The Product Quality System at Cliffs Natural Resources – Koolyanobbing Iron Ore Operations

摘要

Cliffs Natural Resources Pty Ltd (Cliffs) operates iron ore mines in the Koolyanobbing region ofrnWestern Australia. Ore is mined from three separate hubs and trucked to Koolyanobbing. Therernit is crushed and screened to lump and fi nes fi nished products and railed to Esperance port forrnexport to Asian customers. Cliffs is renowned in the marketplace for its consistent product quality.rnIn 2010, 9 Mt of ore was exported to Asia.rnOver the last three years, Cliffs has systematically refurbished its product quality system (PQS), tornimprove effi ciency of production while maintaining its high standard of product quality. Particularrnattention has been given to reducing inventory, which has required signifi cant modifi cations to thernproduction process design.rnIn redesigning the production process, emphasis was placed on maximising the application ofrnthe inherent blending in each of the production process steps and dedicated blending was onlyrnintroduced where essential. Simulation modelling and statistical analysis of process capabilitiesrnwere utilised to develop a system that optimises inventory, minimises rehandle, eliminates severalrndecision-making steps and maintains a pull focus throughout the value chain.rnThe new planning functions are now fully integrated and effectively control long-term gradernvariability rather than relying on long-term stockpiling. The production process design and therndaily crusher blend plan are used to control short-term grade variability. With the upgrading ofrnthe planning processes the accuracy and consistency of algorithms for lump per cent and lump andrnfi nes grades became more important and an increased geometallurgical function has been addedrnto the company.rnThe continuous stockpile management system was upgraded to increase the effectiveness of therndaily crusher blend planning process and is now the sole intervention point in the productionrnprocess for grade-based decisions. Grade control systems were modifi ed to utilise advances inrnsoftware and geostatistics to deliver accurate short range planning models. The reconciliationrnand sampling systems have also been refurbished with an emphasis on practical application andrnfeedback loops.rnAccountability and transparency are provided by management reports that are generated fromrna centralised data warehouse and the introduction of a corrective action system. Standardisedrnreports are available to all stakeholders and a quarterly KPI scorecard assists the managementrnreview process.rnThe successful rejuvenation of the PQS has culminated in operational effi ciency throughrnthe implementation of an integrated end-to-end process fl ow. Shareholder value is maximisedrnthrough maximising recovery of the resource and minimising costs. Customer focus is maintainedrnby reliably delivering product with acceptable and low grade variability.