Mining Company
SITUATION
A diamond mining operation was looking for a consistent and sustainable process to manage all aspects of its business, including planning, scheduling, and reporting.
DRIVER GOAL
- Implement a System For Managing to reduce variability and improve operating discipline.
RESULT
- Increased tons per hour by 14%.
- Reduced variability from the mean by 28%.
Case Study
Increase Throughput by Reducing Variability in the Process Plant
Issue
A diamond mining operation was looking for a consistent and sustainable process to manage all aspects of its business, including weekly and daily planning, scheduling and execution of plans, shift daily/weekly reporting and evaluating weekly and monthly performance. At the Kimberlite ore processing plant, the initial area of focus, there was a specific need to reduce variability in tons per hour and restore predictability.
Highland Approach
Detailed observation and analysis determined that a “steady state” method of running the plant managed to the bottleneck could be achieved during a 30-week timeframe with the implementation of a structured management system. Achievement of this goal would also require the elimination of significant behavioral barriers that centered on crews running the operation to maximize individual performance, not overall plant performance. The Highland Group partnered with a client team to design and implement a System For Managing and to coach and train the supervisors and operators on its use.
Actions Taken
- Developed a core set of operating principles.
- Determined the “steady state” run-rate.
- Implemented short interval management and tracking to manage to the steady state, including measuring the bottleneck hourly versus at the end of the 12-hour shift.
- Implemented daily performance reviews focused on identifying variances and mitigating future variances to achieving the target.
