SSR Mining Brochure 2019

SSR MINING Unlocking the potential of operational excellence

SSR MINING

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Technology and growth through operational excellence

WRIT TEN BY

DA LE BENTON PRODUCED BY

RICHARD DE ANE

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As SSR Mining embarks on a new digital future, operational excellence proves vital

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fter more than 70 successful years of operation, exploration and development, SSR Mining (formerly Silver Standard

Resources) embarked on a journey to become an intermediate precious metals producer and one of the world’s leading premier mining companies. The 04

company currently has three mining operations, including the Marigold mine in Nevada, US, the Seabee Gold Operation in Saskatchewan, Canada and the 75% owned and operated Puna Operations joint venture in Jujuy Province, Argentina. SSR defines its existing and future success on strong exploration growth opportunities and operational excellence. It is the focus on operational excellence that will prove key, as SSR Mining’s existing and future success can be pinned on one crucial component – the development of its people.

“The mining industry today needs to be more focused on continuous improvement and the best way to move forward is not necessarily through more capital, but better collaboration and more results with people,” explains Kevin O’Kane, Chief Operating Officer. “Personally, this is where I get

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CLICK TO WATCH : SEABEE GOLD OPERATION 07 excited. I look at how an organisation

development as well as health and

can become more effective. One of the

safety. During his career, he gained a

challenges and opportunities in SSR, a

keen understanding on how to get peo-

company that’s been in operation for

ple to where they need to go through

over 70 years and made up of different

collaboration and the standardisation

cultures and experiences, is how can

of best practices. “I can see where the

we create collaboration and consist-

different operations are at different

ency in an effective way.”

points, or people within the operations

O’Kane was appointed COO in early

have different levels of understanding,

2018 and brought with him over 30

and I’ve had the opportunity to see how

years of industry experience across

that connects together.” he says.

Chile and Canada, having worked with

As SSR continues its growth journey,

BHP for most of his career. He has

O’ Kane believes it must do so with the

worked at all levels of operations,

aim of maintaining the agility of a

project development, business

smaller company and the key for it to w w w.ssrmi ni n g . com

“ The mining industry today needs to be more focused on continuous improvement and the best way to move forward is not necessarily through more capital, but better collaboration and more results with people” — Kevin O’Kane Chief Operating Officer SSR Mining

achieve this is through collaboration, leadership and indeed, standardisation.

This is where Operational Excellence comes to the fore and SSR established the role of Director of Operational Excellence to drive this focus. But what is a Director of Operational Excellence? “It’s a position based on asking questions. Where can we expand and add value, build on the ideas our people already have, shine the light on solutions, create an environment where we can challenge

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the ways of thinking and due diligence”

transform operating models through

says Liezl van Wyk, Director Operation-

people, change management and

al Excellence with SSR. “It’s about

technology to unlock greater value.

creating different angles on problem

Technology, as it is in most modern

solving and bringing in a new wave of

industries, continues to be one of the

discussion. It is about our commitment

biggest drivers of change and SSR is no

to Safety, it is about leveraging and

different. Van Wyk is a firm believer of

empowering our workforce.”

using data and the accessibility of that

Van Wyk is no stranger to Operation-

data to quantify Operational Excellence.

al Excellence, having spent the best

“One of the very first projects that I

part of her career looking at mining

oversaw was centred around becoming

operations and creating ways in which

more disciplined on data and starting to

businesses can enhance strategy and

increase the connectivity of our existing systems more,” she says.

“Across the industry, businesses are becoming cloud based because it’s a very centralised platform in which you can access information from anywhere and make data available to whoever needs to consume it.”

“We’re an asset-centric business, so all our decisions need to be around maximizing, optimizing and independently coordinating the flow of assets and how it hands over from one to the next.”

To this end, SSR built the necessary internal infrastructure that would allow the business to shift to this cloud-based platform where it makes sense. As a small, mid-tier company, SSR couldn’t w w w.ssrmi ni n g . com

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CLICK TO WATCH : MARIGOLD MINE OPERATION 11 outsource this implementation to con-

need to do is look at the whole value

sultants or technology vendors and so

chain, understand where our primary

this required a lean, targeted, fit-for-pur-

and secondary bottlenecks are, what

pose problem-solving approach from

the gaps are, against what good looks

Van Wyk and her team. Technology is all

like, and focus on those gaps,” he says.

well and good but it is the people, and

“It’s obvious, but it’s not always easy,

their capabilities, that ultimately turn

because when you’re somewhat of

potential into opportunity and value.

a personnel-driven organisation, you

O’Kane seconds this approach and

focus on areas that the senior people

speaks of how the company overcame

think are important, and that’s not

this challenge through leadership

necessarily always where the focus

and competency development

needs to be.

programmes for all levels of operation.

“I’m trying to focus on those so that

“Quite often, we focus on where we

when we sit down with the management

think the gaps are, and what we really

teams in each of the sites, we’re talking w w w.ssrmi ni n g . com

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“We focus on the whole value chain. Quite often people focus only on the gaps they see.

We need to understand where our primary and secondary bottlenecks are, what the gaps are, against what good looks like, and focus on those gaps from a value chain perspective” — Kevin O’Kane Chief Operating Officer SSR Mining

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about where we’re going, and what the

operated for more than 70 years. Van

barriers are to us moving forward, to be

Wyk points to the one word that’s on

more effective. It’s an opportunity to

everybody’s lips in any organisation is

have interesting discussions about how

capital and the allocation of that capital.

you can determine where, in the value

Talk of change is all well and good but

chain, you need to focus management

eventually it’s going to come down to

attention, so you produce safer and

cost, timing and priority and how much

more productive results.”

is going to be needed to invest in this

The challenge then becomes one

change. Van Wyk acknowledges this

of implementing change, especially

and again the key is around people.

in a company that has successfully

The importance of educating company w w w.ssrmi ni n g . com

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leaders in the value of what Operational

“I usually ask: Is it a tool or is it a toy?”

Excellence together with new technolo-

And to move the sentiment, this is not a

gies can bring is fundamental. She points

toy, it’s actually becoming a tool, so that

to a process of small-scale proof of

those biases of where we are going to

concepts (POCs) as being key to this

spend money are where we know we

conversation as it enables a willingness

will get value. One way to mitigate that

to experiment and change the way of

challenge or that risk is quick, small POCs,

thinking. “If you’re going to spend money

and showing where the risk sits and the

on drilling 100 exploration holes versus

willingness then to take it on or not.”

spending money on some kind of tech

These POCs prove fundamental in not

savvy data platform and tablet-based

only highlighting where Van Wyk and her

computing, you are more likely to spend

teams are making progress and driving

funds or invest capital on 100 exploration

change, but also in unlocking future

drilling holes if that’s always been the

growth. O’Kane points to the company’s

mindset of the company,” she says.

Marigold project as a shining example of

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“ It’s not just a singular problem you’re solving and in using Operational Excellence tools and a value-based approach to show the value, you can achieve many goals across all levels of the organization” — Liezl van Wyk Director of Operational Excellence SSR Mining

this. He notes that historically, SSR had focused solely on improving productivity at the mine; but by making great improvements in truck productivity and Operational Excellence it has allowed the company to look at the next bottleneck. Through the centralised system at Marigold, operators now have access to real-time analysis on site performance which allows them to take immediate action and move forward faster than ever before. SSR is also completing its first multiple drills automation project to significantly improve both drilling and blasting, but O’Kane is keen to stress it goes beyond simple productivity benefits. w w w.ssrmi ni n g . com

1946

Year founded

500+

Approximate number of employees 16

“That project is really about us learning how to do the automation

how they’ve implemented it.”

This is echoed by Van Wyk, as she

journey, so we’ll be able to then take

feels that value is and will always be

what we’ve learned about how the

quantified at the business level by

organization adjusted to automating

shareholder returns and employee

equipment, to apply it to other equip-

engagement. “So, it’s the right an-

ment and this benefits safety,” he says.

swers at the right cost point and doing

“It has been accepted very well by

it very safely,” she says. “It’s not just a

the work-force, and the drillers, who

singular problem you’re solving and

you would think, if their equipment

in using Operational Excellence tools

is being automated, would be quite

and a value-based approach to show

resistant to it, but they’ve been a

the value, you can achieve many goals

great help. I think that’s a testimony

across all levels of the organization.”

to the management team there, in

“Our best ideas have come from all

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levels of the organization. We are

Operational Excellence has be-

proud of our employees. They are

come embedded into the company’s

the ones whom have taken onboard

very DNA but as Van Wyk highlights,

the OE approaches as part of their

Operational Excellence is all about

day to day considerations. They

continuous improvement. “I look in

have brought forward the safety

terms of opportunities that are out

improvement ideas, the cost savings

there, and things do change quite a

initiatives, the production improve-

lot, but the foundational aspects don’t

ments, the different angles on old

and these are what we build on,” she

problems. And we assisted with

says. “It’s a combination of building

the tools, the frameworks and the

on the foundational pieces as well

enablers. One needs trust, strong

as a culture of creativity and willing-

relationships, and great leader-

ness to try something. Learn fast, fail

ship to bring this all together.”

fast, make corrections, improve and w w w.ssrmi ni n g . com

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bring back an improved product. We are finding better ways to operate every day” “That’s the world of Operational Excellence.

The job’s never done.”

As SSR continues its journey into a new future of operating, Operational Excellence will continue to define and redefine the way in which the company achieves success. The very definition of success for SSR is fluid, it could be additional assets to its existing portfolio or it could be increased capital, but as Van Wyk notes, the future will be one of unlocking the value that Operational Excellence can bring.

“This is happening through our workforce’s understanding and contributions together

“ Learn fast, fail fast, make corrections, improve and bring back an improved product. We are finding better ways to operate every day” — Liezl van Wyk Director of Operational Excellence SSR Mining

with management’s proactive challenging and support. We are on a journey to create value and enhance safety. As we grow from three operations, the impact and reward of the journey actually increases,” she says.

“But Operational Excellence is not just projects. It is a combination of transactional projects, but also capability development, change management, foundational rollout, training, relationships and challenge. That’s why Operational Excellence is such a rewarding discipline to be in, because you have that whole spectrum to operate within.”

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SSR Mining Suite 800, 1055 Dunsmuir, Street, Vancouver, BC V7X 1G4, CA T 1-604-689-3846 | www.ssrmining.com