Gazza Steyn

Managed the delivery of short-and-medium-term operational schedules and rolling operational plans, incl. the optimisation of mining and exploration activities. One direct report.
► Also managed delivery of daily reports and chairing/scribing at daily operations meetings.
► I also delivered weekly and monthly three-month-forecasts to operational teams.
► Projects – Optimised the short-term scheduling process to improve stakeholder engagement. Also redeveloped Excel spreadsheets for scheduling and production, drill and blast, development, and backfilling dashboards and integrated these into the Datamine software and a Microsoft Access database (ProdFX).

Career break.

As an engineer with previous operational supervisory experience, I accepted an assignment as a Vacuum Drilling Supervisor to commission grade control drilling operations for two drill rigs with four direct reports. During this time, I also served as a Certified Trainer and Assessor while developing training tools and facilitating training and assessing operator competence.
► Responsible for Geological Vacuum Drilling operations across the Worsley operations.
► Commissioned operations, established training programs, and assessed competencies.
► More than doubled first season drilling targets, surpassing goals with an excellent safety record.

In charge of medium-term (2-year budget) and short-term (3-month forecasts) schedules, including a stacking and reclaiming plan. Employed RPM Global’s OPMS, HAULSIM, & XACT.
► Projects – Developed an automated stacking and reclaiming planning process in Microsoft Excel linked to PLC switch locations in a Sequel Server Database.
► Established RPM Global’s OPMS (Open Pit Metals Solution) and HAULSIM.

Managed the fulltime delivery of short-and-medium-term mine designs and schedules, drill and blast plans, budgets, waste management plan, traffic management plan, and survey activities.
► Also served five months rotating as Acting Mine Manager and Production Superintendent.
► Projects – Developed and implemented a short-term planning and compliance control process, a blasting consumables database, and a waste dump and site traffic management plan.

Managed the quality delivery of short-term stope and development designs from four engineers at a Sublevel Stoping operation, incl. administering a medium-and-long-term design database.
► Project – Realised value and project managed an underground workshop conversion into a fresh air base during firing times that returned an NPV of AU$138M.

I led a Survey team and managed the delivery of short-and-medium-term mine designs, schedules, forecasts, drill and blast plans, compliance, risk and quality controls, monthly reconciliations, administration of contractors and consultants, and deliverables for ground control, tailings, and water management plans, incl. project management activities while also relieving direct reports. Four direct reports in a short, and medium-term planner, and two surveyors, excl. the consultants.
► Project – Developed and implemented plan compliance controls and completed a Six Sigma and Lean Green Belt project to increase directly fed ore and reduce rehandling costs. Also sourced a best-fit pit-to-port short-term planning solution (XACT) for the site.

Managed the establishment and upkeep of mine planning processes and systems for an underground Board-and-Pillar and Open Pit with four direct reports. I also managed resource optimisation, strategic planning, mine design, modelling, and scheduling. Reported to MRM Mngr.
► Project – Justified and commissioned in-house Mine Planning Departments for two mines, incl. selecting and implementing the scheduling software, developing new mining models, and recruiting and training personnel. This project realised a saving of ZAR_8M/year.

Served as a Production Supervisor for 3 years and 6 months, Short-Term Planner for 1 year and 6 months, Automation Control Room Supervisor for 1 year and 6 months, and Acting Construction, Production, Shaft and Ground Handling (Crushing and Conveying) Superintendent for 5 months.

Served as a Production Supervisor for 6.5 years, while also completing studies in Mining Engineering. My duties included functioning as a Certificated Stoping, Development and Logistics Miner with a Shotfirer and Shaftsman Certificate.
► Managed teams up to 130 people as a Production Supervisor for 4 years.
► Project – Identified and executed a solution that returned a production section to full production, by increasing ledging operations to expedite unlocking face lengths for stoping.