The Development of a continuous improvement model for a South African minerals beneficiation plant

Abstract

South Africa is blessed with a plethora of mineral resources, and as such several mineral beneficiation plants are in operation. In the mining value chain, a processing facility is seen as the bottleneck. The reason for this is quite simple. Large quantities of ore are removed in a highly industrialised process from mining activities. This large amount of ore needs to be beneficiated through capacity constrained processing facilities. In order to maintain an economically viable balance between life of mine, and maximum throughput, a large portion of ore extracted from South Africa is exported to foreign countries. The ore is then further beneficiated in plants that do not necessarily suffer from the same constraints as the South African plants. These constraints include labour costs, electricity availability and pricing, water usage etc. Even though the downstream beneficiation of minerals will have a profound effect on the South African economy, it is of utmost importance that the Mineral Beneficiation Plants (MBP’s) responsible for a large portion of the beneficiation strategy, be operated effectively to allow local end users of their products to remain internationally competitive. It is clear that MBP’s play an integral part in the value chain of the minerals industry, and effective operation of these plants are critical. It is of utmost importance to ensure that MBP’s are operating at full capacity, as effectively as possible, and within budget constraints. Development of a continuous improvement model for a South African Minerals Beneficiation Plant In order to achieve this objective, MBP’s need to implement a sustainable Continuous Improvement Programme. Several models are available and have been utilised with variable success rates in some MBP’s around the world, however none of these models specifically address CI from a minerals processing point of view. This study aims to develop a model which can be exclusively used for CI in South African MBP’s. A survey was conducted to understand the requirements that a CI model should fulfil. The survey was completed by respondents in both junior and senior roles within different resourcing and consulting organisations as well as academic institutions. It was found that most respondents prefer a model which involves an amalgamation of current CI models i.e. six sigma, theory of constraints and lean manufacturing. A new model was developed using the elements from these existing models that are applicable to MBP’s. The model also incorporates strategic direction required to implement it successfully. It focusses on the core elements that would result in process improvement. These are as follows: • Reduction in Waste • Improvement in Quality • Improvement in Efficiency • Decrease in cost A case study is shown which highlights the applicability and success of the model within a South African Ferro Alloy plant.