Theoretical and methodological foundations of proactive operational efficiency management in mining companies
Yury V. Zabaikin1, Ekaterina V. Krasavina2, Dmitry V. Lyutyagin3,4, Ekaterina V. Novikova2, Dmitriy A. Lunkin3
1 National University of Oil and Gas “Gubkin University”, Moscow, Russian Federation
2 Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation
3 Sergo Ordzhonikidze Russian State University for Geological Prospecting, Moscow, Russian Federation
4 LLC ANSGAR, Moscow, Russian Federation
Mining Industry Journal (Gornaya Promyshlennost) №5/ 2026 p. 118-126
Summary: The study justifies theoretical and methodological foundations of proactive operational efficiency management in mining companies within the Industry 4.0 paradigm. Its relevance is explained by a divergence between the following two processes. The physical volume of the gross value added in the Russian mining industry declined by 1.7% in 2025 with the mining and geological conditions deteriorating measurably, e.g. the stripping ratio at the Polyus Group rose from 1.5 to 2.4 m³/t in a single year, while the coal production cost grew from 2,234 to 3,400 Rubles per tonne. At the same time, the utilization capacity factor of the open-pit excavators remains at 0.45–0.49 against 0.80–0.90 in the record-high months. A hypothesis is made that in the cyber-physical production the measurement costs cease to be an exogenous parameter and become a design variable, which shifts the whole configuration of the in-company control. The objective is to justify a conceptual model combining noninvasive real-time monitoring, dynamic labour rate setting and minimisation of the in-house transaction costs. The methods used include comparative analysis, content analysis of corporate reporting, decomposition of the equipment time fund and theoretical modelling. A four-level closed cybernetic control loop is proposed; control costs are decomposed into measurement, monitoring and enforcement; an observability index and a proactivity reserve are introduced. It is demonstrated that the selective photochronometry detects on average 1.6% of working time losses against 14.0% when recorded continuously at the same facility.
Keywords: mining company, proactive management, operational efficiency, cyber-physical systems, digital twin, transaction costs, non-invasive monitoring, dynamic labour rate setting, overall equipment efficiency, Industry 4.0
For citation: Zabaikin Yury V., Krasavina Ekaterina V., Lyutyagin Dmitry V., Novikova Ekaterina V., Lunkin Dmitriy A. Theoretical and methodological foundations of proactive operational efficiency management in mining companies. Mining Industry Journal (Gornaya Promyshlennost). 2026;(5):118–126. https://doi.org/10.30686/1609-9192-2026-5-118-126
Article info
Received: 04.06.2026
Revised: 22.07.2026
Accepted: 28.07.2026
Authors info
Zabaikin Yury V. – Cand. Sci. (Econ.), Associate Professor, Associate Professor of the Department of Automation of Technological Processes, National University of Oil and Gas “Gubkin University”, Moscow, Russian Federation; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Krasavina Ekaterina V. – Dr. Sci. (Sociol.), Associate Professor, Professor of the Department of Political Analysis and Socio-Psychological Processes, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation
Lyutyagin Dmitry V. – Cand. Sci. (Econ.), Associate Professor, Associate Professor of the Department of Production and Financial Management, Sergo Ordzhonikidze Russian State University for Geological Prospecting, Moscow, Russian Federation; scientific supervisor LLC ANSGAR, Moscow, Russian Federation; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Novikova Ekaterina V. – Cand. Sci. (Econ.), Associate Professor of the Basic Department of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation “Human Resources Manage- ment”, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5347-108X; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Lunkin Dmitriy A. – Cand. Sci. (Econ.), Associate Professor, Associate Professor of the Department of Humanities, Sergo Ordzhonikidze Russian State University for Geological Prospecting, Moscow, Russian Federation; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4553-006X; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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