Benchmarking / Operational Audits

Benchmarking aims to assess your present mining performance and set goals to ensure you are competitive using the experience of other operating mines within your market sector. The objective is to improve your competitive advantage and then outperform the competition.

John T. Boyd Company mining consultants are experienced in benchmarking, including all aspects of surface mining and underground mining operations, barge loading and port facilities, preparation, and plant processing.

Our techniques as a mining consultant are geared to motivate management to look outside of their organization to make the company stronger. Benchmarking typically assists in making larger performance achievements rather than smaller incremental improvements.


Example Projects Include:

• Retained to benchmark three Australian longwall mining operations, each operating three continuous miner development sections to support one longwall unit. During the course of our study, BOYD evaluated:
  
  
  • Current production practices.
  
  
  • Performance potential of all sections.
  
  
  • Staffing requirements.
  
  
  • Section configuration.
  
  
  • Roof support systems.
  
  
  • Support functions.
  
  
  • Surface facilities
  
  
  
• Evaluated the union personnel's skill level and work ethic and benchmarked this Kentucky underground mine relative to other area mines (both union and union-free). Provided mine management with recommendations to improve section production. The mine operates four continuous miner units using electric shuttle cars and two different types of continuous haulage units.



• Completed a benchmarking analysis of a Canadian coal producer to determine its competitive position in the global marketplace. The following categories were evaluated and included in our study:
  
  
  • Mine conditions.
  • Operating practices.
  • Production and productivity.
  • Safety standards and practices.
  
  
  
• Performed an industrial time study analysis of the mining activities of a major eastern US underground producer in West Virginia. Our objective was to document actual section performance using independent time studies completed by BOYD engineers. Total time on all operating shifts was evaluated and section performance was measured in regard to:
  
  
  • Linear feet mined per shift.
  • Roof channels installed per shift.
  • Run-of-mine tons per shift.
  • Density of run-of-mine product.
  • Operating parameters.
  
  
  
• Worked with a major Texas lignite mining company regarding the future transition from an existing mine to a new mine. Tasks included:
  
  
  • Analysis of alternatives for mining the new mine reserve such as draglines and truck/shovel methods.
  • Development of a comprehensive mine planning and economics model for forecasting operating and capital costs for power station fuel.
  • Work with client to develop an effective project management system.
  • Assist in negotiations with suppliers and vendors.
  
  
  
• Prepared an efficiency and benchmarking analysis of an existing Great Lakes dock facility. BOYD's assignment was to:
  
  
  • Perform a benchmarking analysis to compare the terminal with selected similar port facilities.
  • Provide recommendations to improve overall operations of the facility.
    
    The terminal is a primary transloading facility for coal and petcoke. BOYD engineers presented our findings to senior management.
  
  
  
• Completed an audit of dragline operations at a surface mining operation in the Republic of South Africa. Developed plans and made recommendations to increase operating efficiency and utilization. Cast blasting studies were completed concurrently with an operational analysis.

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