Oniqua MRO Analytics, the Australia-headquartered provider of analytics-based Maintenance Repair & Operations (MRO) optimisation solutions for asset-intensive organisations, has announced that Codelco has chosen its Oniqua Analytics Solution (OAS) to optimise its inventory management activities across its mining operations in Chile. Project planning began with a Oniqua Business Value Assessment in July 2010. Oniqua began roll out the MRO optimisation software solution across Codelco’s mining operations in Santiago in early March 2012, and OAS is expected to be in full production state for use by September 2012.

“With the goal of determining the potential economic and process benefits that could be achieved by deploying OAS at Codelco, our team of MRO optimisation experts conducted an onsite Business Value Assessment last year,” stated Lindsay Clarke, President of the Americas, Oniqua MRO Analytics. “The assessment uncovered significant opportunities for savings and efficiencies across Codelco’s inventory management practice, as well as findings and recommendations on improvement opportunities in processes, compliance and in standardising the material master. Once the software is fully implemented and operational, Codelco’s return on investment in Oniqua will prove to be quite significant.”

“Implementation of Oniqua Analytics Solution for Inventory Optimisation will enable Codelco to re-direct surplus assets to more productive use throughout our mining operations, and will also support process improvement and standardisation,” stated Fernando Marchant, Manager of Corporate Supply, Codelco. Oniqua will provide local resources and support to Codelco through a new South American office in Santiago, which also supports other current Oniqua customers in South America including BHP Billiton, Xstrata Copper, Freeport McMoRan, Newmont, Drummond and Vale.

The newly opened Santiago office follows Oniqua’s recently formed partnership with MRO Logistics in South America, which is owned by ILOS Infra Group and markets, delivers and supports Oniqua Analytics Solution as a core part of its MRO logistics solutions offering in Brazil. “South America attracts the most mining exploration dollars in the world, and virtually every major mining company has projects in various stages of development there. Investment projects in mining on the order of $18 billion were recently planned for Chile alone,” said Clarke.