ABB services optimise production at copper mine

ABB has won an order for a three-year service agreement from Codelco (Corporacion Nacional del Cobre de Chile), the world's largest copper producer. ABB will maintain and optimise the installed gearless mill drive system and related equipment at Codelco's Andina copper mine in northern Chile.

Codelco is the world's largest copper producer, with an annual production capacity of 1.76 million tons of copper. With this enormous output, any unplanned plant downtime or equipment failure can result in high costs and production losses. Codelco decided to invest in a sustainable service plan by signing a three-year term service agreement with ABB. This will keep production running at an optimal level and to reduce the risk of unscheduled downtime.

Veli-Matti Reinikkala, head of ABB's Process Automation division says: "Customers in all industries are looking at ways to reduce overall life cycle costs and make these costs more predictable, while continuing to improve equipment performance. Our skilled service teams provide our customers with a long-term maintenance strategy that will keep production running efficiently well into the future."

The agreement with Codelco includes life cycle management and scheduled maintenance services, as well as remote diagnostic services for a gearless mill drive (GMD) system supplied by ABB in 2010. Lifecycle management services will help keep the systems running smoothly at all times and maximise their productive life over time by providing upgrades, technical assistance, training and spare parts supply. Proactive preventative maintenance will minimise any potential equipment issues well before any production problems occur, and remote diagnostic services will enable service teams from anywhere in the world to quickly solve any issues via a secure remote connection.

With this comprehensive scope of services, ABB will ensure that the equipment in Andina will operate at the highest possible production and energy efficiency levels. Dedicated ABB expert teams in Chile and Switzerland will manage this service contract.

To find out more about ABB services and products, including gearless mill drive systems, visit the website at www.abb.com.