The Task

The extractive industry is under constant pressure to increase productivity while reducing costs. Optimisation can be challenging, especially when dealing with complex pit-to-port operations with varying degrees of digitisation throughout. This case study explores how a large surface quarry in the UAE, at the early stages of its digital transformation journey, successfully implemented a series of improvements to enhance efficiency and productivity within a uniquely intricate operating environment.

The Challenge

The quarry, situated adjacent to a dedicated port, presented a unique set of challenges. The integration between the quarry and port operations, although geographically close, was operationally complex. The site wanted to optimise the processes of both pit and port operations, whilst providing better synchronicity between the two to meet production demands. To address these challenges, the quarry partnered with MTS to identify and implement high-impact changes. 

The Solution

The process began with an in-depth assessment of the quarry’s operations through a thorough site-wide auditing process. This included the utilisation of HREa, a GPS tracking tool designed to identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies in the haulage network.

Process Mapping

An initial study was conducted to map out the overall process of the pit-to-port operations. The process was initially understood to be highly complex with lots of moving parts and differing equipment, technologies and teams. To provide the site with actionable feedback on how to improve, the process needed to be fully understood, making it easier to highlight and pinpoint the areas for improvement.

MTS spent time with various teams during the site visit, including several in-depth operation tours assessing each element of the process. Following this, a comprehensive material flow map was created to display each key element within the process. The process flow was meticulously validated in collaboration with the site teams to ensure its validity and reliability.

The Results

MTS was able to take advantage of the rich available pre-exisiting datasets to gain a good understanding of the operations strengths and weaknesses. Using this data, MTS was able to highlight bottlenecks in the haulage network/process, to better understand how the operations systems were being utilised and to obtain a firm understanding on how the site were currently utilising this data to aid streamlined workflows. This analysis phase also highlighted the areas within the site processes which lacked data availability and therefore required further investigation

HREa

Several areas within the process had a severe lack of data and technology oversight, making it difficult to understand the exact processes in these areas. Here, MTS’ auditing tool HREa was deployed to gather data and uncover the ongoings within the process gaps. HREa is a GPS tracker/datalogger device which can be deployed inside truck cabs. Here, they will be left to monitor and record for some time before being removed to acquire the data. This data will then be processed to display vehicle locations, cycles and speeds providing invaluable insights into the most unknown elements of the process. In this specific case:

• Dataloggers were placed on two trucks running on the Port side of the operation
• Data was collected over a period of 24 hours (48 hours total for both trucks). 

The wait/stoppage times, which are of particular interest for trucks, were a primary focus for further investigation, as they would indicate complexity and bottlenecks in the material flow to the barges. The study revealed that vehicles were stationary for a considerable duration of the haulage cycle in a few noteworthy areas.

1. ~ 4 hours were spent idling or waiting on the quayside in 48 hours
2. ~ 1 hour was spent waiting at the weighbridge in 48 hours
3. ~ 1.5 hours were spent stationary in other zones adjacent to the barges in 48 hours

Key Findings and Outcomes

Using all newly available information, areas of complexity were identified; their impact on either stock reporting or dynamic dispatch was assessed; the likelihood of occurrence was quantified and possible mitigation methods and their effectiveness were suggested. The comprehensive assessment identified 21 areas for significant improvement, some of these included:

• Traffic Management and Stoppage Time Inefficiency: The quarry experienced frequent and lengthy stoppages due to blasting activities and inefficient shift changes, resulting in significant productivity losses. The HREa investigation also identified a number of hidden bottlenecks throughout the haulage network.

• Data Utilisation Inefficiency: The quarry had implemented basic dashboarding but lacked a cohesive approach to data analysis. Different teams interpreted data differently, hindering coordinated inter-departmental decision-making.

• Communication Breakdown: The absence of communication tools, such as radios and pit cameras, hampered real-time collaboration and information sharing between teams.

• Lack of Standardisation: The quarry operated without standardised operating procedures, leading to inconsistent practices and suboptimal performance.

• FMS Underutilisation: Despite the recent implementation of a new fleet management system (FMS), the quarry was not fully leveraging its capabilities. Excessive manual assignments, heavy reliance on physical locks and bars, and a lack of operator training limited the system’s potential.

• Role and Responsibility Ambiguity: Overlapping, missing, and redundant roles hindered efficient operations. Furthermore, misalignment between FMS shifts and operational shift patterns created additional complexities.

• Operator Performance Management: Lack of comprehensive operator KPIs and balanced scorecards were hindering performance tracking capabilities and limiting proactive mentoring capabilities.

Six of these were shortlisted due to their high impact and low investment requirements. An estimated 15-20% gain in production was possible from improvements in these areas.

Summary

This case study demonstrates the value of a comprehensive assessment and the potential benefits of data-driven decision-making in the mining industry. The site knew there were areas for process improvement but was unable to identify the key hotspots with the highest production implications. By mapping their processes, leveraging their data and deploying custom tools MTS was able to successfully identify these zones of improvement. With this, a plan for the next steps was generated outlining the required solutions on how to improve these processes and obtain the estimated 15-20% production gains.