Operational Excellence in Cuba: Lean Transformation at Moa Nickel

摘要

In operation since the late 1950s, the Moa Nickel laterite mine and processing facility are located in the Holguin province of eastern Cuba. As a joint venture partnership between Sherritt International Corporation and the Government of Cuba, the mine and Pedro Sotto Alba plant produce approximately 35,000 tons per year of nickel-cobalt mixed sulfide product which is further refined at the Corefco facility in Fort Saskatchewan Alberta, Canada.In January 2016 the JV began a lean transformation across its Cuban and Canadian mining, mineral processing, refining and commercial operations to improve in the areas of safety, throughput, quality, time, and cost. With upfront work to ensure alignment and buy-in across the organization, a baseline analysis was completed for the three principal mining value streams, namely mine-to-market production, maintenance, and supply chain. Teams at all levels, from front-line workforce to the board of directors, are engaged in the continuous improvement cycle - tackling the problems and opportunities identified using an A3 problem solving process.This presentation will overview the lean transformation underway at Moa Nickel, highlighting the challenges, successes, and surprises encountered.