We have had a mining-heavy focus this month, with several mining and mining exploration groups on the cusp of exciting developments and discoveries. Despite a market slump across many of the mining sectors, the companies we’ve spoken with are far from despondent. In fact, they couldn’t be more hopeful, with years of gutsy investments and hard work behind them now getting ready to pay off. Algold and Auryn Resources have both found themselves sitting on sites that are giving all of the promising signs of “gold in them thar hills”, with Ivan from Auryn barely clocking in a few hours sleep a night from how close they are to make-or-break results. Given the number of years it has been since the world saw a 5 million ounce discovery, Ivan has reason to be giddy – in fact, he has two! With a site in Peru and one in the arctic that are both potentially sporting several such deposits, we’re breathlessly waiting for those lab results right alongside them.
Meanwhile,nickel-mining Marcventures have found themselves sitting on the Philippines’ only bauxite mines, right in time for a predicted aluminium boom – and the currently slumping nickel should be picking up favourably next year too. All in all, the exhilaration these companies are feeling was contagious. When the market is at its lowest, the only way is up, and these companies have their ducks in a row and ready for that upswing.
South Africa has been firmly represented by many of our other stand-out companies this month; we have a vibrant revisit from our friends at Chicken Xpress, and we had a conversation with the country’s General Manager for Lenovo that practically saw him bouncing off his seat with excitement for IT – we love companies with passion! However, SMEs in the country are statistically slowing down instead of exploding, which has long-term implications for the country as a whole; thankfully, TK Global Experts are working with the government to try to change this trend for the better.
Last but not least, we were extremely happy to revisit K&D International, the UEA construction company that’s managing to stand out of the crowd in a swollen and famously talented market. You can read about how they’re marking themselves out, and much more, in our first autumn issue (is it autumn already?) of 2018.
