Mining sites operate like living cities, with complex layers of people, processes, and infrastructure working in harmony to ensure maximum efficiency.
But while there are countless pieces of equipment and machinery, every operation relies on just a few hard-to-replace assets to keep production flowing.
Typical wait times on the delivery of large power transformers, for example, have stretched out to more than 12 months and have doubled in price over the last 7 years, amid global supply shortages. Operators can expect similar wait times for girth gears used in SAG and Ball mills, which can take six to twelve months to manufacture.
When those assets fail the fallout can be severe, causing extended downtime that can lead to millions in lost output and even damages brand reputation. FM works with mining clients to identify and address machinery risk across all touchpoints, helping business leaders understand the potential likelihood and severity of failures.
As part of FM’s comprehensive site engineering assessments, it uses a seven-factor risk model to unearth risk and develop mitigation strategies. Based on decades of loss data and field insights, these factors help translate technical risk into business exposure, which could save an operation from a significant downtime event.
- Operating conditions
This simply assesses whether machinery is used within design specifications. For example, running a gearbox with degraded oil or excessive vibration accelerates internal wear, reduces its lifespan, and increases the likelihood of unexpected failure. Mining operators must regularly evaluate and ensure all critical equipment operates within prescribed operational limits.
- Physical environment
While mining equipment is engineered for harsh conditions, environmental factors such as extreme heat, dust, moisture, and vibration still degrade equipment over time. Physical protection, suitable housing, insulation, and environmental controls are essential, particularly for electrical and precision mechanical components.
- Operator training
Operator training is about more than just initial qualifications. It’s about ensuring operators have both the skills and confidence to manage complex equipment effectively, especially during abnormal conditions.
Key initiatives include:
- Structured onboarding programs: clearly defined training pathways for new staff, incorporating both formal instruction and supervised on-the-job training.
- Regular refresher training: ensuring operator skills and knowledge remain current, especially on critical emergency shutdown procedures.
- Emergency response procedures: clearly documented, well-rehearsed instructions outlining what to do if equipment shows signs of distress, such as vibration alarms or unexpected temperature increases.
Many operators hesitate or seek managerial permission before acting during an emergency, delaying a safe shutdown and exacerbating the loss. Effective training gives operators clarity, confidence, and immediate authority to act quickly.
- Maintenance practices
Effective maintenance is fundamental to equipment resilience, yet it’s an area where many operators unknowingly fall short. There are two essential components:
- Online condition monitoring: including vibration analysis, thermography, partial discharge testing, oil sampling, and more. These tools have advanced significantly in recent years, providing real-time insights into equipment health without shutting down operations.
- Offline maintenance testing: involving scheduled shutdowns to perform deeper, diagnostic inspections. Example activities include non-destructive testing (NDT) of critical gears, insulation testing for transformers and motors, pressure vessel inspections and safety valve testing just to name a few.
An optimal maintenance strategy blends both online and offline testing, to provide timely data for early indication of failure, as well as comprehensive condition and remaining life assessments.
- Operating history
Past performance often predicts future reliability. FM engineers look at the entire operational history, including previous breakdowns, maintenance records, repair quality, and existing signs of wear or fatigue.
If equipment has a known history of issues — such as recurring cracking in girth gears or transformer gassing — more frequent testing and heightened monitoring become essential to managing risk.
- Safety devices
Safety and shutdown devices are critical lines of defence against catastrophic failures but are frequently overlooked. Effective systems include overload protection, overtemperature and overpressure sensors, and vibration detection equipment.
These devices can trigger automatic shutdowns in the event of abnormal operation, preventing minor faults from escalating into major losses.
- Contingency planning
No matter how robust your maintenance or monitoring program, equipment failure can still occur without warning.
A robust contingency plan considers scenarios where critical assets, like a large transformer or a custom girth gear, suddenly fail. This planning process requires operators to answer difficult but essential questions:
- Do we have spares ready? If not, can we realistically obtain them?
- What alternative arrangements can be made? Could the site run on hired equipment, or temporarily reduce output?
- Are procedures clearly documented? If something fails, is there a step-by-step plan ready to execute without delay?
For some equipment, a spare on-site is the only viable solution. For others, alternative strategies like pre-negotiated rental equipment, emergency manufacturing agreements, or the ability to reroute processes temporarily become crucial.
Turning equipment insights into business resilience
The seven-factor model isn’t simply a checklist. It provides mining leaders with actionable insight into asset vulnerabilities, offering clear justification for targeted investments.
Major losses typically happen when multiple risk factors combine — such as operating a transformer beyond design capacity, skipping regular maintenance checks, and lacking a documented contingency plan. Systematically evaluating each of these factors allows operators to formulate a holistic view of risk, with tangible actions for mitigation.
Preventative actions that seem costly at first —like investing in a spare girth gear or more frequent offline testing — begin to look inexpensive compared to the price of prolonged downtime.
By applying these seven factors proactively, operators can significantly improve their odds of avoiding the kind equipment failures that reshape operations overnight.
Want to connect with the mining industry? Register to attend AIMEX and WA Mining Conference.
Want to connect with the mining industry? Register to attend AIMEX and WA Mining Conference.
