The company has managed to generate $414 million in cash from operations. The ability to generate cash is crucial in current tough conditions. Commodities-related companies that are surrounded by doubt regarding their ability to generate enough cash to sustain their operations are punished hard by the market. The best example is Walter Energy, Inc. (NYSE: WLT ), a pure met coal play that is down 69% this year. Cliffs Natural Resources Inc (NYSE:CLF) has reported that its North America coal sales volume has increased by an astonishing 36%. At the same time, the company's cash cost decreased 20% year-over-year. Because of cost management, Cliffs Natural Resources Inc (NYSE:CLF) was able to generate a coal profit despite the lower market pricing for coal. This is the kind of performance that Walter Energy needs to turn its fortunes around. The company is stuck with $2.6 billion of debt on its balance sheet.