Case study · Mining & Metals
South American gold mine realizes $1.2M+ a year with employee-led improvement
Already one of the world's lowest-cost producers, a high-grade South American gold mine wanted continuous improvement its own people could sustain. USC trained a 12-person team of mine workers and installed a management operating system.
Results
$1.2M+
in annual savings realized
30%+
improvement in underground equipment utilization
10%+
increase in mine productivity
Mill throughput rose 7%+ and cost per ton fell 1%.
The situation
Mining by bench and fill, the mine was already among the world's lowest-cost producers, but its leaders believed it could do better. They wanted a continuous-improvement culture their own employees could carry on through whatever came next, with a partner sensitive to their people and culture.
What the assessment found
- Variability in existing systems causing lost time
- Maintenance effectiveness below its potential
- Execution cycle times longer than needed
How the work was done
Team: train the miners
Selected a 12-person team of mine workers from all areas and levels and trained them in waste recovery, standardization and operations management.
System: measure lost time
Installed a management operating system tracking lost time and productivity key performance indicators, with Pareto analysis driving action items.
10%+
increase in mine productivity
Execution: cut variability
Used value stream mapping, capacity planning and employee prototyping to reduce variability, improve maintenance and shorten cycle times.
7%+
increase in mill throughput
“We wanted to institutionalize our culture of continuous improvement by training and equipping our employees to sustain it, despite any unforeseen conditions we may encounter in the future.”
Lasting impact
Equipment utilization rose sharply, lifting underground productivity and mill throughput, and a trained internal team stayed in place to keep finding improvements.
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