Case Study

Maintenance systems assessment sets Australian gold producer up for success

Challenge
  • A decrease in mining performance in 2019 was largely attributable to low productivity and reduced availability from some units in the mining fleet.
  • Difficulty and limited execution capability in maintaining aging fleet assets.
  • Significant logistical delays in parts and material availability due to the remote location of the site.
  • Increasing fleet downtime placing additional demand on operations and further reducing available maintenance windows.
Solution

Conducted assessment of client’s reliability and maintenance practices and as a result, recommended:

  • Implementation of a defect elimination process focused on unplanned failures within the truck and excavator fleets
  • Detailed review and development of achievable fleet PM service sheets to address all known preventable failures
  • Identification of master data deficiencies within the CMMS and the development of a new Master Data policy
  • Implementation of critical work management KPI’s and associated escalation trigger points for mobile fleet assets
  • Commissioning of a high-level asset management plan to align operational and maintenance performance with organizational targets
Benefits 

Forecasted benefits of recommendations when implemented:

  • $41M projected annual gold production increase at current plant recovery rate (2019 gold price)
  • Defect elimination: Significant failures investigated, and mitigating strategies implemented
  • Accurate strategies: Maintenance plans targeted to asset condition and operational context
  • Optimal spares holding: Based on planned and historical usage with consideration of long lead times
  • Work management: Consistent approach designed with ongoing learning and education programs