Investigating into the effects of planning and scheduling : a case of Anvil mining Congo SA, electrical engineering section.

In any company, the planning and scheduling process is unavoidable. This research
investigated its effects in the electrical section of Anvil Mining Congo SA. In this company,
the focus of planning and scheduling, particularly on equipment, is on preventative
maintenance rather than actions such as repair, replacement, and installation. This research
aimed to evaluate the changes in the performance of the electrical engineering section which
currently lacks the daily planning and scheduling process. The research used a quantitative
approach with observations and desk study as instruments for data collection. The data that was
collected included the duration (time) and the human resources allocated to particular activities.
Data with and without daily planning and scheduling were compared to evaluate the changes
in the section’s performance over a study period of 30 months. After implementing the daily
planning and scheduling process, the total duration to complete works of the analysed activities
was reduced by 44% while the human resources allocated to the activities were reduced by
43%. The efficiency of the section increased from 73% in December 2019 and 83% in
December 2020 to 96% in December 2021. The preventive maintenance backlog reduced from
57% in January 2019, 54% in January 2020 and 59% in April 2021 to 3% in December 2021.
The company’s electrical section is currently implementing a pilot planning and scheduling
process after which a decision will be made on whether to switch to full-scale implementation
or not.
Keywords: Planning; Scheduling; Backlog; Efficiency; Human Resource.