In a mechanised mining environment, mining equipment occupies a pivotal position in the mining process and equipment performance is often the production constraint that determines the performance of mineral extraction and processing operations, says Gauteng tertiary institution University of the Witwatersrand (Wits).

According to the Johannesburg-based university, studies suggest that equipment maintenance costs account for 30% to 60% of total direct operating costs in a mechanised mining operation, whereas in a conventional mining environment, maintenance may have been viewed as an ancillary support activity.

“Mechanisation is by no means a new concept to the South African mining industry, as varying degrees of mechanisation have been evident in our mines for the last century,” Wits states.

The university adds that equipment maintenance and management is now clearly a central link in the mining value chain and should be a core competence of any mining organisation.
However, maintenance in mining remains a challenging area. The mining environment is demanding on people and equipment.

“How do we balance production pressures and asset care? How do we implement robust maintenance systems in a constantly shifting environment? What skills do we need to develop in our workforce?” asks Wits.

To address these challenging issues, the university has designed a maintenance management in mining course to acquaint participants with the latest thinking in the rapidly growing field of maintenance management.

The next course is scheduled from November 1 to 3 and costs R12 600 to attend.

Managers, engineers, supervisors and technicians operating in the maintenance environment will benefit from attending the three-day course, which is a mixture of lectures and case studies presented by the university and industry-based leaders.

Course Content

The course content includes strategic management of mining equipment maintenance – planned, unplanned and condition-based options; real-time monitoring of machine and component health, data interpretation and the actions required.

The content also covers machine application and the resulting wear and tear of various components, including tracks, tyres, ground-engaging tool-cutting edges and drill bits; optimising part and component life; global and national data links for supporting maintenance and repairs; and oil sampling for component wear detection.

Further, the course discusses principles of outsourced service agreements; improving the effectiveness of the parts and component inventory; basic workshop and field service planning and safety in mine maintenance.

As an additional benefit, the course also discusses the findings and developments from Wits’ Centre for Mechanised Mining System’s best practice industry workshop on fleet management of trackless equipment in hard-rock underground mining.

The course is accredited by the Engineering Council of South Africa for two continuing professional development points.