Doe Run first engaged Global Resource Solutions in 2006 to assist our business with the strategic development of a technology based project. Since then they have provided a variety of consultancy support services primarily centering around:
Development and deployment of an in-house project management system;
Review of operational practices;
Workshop facilitation and review services;
Risk management; and
Project Management-secondment of key lead project delivery support staff.
Over the past three years Global Resource Solutions have provided all services in an efficient outcome focused manner, continually representing Doe Run’s best interests, delivering against defined objectives whilst operating in an honest and open manner. We would have no hesitation in recommending their services to clients with similar business needs.
Bruce Neil
President and Chief Executive Officer
The Doe Run Company
Jerry L Platt
Vice President, Domestic Operations and Chief Operating Officer
The Doe Run Company
President, Fabricated Products, Inc.
Barrick Corporation – Porgera Joint Venture, Papua New Guinea
The Hides gas-fired power station in the remote highlands of Papua New Guinea has a total output of 64 megawatts and supplies electricity to Barrick's Porgera Gold Mine and various community and support industries into the Porgera Valley. At times generating capacity is impacted by unscheduled downtime events and lower than expected periods of generating efficiency, increasing the reliance on diesel power generation at the mine site to maintain mining and processing operations.
In 2007-08 GRS was engaged to work with a multi-disciplinary site team to review Operating pratices. The team subsequently developed and installed a revised management operating system to provide 24 hour performance monitoring of turbines so as to maximize the performance from the power station. Updating the data capture, reporting and analysis practices through simple design changes to existing management systems combined with and a facilitative approach to gain the workforce's buy-in in identifying and resolving issues provided a sound platform for sustainable improvement.
GRS's consulting experience in management systems implementation and supervisory coaching and mentoring has been valuable in assisting the operations team to more effectively deal with performance issues and develop sustained improvement in performance.
Savings to date are averaging a sustained 15,000/litres diesel/day and the project is on track to deliver an annual saving of US$5 million. Improved plant reliability has also led to reduced frequency and duration of downtime events in the processing plant related to switch-over to diesel power generation, resulting in additional ounces produced.
Sphere Investments Limited
Sphere Investments Limited started its association with Global Resource Solutions (GRS) in 2005, engaging GRS to support our company in developing the US$2.0 billion Guelb el Aouj Iron Ore Project in Mauritania, West Africa.
GRS worked closely with Sphere in progressing this business opportunity from Scoping Study stage, through the Project Roadmap, Opportunity Framing and Pre Feasibility Study (PFS) stages, to the final deliverable, a world class bankable Detailed Feasibility Study (DFS).
The scope of work managed by GRS included: resource definition drilling, resource modelling, mine planning, water exploration and modelling, metallurgical testing, preliminary and basic engineering and environmental/social assessment. The scope of services provided by GRS included study management, cost and schedule control, engineering and estimate review.
GRS provided personnel for several senior management positions including the overall Study Manager. In addition, GRS managed a global team of technical personnel and sub consultants from South Africa, UK, Germany, France, Mauritania, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
GRS provided Sphere with the project study management expertise at a time when the global engineering industry was experiencing extreme manpower shortages, and securing consultants and contractors with core competencies was a major challenge. It was also at a time when Sphere had limited financial and human resources. Despite these constraints, GRS was able to supply people, processes and systems that allowed Sphere to achieve an outstanding world class bankable DFS on time and within budget.
I found the GRS personnel to be highly competent, professional, reliable and trustworthy. More importantly, they were able to blend into our existing organisation seamlessly, and were able to represent our company in foreign countries as though they were our own employees.
I would have no hesitation in recommending the services of GRS for any client with limited internal resources and similar business needs to ours.
Mr John Bylsma
Executive Director
Sphere Investments Limited
Doe Run Peru
As VP of Finance of Doe Run Peru I needed to know that our project controls and specifically project cost department were in control when running our in-house capital plan, especially with the ramp up and dramatic increase in work load. We needed support to assist in the management of cost activities and accounting functions. GRS were able to provide us with the support and confidence required to manage the demands of our largest ever capital works programme. GRS trained our local staff and assisted in the design and implementation of cost management systems and processes that allowed us to manage the works in a controlled and predictable manner. Information was accurate, available in a timely manner and was prepared with sufficient detail to answer all questions that we had from management and financial institutions. The independent bankers engineer gave the project cost team an outstanding review.
We would have no hesitation in recommending GRS services to any client organisation seeking the assistance of a highly competent and outcome focused project management service provider.
Craig M. Ward
VP Finance & Administration
Doe Run Peru
Barrick Corporation – Yilgarn One Project, Australia
GRS assisted BarrickGoldof Australia in the consolidation of the geology and engineering functions of four operating gold mines into a single shared services unit. The charter of this new unit, known as Yilgarn One – Enginerring Services, was to provide centralized technical support to mining operations by the delivery of resource/reserve estimates, long-term mining plans, budget development and engineering project management services.
GRS consultants worked with Barrick management and technical staff at each site to document current business process, identify areas for improvement and outline potential issues upon migrating to the shared services model. This led to the consolidation of best-practice models and the development of detailed service level agreements to support the operation of the newly formedEngineeringServices Group and their routine interaction with their site-based colleagues. In addition GRS staff assisted in the communication of the redesigned processes to key stakeholders and the development of an implementation plan to support the transition to the new model.
Richard Hay, General Manager - Yilgarn Shared Services "My involvement with GRS was very positive, the consultants demonstrated a great work ethic and knowledge of re-organisation methodology. Their work in helping to developdetailed yet simpleand practical service level agreements for the new service centre was one of the important keys to the success of the project. The format of theservice level agreements were adopted for the other areas of the project"
La Mancha Resources – Hassai Mine, Sudan
In late 2007, GRS were requested to mobilize a team to review La Macha's gold mining operations in Sudan, with the brief to investigate opportunities for improving the throughput, availability and general safety management practices in pre-leach crushing, grinding and agglomeration areas.
Through observation, discussions with key personnel and review of production data, GRS was able to identify a number of improvement opportunities to add immediate and long-term benefits.
The recommended approach, involved a greater degree of operator involvement in day-to-day plant monitoring and process optimisation and a more structured approach to both planned and opportune maintenance, combined with improved reporting on key operations parameters to drive a greater degree of root cause analysis and accountability for performance.
By working closely with site management, the implementation approach was specifically tailored to the cultural and language circumstances at site.
Bill Plyley, Chief Operating Officer "In late 2007, La Mancha contracted GRS to review management efficiencies at our Hassai Mine in Sudan. GRS quickly assembled a top-quality team to provide the review and generate a concise report. The report was instrumental in determining the structural and process changes that are currently being implemented at Hassai. I would recommend GRS to any company looking for a team that is flexible and can provide good quality outcomes."
Doe Run Peru
As the VP Technology for Doe Run Peru for the last 5 years, and acting Project Sponsor responsible to the Executive Committee for a US$450 million Brownfield’s expansion in the Peruvian Andes, I was looking for a team of professionals to join and head up my owners team. We were delivering a highly complex poly-metalic upgrade including two acid plants and an Isa furnace installation in what can best be described as a fast track schedule focused project driven primarily by operational and permitting needs. The site was remote and located some 3,800 meters above sea level. We needed a team of dedicated and exceptionally talented people to work with us in delivering the scope in what was an overheated global economy where sourcing competent and reliable external support services was a major task. We (Doe Run) strategically choose to avoid engaging the under performing and overly expensive EPCM and EPC service providers. Instead we chose to manage the delivery process and associated risk in-house with our own team. GRS were able to supply us with the people and processes to deliver the project, achieving the tight timelines and business objectives. Providing a dedicated team of professionals that worked autonomously with our staff in what was a very challenging project, GRS delivered in demanding circumstances and against the market and logistical challenges, resulting in our critical deliverables being met. GRS recruited and trained both local Peruvian labour and our operational staff to perform the project management functions and we successfully delivered the programmed scope. Both the GRS local team and the executive based out of Hong Kong were online 24/7, as and when needed, to meet our needs.
We would have no hesitation in recommending GRS services to any client organisation seeking the assistance of a high competent and outcome focused project management service provider.
Michael Sankovitch
VP Strategic Planning
The Doe Run Company
