The process approach in the organization and management of mining enterprises

Abstract

Within the context of reengineering, process structures are described with certain criteria and terms representing the organizational infrastructure of such forms. They include concepts such as suppliers, customers and process owners, as well as recommendations related to structure flattening, decision-making methods and other activities. In mining enterprises and/or plants, two areas are conventionally identified; "management" and "operations". As regards operations, production is inherently process-based, while management is dominated by task-functional aspects. Difficulties in introducing certain elements of process infrastructure, such as quasi-market principles, result from the character of the production process. The most possibly extensive implementation of process structures is advisable because it allows these to be improved also in other areas, and thus leads to increased management efficiency. Based on these premises, we propose a transformation of functional structures into process structures in mining enterprises and discuss their adjustment and improvement potential with respect to the character of activity carried out by the enterprise.