Improving the performance and reducing the costs associated with export logistics chains is critical to the competitiveness
of export coal mines. The fundamental practices associated with the use of export logistics chains made up of mine,
trucking, rail and port operations are being challenged by the advent of third party operators on rail systems and the use
of the Internet.
Whilst individual mines can improve their processes to drive down their mining costs, they face major challenges in their
endeavour to improve the performance of export logistics chains and reduce the significant logistics costs of moving coal
from the mine to export ships, via the shared infrastructure of rail systems and ports. There is an increasing realisation
that global competition is not only between mines but between coal export regions that are defined by their rail system
and ports infrastructure.