Coal Age

JAN 2016

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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 sug- gests the necessity of a commitment 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 subordi- nate operations achieve performance levels that guarantee profitability, and to achieve these levels they demand constructive 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 tech- niques combined to indicate the most effective way that mine maintenance 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 exam- ple, may have taken precedence over actions that could ensure consistently reli- able 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 unifying effort toward the common objective of profitability. The strategy would include specific, cooperative departmental objec- tives and policies. Objectives would assign specific responsibilities to mine depart- ments. Policies would prescribe how the departments interact to achieve operating efficiencies. The combined objectives and policies would allow individual depart- ments to develop internal and cooperative interdepartmental procedures that would comprise departmental programs. These programs could help guarantee the mutu- al support necessary for effective mainte- nance and its essential contribution to effective mine operation (see 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 following b l a st h o l e d r i l l i n g 34 www.coalage.com January 2016 Maintenance is a vital function in overall mine productivity, but superior maintenance performance can only occur when the entire mine supports the effort. ma i n t e n a n c e B Y P A U L T O M L I N G S O N 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

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