The mining industry faces a unique collection of challenges with fluctuating demand, cyclical pricing and a decrease in the profitability of the mining industry, operating an efficient and streamlined business is critical to any mining operation. Thus, despite its inherent complexities mining firms have been integrating the lean principles of the manufacturing industry into their own operations.

• Rooted in the automotive industry and derived from the Toyota Production System, lean best practice has over the past 30 years been applied to great effect in almost every facet of the manufacturing sector. And it is now, with the ever-increasing pressure on the bottom line, that mining firms are looking to reap the rewards of lean processes.
• In recent years, some of the most industries most influential executives have spoken out about the benefits of lean and similar continuous improvement strategies. In 2008, Rio Tinto’s CEO Sam Walsh gave a speech stating Six Sigma “is a very fundamental change in the way that we structure our work, actively engaging, actively involving, and actively communicating with our people.

The adoption of Lean concepts beyond the manufacturing sector has been increasing recently. In this line, its scope has been expanded to the mining industry under the realization of the need for productivity improvements and leverage for efficient operations. Limited research exists regarding Lean implementation in the mining industry in a comprehensive and structured way.