Mighty Mining Company

If you need a McKinsey interviewer led case to practice with, this is a good case to start with.

Case Study Prompt

Your client is a global mining company with a location in South Africa. This particular location is performing below average financially.

The processing plant is located 160 miles inland and it uses a fleet of large trucks to transport minerals from the plant (which is located near the mineral source) to a port city. The minerals are then loaded onto barges and shipped to clients around the world. The plant needs to operate at maximum capacity to meet customer demand.

The minerals produced are commodities with low margins.

McKinsey has been hired to identify the problem and make recommendations to address it.

What would you do first to approach this problem?

Case Study Overview

The client in this case is a mining company that has a location in South Africa that is not performing well. You’ve been brought in to identify the cause(s) of the problem and give the company a recommendation on how to fix it.

The Profitability Framework is a good place to start when structuring your approach to the case, but don’t limit yourself to the basic framework. Create the structure that will help you best solve the case problem.

The interviewer led case has an exhibit that you will need to interpret in order to solve the case. The qualitative difficulty score is 2/4, making it a case you would expect in a McKinsey first round.

McKinsey Interview Tips

McKinsey looks for candidates with the ability to problem-solve and clearly communicate their process and recommendations.

Make sure you are crystal-clear in how you verbalize your solutions and process.

To get the most out of this interviewer led case, focus on finding 1 area where you have room to grow.

Don’t forget that quality practice is always better than quantity practice. Schedule an hour of out-loud case practice with an ex-MBB coach today.