The technical sessions of the SME meeting in Salt Lake City that I sat in on this afternoon perfectly capture the past, present, and future of mining. First the future: Kay Sever President of OptimiZ Consulting spent the whole afternoon on process optimization in mining. She gave her mini-course at the invitation of Young Leaders group of the SME. And her course was well packed with young mining engineers–I must have been the only person in attendance over the age of thirty. She ably presented them the theory and practice of wringing the most profit and optimum performance out of a mine by applying the principles of quality management and control. If the young miners in attendance are harbingers of the future of mining, things will not be business as usual as these folk take over. Change is in the air.
Next I attended three presentations on big open pits: Suncor in Alberta, Black Thunder in Wyoming, and Grasberg in Papua Indonesia. Basically case histories of the design and operation of three big open pit mines. All emphasised superlative health and safety records–far better than the average–and how making safety a culture and personal responsibility underpinned by training and one-on-one interactions made it possible to achieve and maintain these safety records. Point is that it has been done, is being done, and can be done if the right health and safety systems and procedures are in place and are implemented. Taken together these three mines (and the surrounding operations) supply a goodly percentage of our oil, coal, gold, and copper. And while there are issues of impact and reclamation at all three (some very controversial) we must acknowledge their successes and contributions and the good they are achieving, and, I believe, will achieve.
Then back to the exhibition hall and a long chat with Elaine T. Cullen who is just about to retire from NIOSH where she has made videos on mine safety training and indoctrination. Now she is seeking somebody to finance her retirement ambition of making a series of DVDs on the oral history of mining by interviewing the old people also retiring from the industry. If you can help her, contact her at elainec@primaconsultingservices.com
Finally to that high point of all conference attendance: an expensive company-paid dinner. Actually, I dislike fancy glass and brass restaurants and food served on large white plates decorated with cirliques and flourishes of sauces and vegetables. So I persuaded my dinner date to go to the best eating house in Salt Lake City. I paid, so this is not a free endorsement. Just a block or two from the convention center is ACME Burgers. Unassuming, attentive and friendly service with perfect on-premise brewed beers, and more perfect food. Simple stuff like lamb burgers and a platter of cheeses with strong, distinctive flavors. Not expensive either. I ate there last night and again tonight and so it is my personal recommendation. I will go back again.
Next Day: Here is some additional information I received from Kay Sever on her session.
Attendance for discussions about setting process optimums, valuing lost opportunities and engineering’s role in removing barriers to improvement varied from 15-25 over a four-hour period. Some individuals stayed for the entire session. Metals, gold, coal and industrial minerals producers were represented.
Lots of heads nodded as I shared an honest perspective about recognizing missed opportunity and barriers that prevent sustainable change. Initial feedback from the group indicated that they appreciated cautions about accepting things as the “norm”, the impact of poor feedback to operators and failure to understand the big picture. Examples about taking the time to really think about how numbers are being presented (i.e., numbers drive behavior) were also welcomed.
