AUSTRALIAN LONGWALL COAL MINE
Annual production up from a 2.4 Mt average to 3.2 Mt
The Challenge
Like most longwall mines, this operation ran each part of the chain for maximum equipment output. As longwall capacity grew, the real constraint had moved to the coal handling and preparation plant (CHPP). Pushing coal from the face into a constrained plant produced stop-start flow and output well below what the system had shown it could do.
LOCATION
Australia
MINE TYPE
Longwall Coal Mine
ANNUAL PRODUCTION, 2018 TO 2023 AVERAGE VS 2024 (no additional people)
2.4 Mt to 3.2 Mt (+33%)
What changed
In August 2023, coinciding with the start-up of a new longwall, the mine made the CHPP its managed constraint. It paced production to what the CHPP could process, used the ROM stockpile as a buffer with clear triggers for when the longwall should run, and coordinated departments in a daily Flow Room looking 12 to 48 hours ahead.
Results
Annual production rose from a 2.4 Mt average over 2018 to 2023 to 3.2 Mt in 2024, a 33% increase with no additional people and only minor capital spend. During poor roof conditions, forward projections of ROM stockpile levels showed the developing problem days ahead. Dozer resourcing, maintenance windows and CHPP feed were re-planned across departments before the longwall had to be pushed.
What people at the mine said
"For the first time, [we] feel management and workers are working together." Mining and Energy Union representative, 2024
"Since September [2023] [the Operations Manager] says he can focus on discharging his mandated responsibilities - there is no more firefighting." Client-feedback compilation, 2024
Source: Lourens (2026), Journal of Industrial Safety.