Pit & Quarry, January 2014
DRILLING BLASTING From good to great At 3M Wausaus Greystone Quarry in Wisconsin the team there used Lean Six Sigma methodologies to greatly improve operations BY SANDY CORBET T 3M Wausau is the oldest continuously operating plant in 3M worldwide It was purchased from Wausau Abrasives in 1929 which means decades of experience in mining crushing screening and coloring technology It also means years of doing things a certain way We started asking ourselves What will it take to be a world class quarry and the answer was to implement new technologies and change some of our work practices says Jay Lukkarila 3M mining process engineer 3M Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing has the word mining in its name because its origins are in mining corundum in northern Minnesota and using it to make sandpaper and other abrasives The company deployed Lean Six Sigma in 2001 so it made sense to start the Wausau improvement process by chartering a team to analyze current practices and set a course for implementing change Making improvements The DMAIC Define Measure Analyze Improve Control methodology used in Six Sigma calls for gathering data and taking a very analytical approach to what changes are needed and the critical improvements needed to improve performance We wanted to improve productivity reduce costs and put together a sustainable lifecycle plan for the quarry says Grant Miller 3M Lean Six Sigma Black Belt We knew we needed to get better to preserve the mine life If youve got a large scale flat bench you may be able to get away with a simplified drill and blast program But we The Sandvik DI550 is able to accurately drill holes in difficult areas that a large production drill cant reach Here the new drill is seen working in tight quarters have a number of difficult areas at the Greystone Quarry and our geology is complex We found we needed improved software and drill technology to help optimize our blast design Once the Lean Six Sigma team gathered the needed data and analyzed the results they called in expert consultants to help devise smart improvement solutions Consulting engineer Bill Hissem of Sandvik Construction a supplier of drilling equipment for the mining industry had a long standing relationship with Lukkarila and was called on to help explore new technology solutions To their credit the Wausau team knew their practices had become institutionalized They were successful but now they had to look into the future and reevaluate Hissem says New drill new possibilities In the quarry was a Tamrock DK40S down the hole drill on a fixed base platform that allows for five degree movement adjustment It worked well for large scale flat benches But there are many smaller more challenging benches on the Key management team members include left to right David Picka production manager Craig Shultz site superintendent David Loyko mine supervisor and Grant Miller Lean Six Sigma Black Belt 18 PIT QUARRY January 2014 www pitandquarry com
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