Application of Quality Management Tools to reduce costs due to deficiencies in blasting and tunnel overbreak in tunnel development at a mining company - La Libertad, 2023.

Rodríguez Alza M.A.; Guevara Sánchez E.E.; Tocas Mundaca K. · Memorias de la Conferencia Iberoamericana de Complejidad, Informatica y Cibernetica, CICIC (2024) · DOI: 10.54808/cicic2024.01.186

Resumen

This research aims to determine the impact of Quality Management tools on reducing costs due to deficiencies in blasting and tunnel overbreak, and to increase efficiency and proper tunnel cutting at Mining freedom - Peru. The study begins with an OPEX (Operational Excellence) and diagnosis of tasks conducted in the mine operations area in the tunnel drilling and blasting process, employing Statistical Quality Control tools to identify the actual cost of activities as well as the additional costs and losses in the mentioned activity. It concludes with the implementation of an improvement proposal using Quality Management tools, determining improvement opportunities and the proposals that must be implemented for enhancement. Additionally, four causes or problems that generate additional costs are specified: lack of equipment arm reach, absence of more potent explosives, deficiency in technical training for personnel, and lack of control over tunnel overbreak. Once the root causes are monetized, the additional costs amount to $60,672.00 dollars. With the implementation of improvements resulting from the Deployment of Quality Function (QFD) with its Quality House, recommendations from Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA), and the DMAIC Six Sigma Methodology (Six Sigma), the loss due to additional costs decreased to $48,912.00 dollars. Consequently, the application of Quality Management tools in cost reduction enabled a saving of $11,760.00 dollars, transforming into a direct benefit in the company's operations.

Instituciones: Universidad Privada del Norte