Mining corporations and operating units are under constant pressure to improve financial performance. Operational costs have steadily increased over time. Subject matter experts are stretched thin because of multiple demands for their input. Key stakeholders and decision makers are spread out over long distances and multiple time zones. Given the need to rapidly align all stakeholders on huge volumes of data within the same context, making timely and informed management decisions in this environment is challenging. Efforts to improve financial performance are eroded by a range of operational profitability killers that are embedded in traditional processes and procedures and that inhibit effective decision making. Technology that supports collaborative decision making has emerged as a key efficiency driver at all stages of the asset lifecycle, from planning and construction through production and into decommissioning.
This presentation will focus on the characteristics of successful collaborative environments as established and operated in the production phase due to the fact that the lifecycle of this stage is the longest of the four with the most complex combination of technology, applications, processes and behavioral change. In addition to well-defined workflows and processes, one of the key enablers to a productive environment is reliable availability of accurate information, which in turn relies on a highly expandable, redundant data services layer that can adapt to the changing business needs. Architecture is presented on how an enterprise PI System provides a robust data collection and analytics layer that then feeds into enterprise decision environments.
Speaker
Osvaldo Bascur
Dr. Osvaldo A. Bascur is an Enterprise Business Executive with OSIsoft. His contributions have been in the design and implementation of a blue print for real-time enterprise information systems to improve energy- and water-management integrating power generation and consumption. His past experience includes holding the position of Process Control Supervisor at Duval Corporation (now Freeport McMoRan), and 10 years working for Pennzoil Products Company (now Shell). He is actively involved in the optimization of mineral processing, metallurgical processes for increasing asset availability, reducing energy, water consumption and minimizing environmental emissions. Osvaldo holds degrees in chemical and metallurgical engineering from the University of Concepcion, Chile., and a Ph.D. specializing in optimization of metallurgical processes from the University of Utah. He has more than 70 publications, and has made contributions to developing several SME, IFAC and IMPC proceedings. He is the editor of Latin American Perspectives: Exploration, Mining, and Processing published by SME. SME Operating Best Practices, IMPC Lecturer, APCOM. AIST Computer Application Member, EMC Lecturer. He is an active member of AIChE, SME, ISA, IFAC, and AISTech.