BHP Billiton creates maintenance innovation centre

BHP Billiton has revealed plans to create a maintenance centre of excellence (MCoE) across three Australian cities that will drive innovation into its maintenance operations globally.

The miner first hinted at the establishment of a new CoE in a cryptic Youtube video in late September, and has slowly leaked details of the new centre over the past month.

It has now revealed that it will create three CoE “hubs” in its Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth offices that together will form the overall MCoE.

“BHP Billiton’s new MCoE is the coming together of a dedicated, innovative team focused on identifying, achieving and maintaining the highest standards in maintenance for BHP Billiton globally,” the miner said.

“Our new MCoE has been created to remotely yet collaboratively support our sites around the country [and the world] to deliver safe, sustainable improvement focusing on our equipment performance."

The MCoE has an ambitious remit to “redefine” the way BHP Billiton executes maintenance at its operations around the world.

The workforce – which is presently being recruited – is being tasked to “deliver a safe, significant, and sustained improvement in the performance of our equipment and machinery fleet – from 390 tonne haul trucks to underground rail networks to automated ship loaders, and everything in between".

It will consist of both maintenance domain-specific and data science personnel.

Broadly, BHP Billiton is recruiting skills around “planning and scheduling, data analytics and analysis, maintenance planning and work management, defect elimination and performance, and strategy development” for mobile and fixed plant as well as for infrastructure and rail.

The company is taking expressions of interest in the new MCoE roles until the end of the year.

The MCoE represents the latest technology and innovation-enabled drive by BHP Billiton to reshape and drive improvement into its operations.

Earlier this year, BHP Billiton restructured its technology division, converting it into a global function under the leadership of Diane Jurgens.

It is investing in the build-up of a new organisation that looks after production systems operations. There are several instances of this organisation by region, including for Australia and the Americas.

The miner is also creating an integrated remote operations centre (IROC) in Brisbane for its coal business, expanding a concept and operating model it pioneered in iron ore.