Operations at Barrick Gold

employees even at the lowest level to make operational decisions based on data and key findings .

“ Continuous improvement is more ingrained in the culture now ,” explains Krawchyk . “ It ’ s systematized , versus being something that ’ s off on its own . We ’ ve made it part of our annual business cycle .” While Barrick does not disclose the annual savings resulting from these initiatives , Krawchyk says that the cumulative effect over the last several years has been significant .

He goes on to explain the Barrick has developed a four-stage scorecard for various operations to use in a selfevaluation process to improve efforts . According to Krawchyk , “ We ’ ve always said , you ’ ll never achieve or retain Stage 3 [ the top stage ], because the day you think you have achieved it , you ’ ll become complacent and lose that traction . Someone with a mindset that believes he has achieved perfection will never achieve a continuous improvement culture .”

Barrick Gold ’ s implementation of lean principles is ubiquitous in a world of management leadership development . The benefits miners can obtain from lean principles are substantial .

With capital costs creeping up and labor becoming scarcer , these practices can squeeze margins and grow day-to-day operations . The experience of lean manufacturing from other industries suggests there is ample value to be discovered . Applied correctly , they can have serious positive impacts for miners -- just ask Barrick Gold .

13