A Decomposition-Based Heuristic for Collaborative Scheduling in a Network of Open-Pit Mines: Computational Results

This document presents material supplementary to our companion paper A Decomposition-Based Heuristic for Collaborative Scheduling in a Network of Open-Pit Mines. In this companion paper, we consider the short-term production scheduling problem for a network of multiple open-pit mines and ports. Ore produced at each mine is transported by rail to a set of ports and blended into signature products for shipping. Consistency in the grade and quality of production over time is critical for customer satisfaction, while the maximal production of blended products is required to maximise profit. In practice, short-term schedules are formed independently at each mine, tasked with achieving the grade and quality targets outlined in a medium-term plan. However, due to the dynamics of the mining environment, such targets may not be feasible in the short-term. We have presented a decomposition-based heuristic for this short-term scheduling problem in which the grade and quality goals assigned to each mine are collaboratively adapted – ensuring the satisfaction of blending constraints at each port, and exploiting opportunities to maximise production in the network that would otherwise be missed. This document presents an evaluation of our decomposition-based heuristic in a real-world open-pit network, the data for which has been provided by an industry partner.