Can lean implementation improve the mining industry?
T
he mining industry has been at the forefront of innovation and modernization for many years, but it is also an industry that has encountered continuous uncertainty and volatility. Therefore, mining companies must recognize and implement sustainable strategies that support safety, cost reduction, operational efficiency, and the ability to adapt to an ever-changing environment. At the forefront of lean are principles and practices that support mining companies in developing a systematic approach to waste elimination while promoting a culture of continuous improvement.
Applying the Five Lean Principles in Mining 1. Identifying Value This crucial principle focuses on identifying the value of your product or service for your end customer. In doing so, mining companies can tailor their operations and processes to fully convey that value through value-added activities rather than non-valueadded activities. All non-value-added activities are considered wasteful and should be removed from a process. There are eight types of commonly identified waste using the acronym “DOWNTIME”: 1. Defects/Repair
20
2. Over-production 3. Waiting 4. Non-utilization of People’s ideas 5. Transportation 6. Inventory 7. Motion 8. Excess Processing
2. Map the Value Stream The value stream is the end-to-end collection of processes that create and deliver value for the customer. More specifically, when you first look at a process, it has all the functions - whether they drive value or not. Mapping out the value steam will indicate where these non-value-added activities are located within a mining process and remove the identified waste from the process, saving you time and money.
3. Create Flow Creating flow involves linking all the activities in the most efficient combinations. We’re looking at all the stops and bottlenecks, working to maximize the value-added content and eliminate or reduce the waste. This means removing stagnation of work in between processes, in limbo, or being held up for whatever reason that’s not driving any positive value for the customer — eliminating any obstacles preventing continuous flow.
These could be in many forms, from physical barriers to approval levels and things requiring a special allocation or approval before moving forward.
4. Pull The fourth step, called implementing pull, is about customer demand driving the value stream. This is very challenging in mining but when pull is implemented in the manufacturing of parts and equipment for mining, nothing is produced upstream until the downstream process needs it. Essentially, work isn’t being executed until a customer requires it. Mines traditionally utilize push systems, but in order to establish stable production processes that produce a required quantity at a given time, pull can be used to balance production to demand.
5. Pursue Perfection Continuous improvement is defined as incremental changes to a service or process that enables activities that deliver the most value to your customer while removing those that don’t. It is a constant strive to improve flow and identify hidden wastes and aims to implement sustainable tools and practices. This, in turn, requires further training of the workforce and engaging not only leaders but all employees to empower them to continuously improve their own processes and standards.
