By processing, converting and refining our raw materials we produce what customers need. As well as creating new products, our processing technologies enable us to reduce waste, save water, increase efficiency, drive innovation and, by adding value to our products, support economic growth in the areas we mine. Processing begins with removing as much waste as possible, often using huge crushers to reduce the size of the material to help recover the valuable minerals from the ore. We then concentrate the minerals using a range of processes that depend on the type of ore. For example, we use gravity separation for coal, which is lighter than the waste rock, while copper can be separated using a flotation process.

Having been processed, we then transport often enormous volumes – particularly in the cases of iron ore and coal – of our products to where they are needed, to our customers. We use the latest logistics technologies to co-ordinate and optimise our global shipping needs to deliver on time, every time. And we use our scale and detailed knowledge of the markets for our products to offer our customers a stable supply at their exact specifications – adding value every step of the way. From your smartphone to life-saving medication, from hybrid vehicles to remarkable jewellery, our products make all the difference to all of our lives.