Students of the Magadan region proposed the introduction of lean manufacturing in the mining industry

The qualifying stage of the Student League of the XII season of the International Engineering Championship "CASE-IN" took place on the basis of Northeastern State University. 

Over the past 11 years, more than 300 SVSU students have participated in the prestigious event.  This time, five teams competed for the title of the best. The 2024 Championship is dedicated to the theme of "Lean Manufacturing". The teams of participants defended cases in the Mining field for a limited time before the experts. The main task was to find ways to reduce costs during tunneling operations at one of the diamond mines. It is noteworthy that the case was developed solely for educational purposes, but using data from a real deposit and production indicators.

It is believed that the principles and methods of Lean manufacturing have been "in fashion" over the past decades. But they have not lost their relevance to this day, because they allow not only to increase business efficiency, but also contribute to improving management processes, as well as help to flexibly respond to changes in the external environment. All this is especially important during the high turbulence in the global economy. It is valuable that future mining specialists studying at the Magadan University have sensitively caught the trend and reflected its nuances in their work. 

All the teams coped with the tasks with dignity. According to the results of the expert evaluation, the places were distributed as follows: the HORIZON team took 3rd place; the Minecraft team took silver; the second-year Power Rangers team became the gold winner of the stage.

The future surveyors were engaged in three tasks: Denis Kayun — the economic component; Alexander Pekhotsky — the analysis, and was responsible for the search and structuring of information; Peter Khrapkov, the captain of the team, organized all areas and solved issues related to technology. By the way, last year the guys took the 3rd place. 

"In solving the case, we tried to eliminate the human factor in production as much as possible, using full automation during sinking operations," says team captain Peter Khrapkov. — In fact, we replaced all the "old" Sandvik equipment with a newer one, modified the composition for drilling and blasting operations in order to better simulate an explosion and at the same time maximize safety. Our team positions the main principle that: safety at the mine is the most important thing. Our proposed modification of explosives leads to a certain increase in the cost of sinking operations, but, in our opinion, human life is more expensive."

The winning team believes that participating in such events develops analytical thinking and helps to gain some experience that may be useful in real production in the future. 

Yulia Kugartseva, a 4th-year student of Surveying, also has experience of participating in the "CASE-IN". Last year, the Minecraft team made it to the semifinals. This year she became the silver medalist.

"For me, the Championship is an opportunity to express myself. As a native Kolyma woman, I plan to stay and work in my native places, which are connected with the whole life of my family," Yulia admits. 

Another member of the Minecraft team is Ilya Golubev, a 5th year student at Mining Machinery and Equipment. When making the presentation, Ilya took on the issues of upgrading local ventilation fans. Inquisitive students suggested changing the ventilation system in the mine from a pressure to a suction one, improving the design of standard fans, upgrading the propeller, thereby increasing aerodynamics, and using a mount for equipment made of a more durable material with corrosion resistance.

"I have already completed an internship at one of the Kolyma enterprises, but additional competencies and the manifestation of my intellectual abilities at the stage of the CASE-IN championship can help me establish myself as a future specialist who can bring additional benefits to the mining industry," says Ilya. 

This view is completely justified – over the years, the CASE-IN championship has become a reliable platform not only for career guidance and youth development, but also a starting point in building a career trajectory. Which is more than relevant for university graduates. Such a social elevator allows participants to express themselves more confidently and enter the professional engineering community.

Every year, employees of the Magadan branch of Polymetal act as experts at an authoritative event for future industrialists. Roman Suchilin, the chief specialist in underground works of the production and technical department of the branch, tried himself in this role for the first time. It was exciting for him to visit the university again, which he graduated from almost 20 years ago. According to Roman, participation in the qualifying stage provides an opportunity to meet active and promising students who have every chance of applying for employment in the company.  

"I watched the guys with interest, with what zeal and burning eyes they presented their presentations, which had solutions to real production problems. It's clear that they were preparing," says Roman Suchilin. - All the teams performed very well and adequately answered additional questions from the experts. In my time, one could only dream of such championships. This is the level of not just students, but young professionals. I think, having such a base, they will easily join the team of miners and the mining industry."

A source