Engineering & Mining Journal

DEC 2015

Engineering and Mining Journal - Whether the market is copper, gold, nickel, iron ore, lead/zinc, PGM, diamonds or other commodities, E&MJ takes the lead in projecting trends, following development and reporting on the most efficient operating pr

Issue link: https://emj.epubxp.com/i/613149

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 77 of 101

There are no world-class maintenance organizations. Rather, there are world- class mining organizations that include a world-class maintenance organization. Maintenance, by itself, is a service provider. Successful mining maintenance is not a "stand-alone" maintenance effort. World-class maintenance status is only achieved when world class is the required status of the total mine. This theme suggests the necessity of a com- mitment to effective maintenance and, as a result, a successful mining operation can be realized. The second of six steps to achieving world-class mining maintenance is to ensure support for maintenance by creating a positive mine-wide mainte- nance working environment. Full coop- eration and support from all mining departments—with mine management reinforcement—is essential in reaching this goal. Mining corporations insist that subor- dinate operations achieve performance levels that guarantee profitability, and to achieve these levels they demand con- structive responses from their operations. Responses could take the form of what might be called a production strategy—a plan for meeting corporate performance requirements. The production strategy could embody the collective principles of maintenance management; successful, effective past experiences and proven techniques combined to indicate the most effective way that mine mainte- nance could be conducted and corporate requirements satisfied. But, how does a mine manager ensure essential help for maintenance? How can a manager change traditional behaviors in which production, for example, may have taken precedence over actions that could ensure consistently reliable equipment (good maintenance) while knowing that, without reliable equipment, there might be no production? Structuring a Production Strategy A valid production strategy could bring all mining departments together in a uni- fying effort toward the common objective of profitability. The strategy would include specific, cooperative departmen- tal objectives and policies. Objectives would assign specific responsibilities to mine departments. Policies would pre- scribe how the departments interact to achieve operating efficiencies. The com- bined objectives and policies would allow individual departments to develop inter- nal and cooperative interdepartmental procedures that would comprise depart- mental programs. These programs could help assure the mutual support necessary for effective maintenance and its essen- tial contribution to effective mine opera- tion (Figure 2-1). Aligning the Maintenance Working Environment To ensure that maintenance can operate effectively, circumstances that inhibit maintenance performance must be cor- rected. Consider the potential impact on maintenance performance if the follow- ing conditions are not corrected, im- proved or eliminated: 76 E&MJ; • DECEMBER 2015 www.e-mj.com M A I N T E N A N C E Maintenance is a vital function in overall mine productivity, but superior maintenance performance can only occur when the entire mine supports the effort. Achieving World-class Mining Maintenance: Step 2—Ensure Support for Maintenance In the second segment of this six-part series, the author explains the importance of a positive working environment in the process of developing and sustaining a top-notch mine maintenance program By Paul Tomlingson

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Engineering & Mining Journal - DEC 2015