Mobile equipment service
strategy optimisation

Context

Due to our client’s brownfield expansion, asset performance was ripe for optimisation. With the site using equipment supplied by multiple original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), of varying ages (including key production equipment of ages exceeding 10 years), the servicing strategy needed review. Key production equipment units were being serviced based on both time and utilisation, contributing to ‘over-servicing’ and presenting a significant opportunity to reduce costs and improve fleet uptime. Existing service strategies also required the use of contract maintainers, creating additional, preventable costs.

Approach

Minset’s scope focused on reviewing the equipment service strategy for the main fleet (development and production drills, trucks, loaders and charge-up equipment) and exploring varied strategies based on the fleet’s age and performance. This included initial observations to identify service quality and workgroup productivity opportunities, and a review of fleet service strategy documentation and performance data. The result was a new strategy shifting from partially time-based servicing to a total utilisation-based approach. The Minset team prioritised the mobile equipment that was creating the greatest production bottleneck, and developed an implementation plan to align teams on new processes as well as stage changes effectively. This work was supported by an improved daily inspections routine and initiatives such as restructured and streamlined service sheets to improve efficiency. The review also revealed that the defect capture process was inadequate, resulting in excessive unplanned corrective maintenance work and increased equipment downtime. In response, a complete revision of that process was delivered in parallel.