Stormynormy .... Interesting option you have revealed in your post, I have inserted it below and underlined your suggestion in red. Please dont take my comments personally, it is always good to have posters suggesting alternatives.
I think yourself & others are all getting a bit anxious over the delays that are currently bottlenecking assay results. There are numerous reasons.
However, your suggestion of changing laboratories is just not an option, nor would it be a good idea for a company to use a different Lab, with differing QA/QC systems, completely different assay procedures & needs for those different methods.
I'm not sure why you mentioned GXY in your above post. Am I missing something, I think they are a Li producer?
You mentioned Comet, Fingall & Big Bell, all mines in the (ASX:WGX) group. They are all producers requiring a different analytical method. In addition, as producers they are not too woried about the cost per assay, as opposed to a junior explorer with no cash flow who must operate efficiently, and to a level that is acceptable for exploration analysis.
The WGX group of mines are sending their control samples to Meekaharra for a reason, exact assays that meet the requirements of a producer, not a explorer. I will reveal that a bit later in the post. They are using a Screen Fire Assay (SFA) for precise and perfect results, Below, a procedure and reason for a SFA below.
See the reason for WGX using SFA? Coarse Au, hence a 1Kg sample completely fired. This is not done with huge numbers of exploration samples, it is not necessary for a Resource Estimate in exploration.
See the C&P below from MGV, High Grade samples only are later sent for SFA, a double check, to be sure, and MGV certainly do have high grades, bonanza grades.
In the above snippet from MGV, notice they use a 50g fire assay with a ICP-MS finish, good enough for exploration. In addition, they also state that they use a SFA for double checking after a 50g fire assay with ICP-MS finish. You can rest asured, MGV's high grade assays will be spot on, never to be questioned !
They also mention that the ICP-MS is appropriate in the exploration phase.
I think most of the above should give you a good idea as to why MGV are sending their samples to Genalysis - Intek and not to Meekatharra. The difference being production & exploration, two different requirements.
So one can not change labs for the above reasoning.
But you think MGV are the only ones with this large back log of samples waiting in a hurry? They are not alone, believe this insert below from (ASXEG), even though DEG are using another Lab in Perth, same city, same problem. :-( DEG's explanation below ....
So for all those earlier critics, and as Crom Valen puts it, .......... "Obviously the troops are restless over a percieved lack of newsflow, and it makes for fertile ground for conjecture and conspiracy therories".
So we must all be patient, there are obvious reasons for the large backlog of assays, even though some people just cant see that, and want to blame Management for lack of news flow and assay results. I make my comments of above having qualified as a analytical chemist in the late 60's & early 70's. I can assure you that there are differing reasons for using different labs & assay methods. Costs & Methodologies are very important, but totally different between a producer and a explorer. So comparing the two companies, WGX & MGV in terms of assay times, is like comapring an apple with a carrot.
All I can say is, unless you have your crown jewels caught up in a rabbit trap, as a result of squatting over the wrong open cut, sit back and relax !