The use of productivity improvement tools at a mineral processing plant

Abstract

This study investigates the applicability and effectiveness of continuous improvement tools in mineral processing plants. The gold mining sector in South Africa in 2021 contributed about 8.2% towards the GDP, which is a lower percentage compared to the 21% of the 1980s. Mineral processing is the 2nd phase of mineral extraction and processing activities (from the 1st stage, the ore extraction process). As such, productivity improvement is important as it also improves the output the minerals extracted. It is essential that mining houses continuously looks at ways to improve productivity. Due to the nature of the process, it is also important to note that any change or improvement on productivity should be considered holistically and be efficient, as increases are usually in the range of 5 to 10%. The research looked at various productivity improvement tools including lean, six sigma, kaizen, and applicability of these tools. The research that has already been done on productivity improvement were also investigated, with the aim of establishing what has not been covered, which revealed that productivity in the mineral processing industry has had less research. Improvement tools applicable to the gold processing plants were then investigated and recommendations made on implementation of such