Brazilian Mining Company Research Articles

An integrated simulation and optimization tool for short-term mining planning problems with different prioritization among competing plant targets

This work proposes a tool that integrates a hierarchical mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model with a discrete event simulation (DES) model to simulate an annual mining plan discretized in shift-by-shift periods. The hierarchical MILP model has ten objectives and optimizes the shift schedule according to the available materials in the free faces at each simulation moment. The DES model simulates the realization of this schedule considering the uncertainties and interactions between the mine’s equipment. Four scenarios from a Brazilian mining company were analyzed. These differ regarding the prioritization order of the MILP goals and the plants’ grade tolerance. The results report that prioritizing the plant with the highest value-added product results in a 7.0% production gain. Additionally, prioritizing the particle size target of the plants leads to a 2.5% production gain compared to prioritizing the element grade targets.

Managing Operator Drowsiness: An experience from a Brazilian mining company

Managing Operator Drowsiness: An experience from a Brazilian mining company

The applicability of advanced technologies from the traditional industry to mitigate ergonomic problems in maintenance activities in the mining industry

PurposeMany advanced technologies applied to maintenance are aimed at data analysis and not directly at the execution of activities. Considering the lack of studies that analyze the use of technologies with a focus on aiding maintenance activities, this study aims to investigate the applicability of advanced technologies capable of mitigating ergonomic risks in mining maintenance activities.Design/methodology/approachA mixed-method study approach was performed in the most important Brazilian mining company, where three groups of equipment were observed: pumps, crushers and sieves. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected, including structured interviews with 60 maintenance professionals for the equipment, and a workshop was held to evaluate the applicability of these technologies in the maintenance activity of this equipment.FindingsIt was verified that the load handler, weight cancelers and automatically guided vehicle technologies were assessed as capable of mitigating ergonomic problems of the supporting the weight of parts and tools and the human traction during maintenance activities.Research limitations/implicationsThe study observed only one company, and the five technologies analyzed here are not yet a reality in this sector.Practical implicationsThis research directs maintenance managers in the implementation of process improvements, in the incorporation of technologies capable of mitigating the ergonomic problems experienced by the maintenance professionals. In this way, it is expected to reduce the number of absences from work and improve the working conditions of these professionals.Social implicationsMining activities impact the local economy and are important in the development of technologies that improve productivity and the man–work relationship. The demands of industries for new solutions encourage local technological development through an approximation with university research and development centers. At the same time, it is observed that these centers can help in the formation of competences to act, either in the implementation of these technologies or in their handling. This university–company integration, in addition to benefiting the mining segment, has the potential to expand the solution to different supply chains, which proves to be a relevant social impact.Originality/valueThis study is pioneering in understanding the use of advanced technologies in maintenance activities in the context of the mining industry (extractive primary sector).

Integrated management analysis of production performance, maintenance, and PDCA Cycle

The performance measure of a production can be determined by applying tools that can evaluate the relationship between production functions, process quality and maintenance, and propose an integrated management model. The objective of this study was to propose the application of the PDCA cycle and to use its analysis to minimize the operational impacts that lead to non-compliance with the goals established in the Production Master Plan compared to the actual one. The motivational problem at work is related to the adoption of the innovative IPCC mining method by a Brazilian mining company, which in 2019 had a production plan of 18,051,425.8 tons; however, it produced 13,526,587.5. It was possible to observe the good performance of the action plan regarding the results of the indicators and standardization of the processes. In summary, the indicators showed an average performance higher than expected for 2020. As for variability, the indicators showed a decrease in the standard deviation between performance and schedule. It is noteworthy that the PU, productivity and average production indicators showed an upward trend.

Reading Mozambique’s mega-project developmentalism through the workplace: evidence from Chinese and Brazilian investments

ABSTRACT Propelled by a commodities boom and expanding South–South investment, mega-projects have reshaped the politics of labour in many African settings. Reflecting on such dynamics, this article critically engages with questions of employment, skills development, and contestation re-configuring capital–labour encounters in the ‘Chinese’ and ‘Brazilian’ workplace in Mozambique. We analyse two mega-projects: the Maputo Ring Road, implemented by the China Road and Bridge Corporation, and the Moatize Coal Project, led by the Brazilian mining company, Vale SA. Engaging with the complex realities at project ground level, the article unpacks how workplace regimes and outcomes reflect an intricate, multi-scalar array of spatial encounters, sector-specific characteristics, and national political economies. For both cases, this is associated with common promises of development and prosperity for Mozambique. While such promises take on different ideational guises, we show that the Chinese and Brazilian workplaces expose, nonetheless, overlapping patterns of inequality, contention, and hostility, reinforced by broader vulnerabilities and imbalances in global production networks and the Mozambican political economy. By providing a ground-level reading of the multi-scalar forces at play in the workplace, this article sheds light on the relationship between emerging South–South global encounters, national political realities, and labour geographies in African contexts shaped by mega-projects.

Lexicographic goal programming approach for a short-term mining planning problem

This article addresses a short-term mining planning problem. There are four objectives to be minimized: the deviations in grades and ore proportion in particle size ranges of the plant goals, the deviation in the waste mass to achieve the stripping rate, and the number of truck trips between mining fronts and discharges. The problem was solved through the lexicographical goal programming (LGP) method, which generates solutions that can guarantee a more comprehensive analysis of the decision-making process. The LGP method was tested by using several scenarios of a Brazilian mining company. These scenarios differ in the number of excavators and the tolerances concerning meeting the plants' ore grades. In the results, the impact on the values of the other objectives is analysed of varying the number of excavators and the tolerances in the plants' grade targets.

Proposed guidelines for treatment of recurrent failures for sustainability of results in the post-project improvement stage process

PurposeThe maintenance of process improvement programs within organizations is not an easy task. Some processes do not maintain the results achieved with the improvement project and again present low performance shortly after completion of the project. This paper aims to identify the socio-technical causes responsible for the loss of process performance after applying improvement projects, in order to support the mitigation of the problem.Design/methodology/approachA systematic review of the literature was carried out, which allowed the selection of 28 articles. The empirical stage used the benchmarking technique, along a large Brazilian mining company with an international standard of production and quality. This organization has been using improvement projects for more than ten years.FindingsThe research complements the literature regarding the prioritization of the 26 identified failures and the identification of seven new failure factors and two resources. Findings in this study can be an inspiration for other organizations, considering the similarity of methodological aspects of improvement projects since internationally standardized methodologies such as Six Sigma, Lean, Kaizen and 5S are used.Originality/valueThe research presented a proposal of guidelines that corroborate to the mitigation of loss of process performance after improvement project.

Vale S.A.: Cobalt Streaming

ABSTRACT The case “Vale S.A. — Cobalt Streaming” describes a transaction that has taken place at Vale, a Brazilian mining company, and one of the most important in its segment. The transaction was developed to de-risk an important project for an expansion of a mine in the province of Newfoundland & Labrador in Canada. By streaming the cobalt production, Vale was able to get a competitive internal rate of return for the project compared to the lower level of risk the project would then offer. The case detailed the negotiation since the beginning until the company faced the challenge of choosing from the final proposals. The case allows the discussion of important aspects regarding project valuation: risk mitigation through the streaming negotiation, several different types of risk influencing the main issue of the case, decisions about the assumptions used, discussion about debt/equity characteristics on the overall project from Vale’s perspectives, and the evaluation of a project with non-conventional cash flow, given a substantial upfront revenue due to the streaming contract. So, the case is recommended for the disciplines of Financial Management, Project Valuation, or Risk Analysis in post-graduate courses of Business Administration and Finance.

O negócio dos negócios não são apenas os negócios: a sustentabilidade empresarial como elemento estratégico

Based on theoretical and empirical studies, better business results are possible to achieve when there is alignment between the organization's strategy and sustainability management, as this alignment generate value for the organization and attend its stakeholders directly. Thus, this paper aims to highlight the reasons why companies should invest in sustainability, drawing up conclusions from literature and the perception of managers and coordinators of different areas in a Brazilian mining company. In order to do that, a qualitative research was conducted based on semi-structured interviews with those responsible for the mining company. As the main result, we have a synthesis of ten reasons why companies should invest in sustainability, that are: image, increase internal and external sales, valorization in the capital market, reduction of costs, improvement in company’s image before its stakeholders, reduction of risks, attraction and retention of talents, innovative capacities, competitive advantage and quick response or anticipation to legislation.

CSR Sensemaking Applied to the Facts Related to the Collapse of the Samarco Tailings Dam

This paper examines the fundamental orientation guiding the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities in the voluntary report published by Samarco – a Brazilian mining company, identifying how the company perceives itself regarding a severe environmental disaster occurred in 2015. Our analysis applied Basu and Palazzo (2008)'s model based on an organizational sensemaking process to explain how the organization expresses its thinking, how it discusses and acts to cope with the accident expectancy and its consequences. We analyzed the reports that depict the tailings dam collapse, observing whether the risks and damages to the ecosystem would be mentioned and anticipated to the stakeholders. Our evidence point out that the company had not disclosed beforehand any relevant information about the real hazards or critical impacts of its operating activities. After the accident, Samarco seems to maintain its relational posture towards society. However, the practical actions signal that the company is after its own business.

Guinea: Complaint Against Brazilian Mining Company

Guinea: Complaint Against Brazilian Mining Company

What a disaster! Understanding career adaptability after a crisis in a mining company

This purpose of this article is to comprehend how major changes of professional activities, due to disaster situations influence the career adaptability of employees. A case study was conducted in a Brazilian mining company which had the biggest environmental disaster with dams in the last hundred years. We used a qualitative approach and data were collected using semi structured interviews with the company employees, based on the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale which consists of four factors (concern, control, curiosity and confidence). After the transcription, the narratives from these professionals were analyzed using the content analysis technique. The results showed that, in disaster contexts, a fifth factor, the cooperation, should be considered. Another important result was the presence of aspects related to fear. Fear, in the case studied, was the “trigger” prevailing in all five factors, but with different aspects in each one of them.

Dynamics of an optimal maintenance policy for imperfect repair models

A preventive maintenance policy that considers information provided by observing the failure history of a repairable system is proposed. For a system that is to be operated for a long time, it is shown that the proposed policy will have a lower expected cost than a periodical one which does not take into account the failure history. Statistical inference using both maximum likelihood point estimates and bootstrap confidence intervals is discussed. The proposed policy is applied to a real situation involving maintenance of off-road engines owned by a Brazilian mining company. A simulation study compares the performance between the maintenance policy proposed and the periodical one.

Contention, participation, and mobilization in environmental assessment follow-up: the Itabira experience

This article analyzes the public participation and follow-up stages of the environmental assessment process to secure an operating license for an iron-ore mine in Itabira, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Vale, a major Brazilian mining company, eventually received authorization to begin operations in 2000, but only after making significant concessions to public demands on a variety of environmental and social conditions. In the years following the approval, Vale met several conditions regarding environmental cleanup, parks and infrastructure, water protection, and commitment to the local community. However, over time some of these activities were interrupted or aborted, while a number of conditions were never met. This article suggests that these weaknesses in follow-up were a consequence of the demobilization and retreat of the state and a parallel demobilization of civil society after 2000. The case demonstrates that state and public attentiveness can be episodic and suggests that high-profile agreements do not assure sustainable outcomes. Institutionalized participatory monitoring and management units appear necessary for continued environmental management that pursues long-term sustainability.

Institutional Influences on the Global CSR Actions of Brazilian Mining Company Vale

This study examines institutional influences on the global Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) actions of the Brazilian mining company Vale. The article combines the principles of Kostova, Roth & Dacin (2008) on the management of multinationals, the institutional factors proposed by Campbell (2007), and the ideas of Porter & Kramer (1999, 2006) on the interrelationship of companies and society. Using secondary data and interviews with people involved in the company’s CSR actions, we find that Vale has a formal policy, integrated with its strategy and based on international standards. But it does not have a global governance model and its activities are legitimized by coercive isomorphism.

What Does A Culture of Corporate Social Responsibility “Look” Like? A Glimpse into a Brazilian Mining Company

Based on an exploratory study carried out in 2008 on a Brazilian mining corporation, this paper contributes to the field of business anthropology by applying the notion of organizational culture within the specific context of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It is based on the assumption that organizations that consciously embrace values such as social justice and environmental sustainability develop rich “CSR cultures” over time with specific structures, practices and symbolic manifestations. This type of organizational culture shapes the company’s identity, purpose, and outlook, generating unique histories and meanings. The first part of the paper defines the notion of CSR culture and describes the conceptual framework used in the study; the second discusses the qualitative methodology used to gather and interpret the data, and the third maps the key features of the CSR culture in a Brazilian mining company, according to the proposed framework.

Impression management performances in a Brazilian mining company: The researcher as audience

AbstractWriting from an autoethnographic perspective, in this paper I re-visit Erving Goffman's ideas to examine impression management tactics used by staff from a large Brazilian mining company. The analysis is based on a 6-week fieldwork trip to Brazil in 2008 for the purpose of gathering qualitative data for a study on corporate social responsibility in the extractivist sector. Post-fieldwork reflections prompted the insight that during the data gathering phase of my research, I was subject to a series of impression management ‘performances’ by my corporate informants, carried out to foster a positive image of their company. In the paper I juxtapose data obtained during fieldwork and my personal reflections with selected excerpts from Goffman's The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life.

Impression management performances in a Brazilian mining company: The researcher as audience

AbstractWriting from an autoethnographic perspective, in this paper I re-visit Erving Goffman's ideas to examine impression management tactics used by staff from a large Brazilian mining company. The analysis is based on a 6-week fieldwork trip to Brazil in 2008 for the purpose of gathering qualitative data for a study on corporate social responsibility in the extractivist sector. Post-fieldwork reflections prompted the insight that during the data gathering phase of my research, I was subject to a series of impression management ‘performances’ by my corporate informants, carried out to foster a positive image of their company. In the paper I juxtapose data obtained during fieldwork and my personal reflections with selected excerpts from Goffman'sThe Presentation of Self in Everyday Life.

Corporate social responsibility in a Brazilian mining company: “official” and divergent narratives

PurposeThis research paper seeks to explore two narratives identified in a project focusing on CSR in Brazil: the “official view” promoted by the company, and “divergent voices” that called into question the legitimacy of the official view.Design/methodology/approachThis takes the form of a qualitative design and interpretive approach. Semi‐structured, face‐to‐face interviews supplemented with corporate materials, web searches, informal conversations with external stakeholders, and non‐participant observation are also used.FindingsThe study revealed that the official narrative emerging from the “corporate performances” organized by the key informant was consistently positive. The divergent narrative portrayed the company in a negative light, and was unveiled through web searches and further reflection in the post‐fieldwork period.Research limitations/implicationsData collection could have been carried out more systematically if the researcher had had greater control over the situation, especially with regard to recruitment of participants, which was done by the key informant.Originality/valueThe study contributes to a better understanding of the concept of “CSR as organizational culture”, which has not been significantly explored in the literature. It addresses the scarcity of works on CSR in the Brazilian mining sector and stresses the importance of going beyond the official view when researching CSR cultures, to consider a diversity of perspectives.