Flat Out. Still Falling Behind:

You’re not alone. The feeling of working intensely, yet seeing production targets slip, is a common challenge across many mining operations today. Managers often feel stretched thin, engaged in constant firefighting rather than strategic work.

This situation is seldom the result of laziness or leadership failure. Instead, it stems from deep-seated systemic issues. A key problem lies in the prevailing "balanced capacity" paradigm and the focus on optimizing individual departments in isolation. In complex, interdependent systems like mining, this approach, especially when combined with inherent variability, leads to unstable, stop-start production flow and continuously moving bottlenecks.

This instability creates the environment where firefighting becomes the norm, consuming valuable time and attention. Paradoxically, this unstable flow means that the system's actual output is often significantly lower than the capacity of the true bottleneck, indicating substantial hidden capacity within the existing operation.

Unlocking this hidden capacity requires a shift in focus from local efficiencies to managing the overall system flow. This involves identifying the actual constraint and ensuring the rest of the system supports its optimal performance.

For example, an Open Cut Iron Ore Mine achieved a 20% increase in total tons mined within 4 months, using only their existing resources. This wasn't primarily through more dashboards or additional headcount, but by changing how work was coordinated across departments. This demonstrates that significant gains are achievable by changing the fundamental approach to operational coordination and system management.

What’s the biggest bottleneck in your operation? Comment below or DM me.