Operational Improvement | Management Consulting
Lalor Mine
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Hudbay Minerals selected A+I for Lalor mine to help improve their throughput. A+I conducted an assessment in October 2018 to understand the main inefficiencies that inhibit their operational targets. Kaizen is being used as a tool to make step-change improvements towards their desired goal of 4500 TPD. A+I began work in December by conducting a day in life studies to collect data to serve as a baseline. In the first year, A+I had conducted 6 separate kaizen events for underground processes including lineup, mucking, drilling & loading, development, hoisting, and safety. At all events, several initiatives were discussed and implemented in order to streamline the aforementioned processes. A+I subsequently rolled out the response & control phase which is a management tool intended to validate the effectiveness of the initiatives put forward. As a result of the initiatives undertaken at the mine, Lalor has been more consistent at reaching its operational targets. The focus of further Kaizen improvement initiatives has now shifted towards other areas which indirectly enable further throughput improvements such as construction, inventory, etc.
Hudbay Lalor Mine undertook a digitization initiative using Mobilaris Mining Intelligence Software in order to better visualize underground mine activities in real-time. A+I assisted in establishing processes to implement the Mobilaris system as well as a (SIC) Short Interval Control process. SIC allows supervision to see the issues and adjust plans within the shift to meet targets. It is enabled through the collaboration between shift coordinators and mine leadership. SIC was rolled out in stages starting with one area (mucking) and single metrics (tonnages), then incorporating effective root causing for both when the performance was lower or better than expected. This resulted in increased production and stability for Lalor Mine within 4 months. In parallel, A+I coached and handed over the day-to-day SIC process to the mine coordinators to ensure sustainability. A+I continues to provide technical and analytical support using the data being collected in the SIC Log.
A+I is also working towards standardizing leadership work for both supervisor and superintendent roles. The objective is to create new standards so supervisors are able to effectively provide on-the-job coaching as well as promote the continuous development of operator skills. This will ensure that everyone is operating at the same level of capability and management can identify strong leaders and provide opportunities to grow within the mine. A+I will support this by providing training to the right people with the right skills (Lean Six Sigma).
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Hudbay Minerals selected A+I for Lalor mine to help improve their throughput. A+I conducted an assessment in October 2018 to understand the main inefficiencies that inhibit their operational targets. Kaizen is being used as a tool to make step-change improvements towards their desired goal of 4500 TPD. A+I began work in December by conducting a day in life studies to collect data to serve as a baseline. In the first year, A+I had conducted 6 separate kaizen events for underground processes including lineup, mucking, drilling & loading, development, hoisting, and safety. At all events, several initiatives were discussed and implemented in order to streamline the aforementioned processes. A+I subsequently rolled out the response & control phase which is a management tool intended to validate the effectiveness of the initiatives put forward. As a result of the initiatives undertaken at the mine, Lalor has been more consistent at reaching its operational targets. The focus of further Kaizen improvement initiatives has now shifted towards other areas which indirectly enable further throughput improvements such as construction, inventory, etc.
Hudbay Lalor Mine undertook a digitization initiative using Mobilaris Mining Intelligence Software in order to better visualize underground mine activities in real-time. A+I assisted in establishing processes to implement the Mobilaris system as well as a (SIC) Short Interval Control process. SIC allows supervision to see the issues and adjust plans within the shift to meet targets. It is enabled through the collaboration between shift coordinators and mine leadership. SIC was rolled out in stages starting with one area (mucking) and single metrics (tonnages), then incorporating effective root causing for both when the performance was lower or better than expected. This resulted in increased production and stability for Lalor Mine within 4 months. In parallel, A+I coached and handed over the day-to-day SIC process to the mine coordinators to ensure sustainability. A+I continues to provide technical and analytical support using the data being collected in the SIC Log.
A+I is also working towards standardizing leadership work for both supervisor and superintendent roles. The objective is to create new standards so supervisors are able to effectively provide on-the-job coaching as well as promote the continuous development of operator skills. This will ensure that everyone is operating at the same level of capability and management can identify strong leaders and provide opportunities to grow within the mine. A+I will support this by providing training to the right people with the right skills (Lean Six Sigma).
"While on site at Lalor Mine I had the opportunity to participate in a Development Kaizen. A+I successfully facilitated the necessary conversations to identify and eliminate lean waste in order to streamline mine development processes. A+I helped us remain on track with the necessary actions that we committed to execute."
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-Warren Brass, Senior Mine Planner