In Chile, a major mining operation (referred to here as the “Owner”) embarked on an ambitious expansion project to increase ore processing capacity from 130 ktpd to 160 ktpd. The project scope includes adding new crushing and processing equipment at the concentrator plant. To coordinate this complex expansion, the Owner partnered with a prominent EPCM contractor, who was responsible for engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM). To facilitate this expansion, the project team relied on O3’s Interface Management solution, which centralized coordination among the various teams and stakeholders.
With a project of this magnitude, aligning construction and engineering workflows was critical. Managing interfaces or “tie-ins”—the points where different scopes of work intersected—was particularly complex. Each tie-in involved commitments from multiple stakeholders, and it was essential to track, monitor, and execute these agreements accurately. Without a centralized tool, the project team faced risks of miscommunication, overlooked responsibilities, and delayed coordination that could interfere with project timelines and outcomes.
As one team member noted, “Managing the different parts of a project requires successful integration across all parts. For this, coordinating the work processes of all stakeholders at contact points in the project becomes essential.”
O3’s Interface Management offered a solution by centralizing the registration, monitoring, and reporting of over 200 interface points across engineering, procurement, and construction. The module allowed engineers, supervisors, and workface planners to log interface points, document responsibilities, and create detailed agreements specifying the actions required for each interface. This centralized database provided real-time visibility, ensuring every team had access to up-to-date information and preventing misalignments between stakeholders.
One project leader explained the benefit:
“Having the interface management functionality in the project through O3 has been a significant contribution. It allows us to record and monitor interface points and key agreements, improving traceability and reducing communication risks between parties.”
The use of O3’s Interface Management had a transformative impact on the project’s workflow and coordination:
Beyond operational efficiencies, O3 enabled the project team to communicate seamlessly in real time and provided clear, actionable insights for weekly meetings. Interface points were tracked in one platform, giving stakeholders instant access to the latest data and enabling the project team to prevent and resolve potential interferences proactively.
According to another team member, “This approach has received full support from Project Management as an innovative solution aligned with current technological trends. The implementation of this module in O3 gives us a tool to manage complex interferences and provides us with security at every stage of the process.”
For the Owner and EPCM contractor, O3’s Interface Management module delivered a new level of coordination, transforming the project’s interface and commitment tracking process. The tool not only improved traceability and accountability but also facilitated smoother, more efficient collaboration, enhancing overall project execution for this complex mining expansion project.
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