Gold processing plant recovery 2.7 percentage points above budget

Situation

One of a gold producer’s largest operations had missed its annual budget targets. Higher targets were planned for the coming year, including recovery at the gold processing plant. These improvements had to be delivered while processing higher volumes of lower-grade ore, making the task considerably more difficult. Our team was brought in to help the operation make a step change in operational performance without significant investment, and to establish a continuous improvement function that would continue supporting the operation after the consultants left.

What we did

• Increased recovery by stabilising grinding, adjusting flotation reagent regimes for different ore types, developing standard work instructions for process operators and introducing regular competency assessments.
• Introduced short-interval monitoring of process parameters, followed by performance reviews for shifts and roster rotations.
• Engaged more than 70% of engineering and technical staff in daily operational improvement work.
• After the consultants completed their work at the plant, further improvements were delivered with support from the new continuous improvement team, whose specialists had been trained by the consultants.
• The increase in recovery was achieved while processing volumes rose and ore gold grades fell.

Results

• Recovery 2.7 percentage points above budget.

Au recovery to concentrate, %