Improvement and Acceleration of Rebuild and Conversion Process for ore Wagon at Grasberg Block Cave Mine PT Freeport Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46799/adv.v4i9.661Keywords:
Capacity Planning, Ore Wagon, Rebuild and Conversion Process, Wet MuckAbstract
The transition to wet muck-dominated production at PT Freeport Indonesia’s Grasberg Block Cave mine requires reliable conversion of dry-model ore wagons into wet-model units; however, delays in transportation and workshop activities have constrained production output. This study aimed to identify the root causes of inefficiencies across the Underground–Highland–Lowland logistics route and the rebuild station, as well as to formulate measures capable of sustaining a conversion rate of two wagons per week. A mixed-method approach was employed, combining field observations, project progress records, and a focus group discussion involving five stakeholder representatives. Fishbone analysis was used to examine logistics-related delays, while the Current Reality Tree was applied to identify workshop bottlenecks. Eleven alternatives were evaluated using Kepner–Tregoe Decision Analysis and Potential Problem Analysis. The findings revealed several constraints, including limited lowboy availability, access queues, coordination gaps, restricted workshop space, shared labor resources, wheelset queues, unsuitable tools, inaccurate rubber component dimensions, and paint damage risks. The use of Flat Rack Container transportation, exclusion of wheelsets from the main rebuild quotation, and separate quotations for decoupler fabrication emerged as priority short-term solutions. Five cumulative capacity improvement levers were projected to reduce the average cycle time from 23.84 to 14–15 days per wagon and increase sustainable output from approximately 2.5 to eight wagons per month. These measures provide a roadmap for meeting conversion demand before wet muck becomes the dominant production condition.
References
Alam, M. K. (2021). A systematic qualitative case study: questions, data collection, NVivo analysis and saturation. Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management: An International Journal, 16(1), 1–31.
Clark, P., Cowhey, I., Etzioni, O., Khot, T., Sabharwal, A., Schoenick, C., & Tafjord, O. (2018). Think you have solved question answering? try arc, the ai2 reasoning challenge. ArXiv Preprint ArXiv:1803.05457.
Clarke, N., & Jakubec, J. (2026). Backfilling with filtered tailings above an active cave mine: a conceptual study. Caving 2026: Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Block and Sublevel Caving, 1–16.
Hajer, M., & Versteeg, W. (2019). Imagining the post-fossil city: why is it so difficult to think of new possible worlds? Territory, Politics, Governance, 7(2), 122–134.
Idris, M. F. M., Saad, N. H., Yahaya, M. I., Shuib, A., Mohamed, W. M. W., & Amin, A. N. M. (2022). Cost of Rolling Stock Maintenance in Urban Railway Operation: Literature Review and Direction. Pertanika Journal of Science & Technology, 30(2), 1045.
Iglesias-Pradas, S., Hernández-García, Á., Chaparro-Peláez, J., & Prieto, J. L. (2021). Emergency remote teaching and students’ academic performance in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic: A case study. Computers in Human Behavior, 119, 106713.
Islam, M. S. (2015). Role of maintenance management of rolling stock in bangladesh railway: a study to assess effectiveness and efficiency. BRAC University.
Kans, M., & Ingwald, A. (2023). Service-based business models in the Swedish railway industry. Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering, 29(5), 68–87.
Kumari, J., Karim, R., Thaduri, A., & Castano, M. (2022). Augmented asset management in railways–Issues and challenges in rolling stock. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit, 236(7), 850–862.
Lalang, M. P. C. (2024). Improving tactical and strategic cave-pit interaction subsidence forecasting through performance monitoring. University of British Columbia.
Lara, F., Brannon, C., Hariyadi, A., Castro, M., & Gillman, J. (2020). Grasberg block cave mine rail project update–PT Freeport Indonesia. MassMin 2020: Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference & Exhibition on Mass Mining, 619–632.
Mukwakungu, S. C., Sibeko, Z., & Mbohwa, C. (2019). The effectiveness of rolling stock maintenance on quality assurance at the largest south african rail company. 2019 IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management (IEEM), 416–420.
Nguz Tshisens, J., Moss, A., Sullivan, M., Yuniar, A., Casten, T., & Zimmer, C. (2022). Organising for the successful management of complex underground caving mines. Caving 2022: Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Block and Sublevel Caving, 81–94.
Niu, X., Zhe, Y., Sun, H., Hou, K., & Jiang, J. (2023). Study on the effect of ore-drawing shear factor on underground debris flow in the Block Caving method. Water, 15(20), 3563.
Panjaitan, F., Hall, A., & Pasek, I. M. (2024). Mass excavation optimization of 603 crusher complex for Grasberg block cave mine. MassMin 2024: Proceedings of the 9th International Conference & Exhibition on Mass Mining, 62–73.
Pollard, M., & Buckley, T. (2025). Transition tax incentive: reforming fuel tax credits into a decarbonisation tailwind.
Rubio Esquivel, E., & Fuentes Bustamante, M. (2026). Managing complexity and risk in large-scale mining developments: strategies for successful operations. Caving 2026: Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Block and Sublevel Caving, 1–19.
Rumbewas, J. M., & Adhiutama, A. (2019). Cycle Development Process Improvement In Extraction Level On Production Plan Underground Grasberg Block Cave (GBC) At PT. Freeport Indonesia. Ensains Journal, 2(1), 1–10.
Siregar, S. D. (2023). Implementation of Maintenance Strategy and Asset Health Monitoring on Underground GBC Production Loader. ITB Digilib.
Walding, N. (2025). The influence of moisture on pyroclastic density current dynamics and deposits: implications for understanding volcanic stratigraphy.
Walding, N., Williams, R., Rowley, P., & Dowey, N. (2023). Cohesional behaviours in pyroclastic material and the implications for deposit architecture. Bulletin of Volcanology, 85(11), 67.
