Last Updated: 31 March 2025

‍

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are essential for tracking mining operations, but too often, they become a check box exercise rather than a tool for real change. Take Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF)—what good is measuring it if there are no actions in place to improve it? If you're already operating a world-class maintenance program—80% scheduled work, low overtime, optimal availability, well-defined failure modes, and effective failure interval planning, i.e., P-F interval planning—this post isn't for you.

But for those still navigating the reliability journey, here’s a question: Are you using KPIs to justify past performance or to drive future improvement?

‍

The KPI Time Sink: Are You Measuring Just to Measure?

Every mining operation spends significant time producing and reviewing KPI reports, but consider:

  • How many hours are spent creating KPI reports?
  • How many hours are spent explaining why the numbers are what they are?
  • How often do meetings sound like this?

If you spend more time explaining KPI results than solving the root causes, your KPIs are just reporting tools—not improvement drivers. And data without action is just noise. With Industry 4.0, IoT, and real-time analytics, mining operations now have more data than ever before. But data without purpose leads to report writing, not results. If KPIs don’t influence decision-making, they’re just numbers on a dashboard. To make them matter, you need to link data to action.

Infographic by Wenco International Mining Systems on transforming mining KPIs into actionable insights. Highlights issues like poor KPI explanations, unclear actions, and ineffective use of IoT data. Emphasizes improving asset health

‍

Transforming KPIs into Action: The Right Questions to Ask

To make KPIs drive meaningful change, ask:

✅ What are our goals? – Cost reduction? Increased uptime? Improved safety?

✅ What is our current state? – Where are we today, and what’s holding us back?

✅ What measurements show improvement? – What KPI changes indicate progress?

✅ What actions do we take to improve? – How do we move the needle?

Rather than just measuring for the sake of it, KPIs should provide actionable insights that drive continuous improvement.

‍

Final Thought: Stop Justifying, Start Improving

Mining maintenance isn’t just about keeping machines running—it’s about delivering value to the business. KPIs should be tied directly to production performance, cost efficiency and risk mitigation. When KPIs align with company's strategic objectives, they shift from being a reporting tool to a decision-making asset. Your KPIs should be a roadmap for progress, not a justification for past performance. Data is power; embrace data, and use it to drive action. Wenco’s Asset Health helps mines turn maintenance KPIs into real operational improvements by unlocking actionable insights to better equipment performance, reliability, availability and lifespan.

‍

Published: 31 March 2025
Last Updated: 31 March 2025

‍