Intermediate gold producer finds mother load in operational improvements

USC personnel observed the client’s operation first hand, over several hundred hours, across operations, shifts and crew cycles. They shared their data with company supervision and management to corroborate its validity, obtain additional insights and confirm the aforementioned issues. This allowed the proper scoping and crafting of an improvement strategy specifically designed to address those challenges through improvements to the MOS.

Solution No. 1: Maintenance and mine production MOS solution implementation

Our team worked with the organization, at all levels, to develop and implement an advanced Management Operating System designed to support the maintenance and mine production departments. With more robust scheduling, work assignment, execution, follow-up, reporting, and analyses feedback loops, the MOS laid the groundwork for formalized maintenance operations and improved equipment repair and optimization outcomes. USC hosted training sessions on the maintenance-based MOS in order to ease the transition from the loose workflows used previously to the newer, more structured and disciplined alternatives.

Solution No. 2: Mine-to-mill and process plant MOS solution implementation

Utilizing the same methodology that bolstered the client’s mobile maintenance workflows, our consultants collaborated with company personnel to create, roll out and implement an enhanced MOS specifically suited for mine-to-mill interface. Like its counterparts in maintenance and mine production, this MOS included scheduling, better leveraging of systems (i.e. Dispatching), work assignment, execution, follow-up, reporting and analyses. The enhanced MOS provided structure and visibility to everyday mine-to-mill interface and process plant activities. USC performed instructional programs for users at all levels and followed up with shift by shift real world application of the new disciplines.

Solution No. 3: Overarching operational improvement

As part of the customized MOS platforms for the maintenance, mine production, mine-to-mill and processing plant, USC implemented tools and techniques to enhance performances at scale. For example, our consultants developed high-level collaborative methodologies to bolster communication across various departments and shifts, then utilized the existing mine plan to create optimized daily and shift schedules. They also worked with internal stakeholders to emphasize cross-functional teamwork and create viable avenues for achieving continuous performance, including stringent auditing, execution procedures, and action-item creation. The team addressed more granular performance aspects as well, crafting strategies for streamlining small-scale activities such as the movement of replacement parts from warehouse to down assets in the field.

Solution No. 4: Performance management program rollout

USC rolled out a number of internal tools and techniques meant to drive organizational and individual skills advancements. Our consultants collaborated with executives and key operational stakeholders to review and revise existing high impact KPI’s. The team established a steering committee and drafted a bi-weekly meeting agenda to ensure that C-suite and field contributors could meet regularly to crisply discuss ongoing projects status, by exception. Our consultants streamlined the existing KPI reporting structure, making it easier for supervisors to accurately measure the results achieved in the field and measure them against targets. To support field worker skills advancement and formalize production methodologies, the team created an employee involvement prototype workflow. Our client approved this process. It involved establishing and promoting field-based best practices, first in the drilling operation, then following through in the remainder of the mining process.