This is Part 3 in a series on Mining Execution Excellence by Mark Bese, Natural Resources Senior Industry Marketing Manager. Part 1 provided insight on the importance of operations stability to achieve mining execution excellence. Part 2 discussed how Operational Stability Is The Foundation For Execution Excellence.
One of the most significant challenges mining operations face is conformance to mine plan. Achieving it often requires scrambling to make up shortfalls and increased expenditures. While there are factors such as weather and geology which can be out of a mining operation’s control, significant productivity benefits can be gain by reducing instability.
The key causes of instability in mining include:
- Planning: Not all required tasks/activities are planned sufficiently.
- Scheduling: Not all planned tasks are robustly scheduled based upon specifications (sequence, time, duration, tons, grade, maintenance, safety, regulatory compliance, etc.).
- Execution: Not all scheduled tasks are completed or tracked to specifications (sequence, time, duration, tons, grade, maintenance, safety, regulatory compliance, etc.).
If planning and operational data is utilized effectively, it can provide rapid insight into how well activities are performing, enabling fast adjustments as operating conditions change. The analytics operational data enables will also drive continuous improvement.
Mining Execution Management Systems (MES) / Mining Operations Management (MOM) platforms, which integrate data from every mining data source on the site enable superior work management through increased visibility and control over performance. It does this through up-to-the-minute tracking and management of: mining and processing activities; equipment; maintenance; labor; support; and other inputs and outputs to provide:
- The ability to update activities and tasks between scheduling cycles.
- Real-time visibility into capacity, availability, and performance.
- Enhanced ability to manage activities and tasks and priorities to account for changes in production and unexpected events.
- Communication of new and updated work orders instantly wherever they are required.
- Assurance that activities and tasks are completed to specification (sequence, time, duration, tons, grade, maintenance, safety, regulatory compliance, etc.).
- Efficient handover of incomplete activities and tasks between shifts.
The benefits of MES/MOM are amplified when they are connected in mining to scheduling systems. When MES/MOM is linked to scheduling, continuous feedback loops become part of the scheduling process for production, blending, waste, maintenance, and support schedules. This allows for adjustments to be rapidly, within shift, to always keep production on track.
While MES/MOM systems are not yet widely employed in the mining industry, manufacturing and other industries have used them for decades. In these industries MES/MOM has played an enabling role in conformance to plan by reducing variation in processes.
To learn more MOM in mining read the free white paper The Path to Mining Execution Excellence.
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