On engagement with Jack and Caroline by Partners in Performance

Where are we and why are we there?

Now that the skies and borders are open again it is exciting to be back flying and onsite for a business improvement engagement. We are working with an underground copper mine in remote South Australia focusing on increasing mining rate and total material moved to the surface. As the mine gets deeper and further from the surface the mining challenges increase and it is important to lock in improvements over the next 18 months until additional underground infrastructure is completed which will remove some of the constraints.

Breaking down a day on site:

1. It is not all work and no play in the middle of the desert

Work usually starts early when on mining engagements, but the spectacular sunrises are something to behold. Personal goal setting is an important tool the team uses at site to balance the hours and the team is fantastic at checking in and supporting each other to achieve them. 

The camp has an extensive gym with all the usual equipment as well as basketball courts, Pilates reformers, and even mountain bikes you can borrow to ride to work. If running is more your jam, fret not, you will not be consigned to the dreaded treadmill! The site has invested in a track between camp and site which is popular for a pre-dinner run – but make sure to pack a head torch!

2. Dessert is free flowing (almost slightly too much) in the desert

Now on the topic of food the mess has a good variety of meal choices and a well-stocked crib room with grab and go lunch options. In the evening certain members of the team have become regulars at the dessert bar and some personal KPI’s may soon be getting a refresh to no cake after dinner. 

3. Social outings galore

But what about those essential team building events? Fret not! The camp hosts the one and only, famous Pernatty Pub which stocks a surprisingly wide range of options to quench everyone’s thirst. A fun place to chill out particularly after a day underground in the heat – so as our final fun fact, do not forget to pack a water bottle for a trip underground and drink up as it can get very hot down.

Wrapping it all up

An early success has been had with the fixed plant team on the underground conveyor system. A daily frustration for crews was travelling to the surface to clean and unjam a diversion chute gate which would not function remotely as designed. Frontline technicians were empowered to devise and implement improvement ideas to tackle the issue and modifications have reduced cleaning time by >50%.

Stakeholder management was very complex on this engagement. The site is operated as an alliance model between the owner and contractor with a blended org structure, has a strong remote working culture, and has a recently recruited client CI lead. These all combine to add complexity when managing relationships and maintaining alignment between stakeholders – a common learning for the whole team.