Bauxite located near ports and with good haul roads will be easier and cheaper to ship. This makes geography and logistics factors crucial in assessing the economic value of bauxite.
- Policy Stability and Sustainability
The bauxite industry assesses not only the quality of the rock but also regulatory stability, environmental certainty, and the sustainability approach implemented at the mining site.
Bauxite Supply Chain & Logistics: From Mine to Port
Bauxite is a large-volume mineral commodity. To produce the aluminum we see in everyday products, a long supply chain involves mining, processing, land transportation, and ocean shipping.
Goods Flowing to the Mine
To operate a bauxite mine, many goods must be shipped to the mine site, such as: heavy equipment and spare parts for excavators, dozers, and dump trucks; workshop and maintenance equipment; chemicals and reagents for the washing and processing processes; conveyor components, belts, and crushing equipment; laboratory and safety equipment; and general logistics such as food, supplies, and employee needs.
These goods are often shipped in containers from major cities like Surabaya, Jakarta, or Makassar to the port closest to the mine.
Goods Shipped from the Mine
From the outbound side, bauxite mines send: raw bauxite to a washing plant or smelter; washed bauxite to an alumina processing facility;
sometimes downstream products such as alumina or aluminum to an export port or other industrial area.
For short-distance shipments, bauxite is often transported by truck or conveyor to the port. However, for the distribution of supporting goods, spare parts, and intermediate products, container shipping is the backbone of logistics.
Putri Nurhidayati