Platinum Group Metals
Value chain consulting
Experts across the whole PGM value chain
At the core of SFA (Oxford)'s business is bespoke consulting. We provide detailed, tailored assessments of strategic investment opportunities using our extensive industry expertise to evaluate the impact of the challenges affecting the industry.
Enhancing client strategies with strategic insights
The team works confidentially, often augmenting business planning efforts and assisting with company strategy. Whether you are an OEM wanting to assess the impact of evolving automotive technologies on the market and metal prices, a mining company scheduling shafts or reviewing labour requirements, an investor or miner evaluating projects, a recycler or refiner aiming to extract more value from your business, or an investor seeking to quantify price risk, SFA has the expertise to offer confident and independent direction for your strategic decision-making.
In response to the global Covid-19 outbreak, SFA has completed detailed scenarios examining the impact of the coronavirus on the platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium and iridium markets. We have also completed scenarios on the global chip shortage affecting the auto sector. Please contact us if this analysis could be of assistance to your business in light of the current crises.
PGM consulting solutions
We offer a broad spectrum of services, applying our strategic focus and bespoke approach to meet your needs.
Augmented mine business planning and risk analysis
SFA has significant experience in reviewing mine business plans, identifying production risks and reviewing costs down to a half-level basis to improve operational mine planning and enhance performance.
Due diligence studies and commercial advisory
Working with clients and third parties, SFA has a long track record of providing technical due diligence and financial modelling support to help secure future funding from investors and lenders.
Mergers, acquisitions, and corporate defence
Clients have used SFA to provide the analytical link with banks and financial institutions to support PGM investment decision-making and provide robust market support.
IPO market chapters and feasibility studies
SFA has supported numerous client listings by providing an independent view of the PGM markets to help secure capital from potential investors.
Peer-group benchmarking and margin analysis
Our PGM peer-group benchmarking is unrivalled, providing you with a detailed understanding of which assets are outperforming and which are most at risk.
Mine optimisation and cost benchmarking
SFA realises cost synergies for clients across company operations to help raise margins and improve production efficiency benchmarks.
Covid-19 PGM market analysis and scenarios
With extensive experience covering the PGM markets and industry fundamentals, SFA can provide you with our latest market outlook and the window of upside and downside scenarios.
Human capital and organisational planning
The SFA team has completed many labour workforce projects, analysing demographic trends, forecasting future labour requirements, and working with extensive data sets.
Strategy, planning and Board support
SFA is a trusted advisor to Board members and senior management of significant stakeholders and provides regular assistance to strategy and planning efforts.
Price forecasting and project incentive pricing
SFA can provide accurate short-, medium- and long-term PGM price forecasts to support your business plans and contract negotiations, backed by our extensive supply and demand databases.
PGM markets and supply risk dashboards
SFA provides regular data flows of mine supply and metallurgical pipelines, basket prices, mine economics, and future supply and demand profiles to assist strategic decision-making and supply-chain purchasing.
Metallurgical processing and commercial options
SFA has extensive experience in assessing clients' advanced mineral processing offtake options and evaluating indicative commercial terms at global smelters and refineries.
'Black-box' PGM and macro scenario modelling
Clients approach SFA to run their own supply and macro modelling demand inputs to see the impact this has on the medium- to long-term PGM market balances to complement future strategic decision-making.
Investor Board packs and roadshows
SFA regularly supports its clients on global roadshows to assist on capital raisings and converse with fund managers, institutional investors and family wealth officers.
Black swan events and PGM market impacts
The SFA team is constantly providing rich insights for its clients on structural events moving the PGM markets, particularly when the situation continues to change.
Environmental, social and governance solutions
Our breadth of ESG insights enables us to help meet your long-term sustainability targets.
Corporate ESG strategy and stewardship
SFA works closely with value chain players to understand how materially significant ESG issues can be integrated into their wider company strategy.
Peer-group ESG benchmarking
SFA's benchmarking of PGM producers on material ESG factors generates high-resolution insights for sustainability-conscious investors.
Cradle-to-grave ESG recycling studies
SFA's analysis of environmental footprints from recycled material in terms of greenhouse gases, waste generation and processing is helping future PGM recycling investments.
PGM bespoke research
SFA offers tailored independent market intelligence across all sectors.
Macroeconomics and precious metals
For many years, SFA's extensive expertise in analysing the changing dynamics of global economies, financial markets and precious metals has enabled us to deliver bespoke research to enhance your next strategy.
Automotive powertrains and PGM demand
SFA delivers detailed insights into the effects of new automotive technologies on PGM demand for light-duty, heavy-duty, off-road and fuel cell vehicles to meet government emission targets.
The future of cities and mobility solutions
SFA has advised mobility companies with their strategies, providing global or local industry context, benchmarking competitors, creating industry scenarios and identifying new opportunities.
PGM catalyst and chemicals intelligence
SFA is equipped to provide detailed regional insights of the major players, market shares, demand volumes, and market value for automotive, chemical and petrochemical catalysts, and smaller industrial markets.
Jewellery pipeline mapping and econometrics
SFA has mapped jewellery pipelines, examined costs and margins, quantified future demand levels, and analysed the competitor landscape of fabricators, wholesalers, and retailers for future investment decision-making.
Emerging technologies – opportunities and threats
SFA is constantly monitoring the evolution of emerging technologies and threats to new metal substitution. Let us cut through the noise, and highlight the short to long-term price risk impacts for your business.
PGM purchasing and new customer targets
SFA has explored the purchasing dynamics between market participants, the complexity of the associated price web factors for platinum, palladium and rhodium, providing definitive answers to commercial questions.
PGM recycling value chain assessments
SFA's discreet work with recyclers gives us unique market insights, for the major regions of the USA, Europe, China and Japan. We also closely monitor jewellery recycling, electronic scrap and spent catalysts.
PGM trade flows and stock reconciliation
SFA analyses the physical movements of PGMs for demand-side and supply-side participants, how futures contracts are priced and traded, and quantifies above-ground PGM stocks from key sectors.
Closed and open-loop PGM market evaluation
SFA can provide you with the most insightful 360-degree research covering the secret closed-loop market sectors by quantifying installed capacities, system losses and top-up requirements by company and sector.
Meet the PGM team
Trusted advice from a dedicated team of experts.
Stephen A. Forrest
Chairman
Henk de Hoop
Chief Executive Officer
Beresford Clarke
Managing Director: Technical & Research
Dr Jenny Watts
Head of Clean Energy & Sustainability
Dr Ralph Grimble
Operations Director
Jamie Underwood
Principal Consultant
Carol Lu
Associate Principal Analyst: China
Thomas Chandler
Principal Market Analyst
Oksan Atilan
Consulting Automotive Analyst
Alex Biddle
Senior Mining Analyst
Angus Butterfield
Consultant Analyst − Mining and Supply
Yolandé Fourie
Senior Consultant Metallurgist
Nelsa Martins
Consultant Metallurgist
Daniel Croft
Precious Metals Analyst
How can we help you?
SFA (Oxford) provides bespoke, independent intelligence on the strategic metal markets, specifically tailored to your needs. To find out more about what we can offer you, please contact us.