiality while enabling meaningful comparison. Additionally, we established international reference benchmarks using global mining datasets and best-practice case studies to contextualize national performance. The program was supported by guidelines, governance structures, and stakeholder engagement mechanisms.

• Conducted interviews and workshops with operators, regulators, and industry experts to identify priority performance dimensions and practical data-collection constraints.
• Defined a standardized KPI catalogue with clear calculation methodologies and boundary conditions to ensure comparability across different companies and asset types.
• Designed and implemented a secure digital benchmarking platform to collect and process data, providing anonymized benchmarking results and dashboards to participating operators.
• Compiled international mining benchmarks based on public sources, research, and industry collaborations to establish reference ranges for key performance indicators.
• Developed engagement and communication materials to encourage operator participation, explain benefits, and provide guidance on data submission and interpretation of results.

• Mandate or strongly incentivize regular participation in the benchmarking program to ensure comprehensive coverage and reliable sector-wide insights.
• Use benchmarking outcomes to inform targeted policy interventions, capability-building programs, and technical assistance initiatives for underperforming segments.
• Provide participating operators with individualized benchmarking reports and recommendations to support internal improvement programs and strategic planning.
• Regularly update the KPI catalogue and international references to reflect evolving industry practices, technologies, and regulatory expectations.
• Facilitate collaborative forums where operators can discuss anonymized benchmarking results, share best practices, and co-develop improvement initiatives.

The benchmarking program achieved participation from operators representing over 78% of national mining production, providing a robust dataset for analysis. Standardized KPIs enabled meaningful comparison and helped identify performance gaps of up to 25% in certain productivity and energy-efficiency metrics between top and bottom quartile operators. Several companies used the findings to launch targeted improvement programs, reporting subsequent performance gains of 8–15% in key indicators. At the national level, the authority gained a clearer view of sector competitiveness and used the insights to prioritize policy support, contributing to more focused and efficient interventions.