Dr Herman Aguirre-Jofre
PhD in Minerals and Mining
Mining Engineer
I hold a Ph.D. in Mining and Minerals from the Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter, and a degree in Mining Engineering from the University of Santiago de Chile. Currently, I am the Manager of Productivity at Finning, a Mining Lecturer at the Universidad del Desarrollo, and an Honorary Lecturer at the Camborne School of Mines.
With 12 years of experience, I have previously held leadership roles as CEO of KMO Fleet UK, Director of MiningiDEAS in Spain, and Director of APRON in Chile. My career has focused on capital raising, business model development, and company establishment across Europe and South America. Additionally, my engineering background includes extensive experience in operational management, cost control, and due diligence analysis within the mining industry.
In charge of productivity analysis for Finning clients, with the aim of supporting them in achieving full capacity utilization of the CAT fleet.
My department is divided into three areas:
Monitoring and analysing the performance of Caterpillar's Ultra-Class Trucks with the aim of improving variables such as availability and operational time, thereby increasing the benefits realised by our clients.
Some responsibilities include:
Management and execution of contracts with large-scale mining companies in different countries in LATAM and Europe. Some of the activities have included: conducting engineering studies for underground mines, developing monitoring platforms for government entities, conducting geological potential studies for exploration companies, and market analysis for private enterprises.
I possess comprehensive knowledge in operational management, enabling me to develop precise data analysis skills for effective decision-making processes. Throughout my experience, I have been actively involved in large-scale projects focused on KPI digitalization for both companies and public institutions. Additionally, I have played a significant role in conducting essential due diligence analyses for mine acquisitions.
I have gained extensive experience working with various mining methods, including block caving, sublevel stoping, open-pits, and quarries, both in Europe and South America.
KMO-Fleet is an innovative mining technology company specialising in the optimisation of mobile mining fleets. The system has been developed to work independently of extensive WiFi networks and complicated communication infrastructure.
The course called Group Design Project aims to help students put into practice all the knowledge gained during their time at the university, combining technical and economical skills. Surface and underground mining projects are explained in depth.
I was a member of the Camborne School of Mines Research Group, a dedicated team focused on developing innovative technology trends for the mining industry. Specifically, my work revolved around exploring underlying technologies such as IoT and sensors to monitor and optimise mining fleets. My research primarily focuses on utilising advanced data analytics tools to enhance productivity in mining operations.
Science Direct: Low-cost internet of things (IoT) for monitoring and optimising mining small-scale trucks and surface mining shovels.
Entrepreneurial Researcher Leadership, 2021.
During my tenure at this company, I acquired valuable experience in operational management and data analysis, with a strong focus on providing decision-making support. Furthermore, I expanded my expertise in digitalizing operational processes and gained significant knowledge through my involvement in the due diligence analysis for the acquisition of Punitaqui Mine from Glencore plc to Xiana Mining.
The responsibilities of the position involved overseeing operations at two underground mines, an open pit mine, the mineral processing plant, tailing dumps, and the company's laboratory.
The Camborne School of Mines extended an invitation to present a class on the key aspects of the Chilean mining industry. During my week-long visit, I had the opportunity to learn about the ongoing research conducted by several lecturers aimed at enhancing mining efficiency.
When I received the invitation to serve as a lecturer at Universidad del Desarrollo, I assumed responsibility for teaching the following courses: Material Handling, Project Design (Open Pit), Project Design (Block Caving), and Technology for Managing Mining Companies. Notably, Universidad del Desarrollo had a crucial partnership with Queen's University of Canada, fostering collaborative research initiatives.
Responsible for:
Integrated Remote Operation Centre (iROC): Its objective is to control the company's budget and monitor mine production. The centre identifies deviations, estimates results, and provides the best operational recommendations. Its main activity is collecting data to inform achievements to all executives and workers within the organization.
Operational Excellence: Utilizing the Lean Manufacturing methodology, its objective is to define economic value in the company, eliminate waste, and improve company revenue.
Main achievements: