A mid$-$sized copper mining company is facing operational inefficiencies, including equipment

downtime and unplanned maintenance, leading to production delays. These issues have

caused a $15\%$ drop in output, and management is under pressure to improve efficiency without

increasing costs.

MIN$3706$ MAJOR RETEST OCTOBER$/$NOVEMBER $2024$

$5$

Question:

$3\mathrm{.}1$ How would you analyse the operational environment of the mining company to

identify the root causes of inefficiencies? $(10)$

$3\mathrm{.}2$ What changes would you propose to improve operational efficiency while

maintaining cost control?