EI, Grootgeluk Coal Mine move to electronic knowledge management

Specialist document and knowledge management company Engineering Informatics (EI) recently completed the first phase of an implementation of a SAP DMS (document management system) at the Grootegeluk Coal Mine. The DMS project was executed by EI in partnership with IT company AST.

Grootegeluk Coal Mine is the largest open-pit mine in SA. The majority of the coal produced by the mine is supplied to Eskom`s adjacent Matimba power station. The balance is received by Iscor Steel or is exported via Richards Bay.

Grootegeluk Coal Mine used to fall under the Iscor umbrella, but now forms part of the Kumba Resources Group.

The DMS implementation on the mine marks an increasing drive in South African industry to harness the power of document and knowledge management technologies, now that operationally focused ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems have been effectively implemented by most major players.

The benefits inherent in effective document and knowledge management systems are significant, with enhanced workflow processes and access to (and use of) company knowledge translating directly into reductions in operating costs.

The Grootegeluk Mine typifies the new wave of electronic business in its move away from paper-based systems, and towards fully electronic processes that manage all company documents.

The Inet Mainframe System, which is currently used to manage drawings and other technical documentation at Grootgeluk, will be discontinued at the end of June 2003, as a result of the mine`s split from Iscor. This has compelled the Grootegeluk Drawing Office to implement a new DMS in order to manage its engineering drawings and technical documents electronically.

"The drawing office needed to implement a DMS that would effectively manage all of the mine`s engineering drawings," says Neels Gouws, Grootegeluk Drawing Office Manager. "We were already running the SAP software at the mine, so it made sense to look at implementing the DMS module of SAP, which is where EI came in."

The first phase of the project included the integration of procedures currently followed at the Grootegeluk drawing office into SAP, based on standard SAP DMS R/3 3.1 functionality. Engineering change management (ECM) was also utilised throughout the project, focusing on the effective DMS management in the drawing office.

"The move allows users to view the drawings electronically, via the SAP system. This is a major shift away from the current process, where interested parties have to visit the drawing office and locate the physical document," says Gouws. "Now users can access documentation and drawings electronically, from any location."

The Grootegeluk DMS will cater to a total of 80 users, and the ECM training underpinning the project has focused on drawing office staff as well as general users. ECM training is critical to effective document and knowledge management implementations, and is the only way a company will realise the potential fiscal benefits of going fully electronic. Natural resistance to change means that staff have to be motivated and educated as to how and why to use the new system, from the beginning of the project.

"Drawing office staff have undergone advanced training on the system, revolving around the creation and management of documents on the system," says Gouws. "Users on the mine itself have undergone significant training as well, but with a focus on accessing and viewing drawings."

Included in the first phase of the Grootegeluk implementation was the migration of all of the drawing index records from the Inet Mainframe system into the SAP DMS. The migration process included the cleaning of data, and object links to functional locations and material masters were also created.

Key business benefits resulting from the implementation include:

* A mine-wide view of released (up to date) drawings.

* Easy access to drawings from linked functional locations and material masters.

* Reduced access time to drawing information.

* Access to released drawings 24 hours a day.

"At this stage in the transition, drawing office staff are the only ones to release drawings onto the system," says Gouws. "The second phase will focus on allowing the engineers themselves to finalise and release drawings into the system, and will also look at adding additional functionality.

"EI completed a similar project for the Sishen Iron Ore Mine," Gouws adds. "Sishen is the benchmark site that Grootegeluk was using as an operational model, and this was the reason we decided to partner with EI for the DMS implementation."

The first phase of the Grootegeluk DMS implementation kicked off on 10 February 2003, and concluded on 15 April. The second phase of the implementation will be launched in the forthcoming year.