In September 2022, Codelco División El Teniente formally launched the Mine Maintenance Management, with the aim of defining, improving and reinforcing in detail not only the functions and indicators of maintenance, but also promoting a cultural change in the mining company's work.

“One of the things that is most emphasized with the role of this management is that maintenance is not an activity in itself, but rather has very clear functions, with planning, execution and reliability,” says Juan Pincheira, Mine Maintenance Manager.

Two years after the creation of the department, the executive suggests that the separation of these roles, with specific functions, allows for the identification and addressing of maintenance gaps in detail, providing more robust solutions based on a common objective.

One of the main and most obvious improvements in the last two years was the increase in the Mean Time Between Failures (or MTBF). In 2022, the MTBF of the mine's internal shovel fleet was 34 hours. That is, on average every 34 hours, the shovels had to enter the workshop. By September 2024, the indicator managed to increase to 53 hours, reflecting an improvement of 56%.

The Superintendent of Maintenance Planning at the El Teniente Division Mine, Germán Lagos, adds that “the focus has also been on complying with the SOMA (Codelco Maintenance Operating System) process indicators, which speak of the quality and adherence to the maintenance cycle processes. We work dedicatedly on the execution, planning and reliability of the assets, focusing on systematic work, to comply with the standards of critical risks, understanding that production, ultimately, is based on reliable equipment available for production.”

A look into the future

The Mine Maintenance Department handles around 700 planned work orders and moves around 2,000 spare parts per week.

“We meet our production commitments when we manage our physical assets correctly and administer them strategically. Ultimately, production is based on reliable equipment that is available for operation,” says Germán Lagos.

To carry out the different tasks, from planning to execution, in addition to the management of services, management involves more than 700 people, including its own workers and those of contracting companies.

“What we have achieved so far, in a rigorous manner, must be the basis for continuing to build and manage differently, allowing us to move forward in a meaningful and safe way,” says Juan Pincheira.