Owned by Kinross Tasiast Company and operated through its subsidiary Tasiast Mauritania Limited S.A. (TMLSA or Tasiast), the Tasiast mine in the Inchiri region of north-west Mauritania is one of the largest gold mines in Africa. To assist in work at height applications in relation with its mining operations, Tasiast operates a fleet of articulating and telescopic rough terrain Genie® GSTM scissor lifts, S®, Z® and also Xtra Capacity (XCTM) boom lifts. To keep them safe and running smoothly, the company turned to Genie for technical training and a Genie Service Solutions (GSS) Preventative Maintenance contract. The verdict? A wise investment that is delivering positive results rapidly.
Tasiast utilizes its Genie units on a daily basis for the maintenance of the mine’s processing plant, heavy equipment and power distribution lines, as well as for construction projects onsite. “It’s tough, heavy work in a tough environment that takes its toll on machinery,” says Mohamed, (MEM Training and Development Superintendent). He continues: “With safety and uptime in mind, we approached Genie for support in keeping our machines serviced in-line with the specifications of their service manuals and to train on our technicians to bring them up to industry standard.”
The terms of the Preventive Maintenance contract involves in-depth inspections and operational health checks performed on a twice-yearly basis. The training to date has included three weeks of instructor- led training, backed by lessons followed via the Genie® Tech ProTM eLearning website.
Mohamed explains: “Based on their previous experience in mining, most of our maintenance and construction team is familiar with Genie equipment. Since being acquired by Terex Corporation in 2002, Genie now comes under the company’s aerial division –Terex AWP, a leading global aerial manufacturer of mobile elevating work platforms. Our company is a firm believer in maintaining its machines in-line with Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) requirements. We are satisfied with the technical support that Genie is providing and are looking forward to consolidating our partnership in this area in the future.” He continues: “In terms of training, the Genie eLearning platform is an efficient, flexible solution that offers access to a wide range of topics. Our technicians have already completed more than fifty different on-line modules that have enabled them to acquire solid, theoretical foundations. Onsite, the quality of the training provided by David Petitjean, Genie Technical Services Manager, North & Central Africa, was highly appreciated by our team. We are already seeing a significant improvement in their maintenance skills that is leading to increasing the uptime and the performance of our Genie fleet.”
For Vincent Vaché, Genie Senior Technical Services Manager for Europe, Middle East, Africa and Russia region (EMEAR): “This maintenance, inspection and training programme was set up thanks to the initiative of Jeremy, Haul & Auxiliary Maintenance Superintendent. Unlike other markets, in Africa there is a marked tendency for specialization in terms of skills. Technical versatility is not particularly developed. There are hydraulicians and electricians, but with the help of Kinross’s internal training department, we were able to identify their team’s specific needs and define the teaching objectives. On behalf of our Technical Services team, I congratulate Tasiast’s technicians for their motivation. It is a real pleasure to work with people who show such enthusiasm that has enabled them to increase the level of their skills rapidly.”
Vincent Vaché concludes: “At Genie we put a very strong emphasis on customer service. Preventative maintenance and technical training are part of this commitment that, as Kinross have seen, plays a key role in keeping equipment safe to operate while increasing its availability. While this is true for mining, the same applies to a wide field of other sectors such as oil, gas, port operations, logistics and construction.”
