Testimonials

Newmont - MOS

I just wanted to drop you a quick note to thank you for the great work GRS has done in helping us define and implement a management operating system throughout the company. I have really enjoyed working with you and the other great GRS consultants over the past several years to raise the bar here at Newmont.

The deep mining, processing and maintenance skills and knowledge that you and your team brought to bear on our issues have resulted in a MOS that helped our good operations get better, our poor operations become dramatically more consistent and efficient, and our new sites just finishing construction ramp up to full production quickly and effectively. No matter the site and regardless of which country or culture the MOS was implemented, employees and managers became more aware of how their individual actions and decisions impacted the overall operation. I think we all thought we were doing a great job before MOS, but after the detailed assessment it became very obvious that while we weren't too bad at planning and executing, we were much less effective in evaluating our performance against plan, taking corrective action and incorporating the lessons learned in the next cycle. One of our site general managers commented that MOS is so critical to their operation that if they had not implemented MOS that all subsequent continuous improvement efforts would be unsustainable.

The bottom line for me is that if I was taking over an existing operation or starting a new operation, the first thing I would want is GRS to help me implement MOS to ensure I met production and cost commitments to stakeholders.

Brad Barnum
Director, Business Readiness
Technical Services


Lihir MOPU Project - Papua New Guinea

The commissioning team on the Newcrest Mining MOPU project has used the GRS CORS software product from inception to completion of the commissioning phase of the Lihir site processing plant Million Once Plant Upgrade project (MOPU).

We have found the product to be very flexible and able to respond to our requirements with great ease.

A key feature of the CORS product for us is the ability for it to be tailored to our specific project, enabling us to customise our reporting to drill down to target project areas. In addition to this we have found that we are able to easily modify the system on the fly. This is critical when we are receiving final engineering changes to the project. I have also found the products expandability to areas such as engineering change management functions to be of great benefit when trying to paint the complete project picture.

During our use of the CORS product we had interaction with the CORS Data Managers and Program Writers within our group. We found these individuals to be very professional and able to integrate into our teams quickly, which ensured their work was done efficiently and to a high standard.

In short, it is an excellent tool for the management of a variety of project functions.

Adam Hamer
Commissioning Manager
Lihir MOPU Project


Toka Tindung Gold Project – CIL 1.7 Mtpa

PT Tambang Tondano Nusajaya (PT TTN) approached Global Resource Solutions on 20 July 2010 seeking assistance with the completion of the Toka Tindung Gold Project located 35 km north east of Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

PT TTN had become concerned with the direction and progress of the project and incumbent owners project delivery team. I contacted Global Resource Solutions and after several discussions they agreed to deploy David Bollands a Lead Project Development Consultant to review the project and develop a new strategy for the completion and closure of the project with a view to meeting our original timelines, business objectives and overall delivery strategy.

David visited the site for 2 weeks and worked with my executive staff to develop a project recovery strategy. Global Resource Solutions were subsequently engaged to implement the strategy.

The agreed scope of Global Resource Solutions services included all management activities required to complete the project processing and infrastructure works associated with bringing the Greenfield project online. Global Resource Solutions responded by rapidly mobilizing a complete owners project team under a secondee services contract. The project management team included a Project Manager and other key lead project delivery support staff that integrated with our existing team. The Global Resource Solutions staff worked closely with myself and the site executive management to complete the project on budget and to our required timelines.

Over a period of 12 months Global Resource Solutions provided project management services in an efficient, outcome focused manner, continually representing PT TTN's best interests, delivering against defined objectives whilst operating in accordance with their philosophy of “No Secrets No Surprises”.

I would have no hesitation in recommending their services to clients with similar business needs.

David Morrison
Chief Operating Officer


The Doe Run Company

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


Iluka Resources

I joined Iluka Resources in December2002 as Executive General Manager, Operations. In that
capacity, I was responsible for the ongoing operations of Iluka (current market Cap A$8b) plus the management and delivery of new projects, typically investing around $400m p.a.  Iluka was entering a rebuilding phase at the time with existing mines in WA becoming depleted and an urgent requirement for new resources and associated plant. An exploration company in Western Victoria had just been purchased by Iluka for what was later determined to be an inflated price Circa A$130m. This company held rights over new tenements and claimed to have completed a DFS for their asset.

It was at that time that I met David Bollands, Principle of GRS. David had been providing project management services to Iluka including the writing of a comprehensive Project Management System. David’s reputation within Iluka was very good. GRS was engaged to source a project team to reassess the DFS for what had become the Murray Basin Project for Iluka.  There was considerable urgency for the delivery of this project. The DFS was completed in record time, described a very innovative contracting strategy for delivery of the project, and the project was subsequently delivered and performed as described in that DFS.

The Murray Basin Project (MB) was a Greenfield project, mining and processing as yet un-processed resources. Capital Expenditure estimates for the first phase of the project amounted to A$325m (plus A$130 above) with total project costs of around A$700m.

Following completion of the DFS, GRS’s role evolved to sourcing a project team for the execution phase of the contract as well as providing ongoing QA/QC of that team. It was at that time that I utilised David’s experience and judgment in many aspects of the delivery strategy for the project.

Iluka engaged Roche Mining, a subsidiary of Downer EDI, to execute a major phase (A$200m) of the project. This engagement was in the form of an EPC contract. Roche were ideally placed to deliver the project having completed the DFS. Roche had also recently acquired Mineral Technologies (who designed the plant and provided a performance guarantee following encouragement by David to do so) as well as JR Engineering, a WA based engineering and construction entity. A parent company guarantee was secured from Downer EDI.

Much has been written about the project, the quality of the team and procedures implemented by GRS enabled successful delivery of the project and total rejection of the EPC claim against Iluka.   David Bollands was instrumental in ensuring that that contracting strategy deployed by Iluka was contractually and legally sound. The team sourced by GRS was led by two senior project managers, Bob Edwards and Terry Stott and subsequently joined by Arun Gunasegaram. Bob, Terry and Arun were highly experienced and had worked with GRS on several projects. It was this experience and attention to detail that enabled Iluka to hold Roche and Downer accountable for delivery of the project and ensured that the contracting practices adopted by Iluka enabled full rejection of Downer’s ambit claim.

Clearly the objective of any project at commencement includes objective selection of contractors who can and will deliver as contracted. This was of course the objective with Downer and the project was set up to succeed. Downer was at the time a preeminent contracting company of some substance and this project represented a major opportunity for them – they were a logical selection.  The real value of GRS and particularly of David Bollands to Iluka and myself was David’s, judgment, experience and commitment to us despite very difficult times. David, Bob, Terry and Arun delivered the project at cost and were willing and able to support Iluka well past what would have been expected.

I am very happy to endorse David Bollands and GRS.

If further details of the project are of relevance, please contact the writer.

Bill Bisset 
+61 409 455 499


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 2

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