ALROSA looks to achieve Perfect Shift for Aikhal Jubilee surface mine truck fleet

Posted by Paul Moore on 13th February 2020

ALROSA’s Production System Development Centre (PSDC) and Aikhal Mining and Processing Division are gearing up to launch the Perfect Shift project set to improve performance and reduce downtime of the mining fleet. Aikhal Division started to look into organisational changes required for the mine’s efficiency improvement initiatives back in late 2019. To adapt the Perfect Shift to the Jubilee mine, ALROSA’s PSDC created an Aikhal production system development function.

“The Perfect Shift has been successfully piloted at Nyurba and Udachny Divisions. Preliminary results showed higher performance and lower downtime of the mining fleet. Now we need to change the mining and transportation processes and minimise unproductive time at Aikhal Division,” said Artem Polyvyanny, Head of the Aikhal Production System Development function.

The Perfect Shift at Aikhal Division will focus on pit stop, hotseat and flexible swing shift initiatives. Pit stop means that full maintenance, refuelling and inspection of the mining fleet between the shifts will take place at a fixed time and place. Hotseat means that a replacement driver will change the regular mine truck driver during his lunchtime. Flexible swing shift facilitates operational continuity. These three initiatives are expected to improve the mine truck utilisation rate to above 81%.

The Perfect Shift will be launched at Aikhal Division in April 2020. A Unified Control Centre has already been set up to cut the downtime of mine trucks waiting for loading. A service centre based on the mining equipment repair shop will be created to perform the maintenance of mine trucks and excavators during each shift.

ALROSA lists the Jubilee mining fleet as follows; but more recently new 130 t BELAZ 7513A trucks have also been added

  • BELAZ-75125 with load capacity of 120 t — 4 trucks;
  • BELAZ-75131 with load capacity of 136 t — 10 trucks;
  • BELAZ-75137 with load capacity of 136 t — 2 trucks;
  • Haulpak D-510E (now part of Komatsu) with load capacity of 136 t — 12 trucks;
  • Unit Rig MT3300 (now part of Caterpillar) with a load capacity of 136 t — 26 trucks.