To keep the construction of Rio Tinto’s most technologically advanced mine on track, Laing O’Rourke reengineered a modularised program to introduce outstanding efficiencies.

To keep the construction of Rio Tinto’s most technologically advanced mine on track, Laing O’Rourke reengineered a modularised program to introduce outstanding efficiencies. 

The first phase of Rio Tinto’s Gudai-Darri project, a $3.5 billion iron ore mine in the shire of East Pilbara, was heavily impacted by design delays which caused a six-month interruption to project.

The challenges

The Laing O’Rourke project team, collaborating across four states and two countries, to deliver the structural, mechanical and piping (SMP) works for the new mine, identified an opportunity to help the client get back on track.

Originally meant to mobilise in April 2020, Laing O’Rourke commenced works in September 2020, embarking on the challenge to deliver all SMP works, including engineering, procurement, fabrication, surface treatment, transport to site, on-site handling, installation and construction verification. All this occured at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The solution

The key to reducing the construction period lay in re-engineering Laing O’Rourke’s original modularisation, Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) and fabrication strategy. 

The original strategy was iteratively developed to reduce construction risk while maintaining efficient shipping. The program acceleration meant this strategy was adjusted to accommodate much larger steel modules, simplify logistics and reduce the number of on-site crane lifts required. Modularisation dramatically reduced construction hours. 

Part of the project’s success stemmed from our purposeful digital focus. The benefits of digital included:

• Digital engineering: Building the plant three times – virtually, in the factory, and onsite, providing Worley and Rio Tinto absolute delivery certainty
• Education: The digital team trained 150+ project team members to be self-reliant and work with the digital model as a single source of operational truth
• Smart modularisation: Applying constructability expertise and working with fabrication and logistics partners to optimise off-site manufacturing, to achieve substantial program and safety benefits
• Smart logistics: Working with local and international supply chains to ensure materials are supplied at the right rates, in the right order, and handled as few times as possible

• Smart data management: All stakeholders had access to real-time digital project dashboards that measure performance against all KPIs, as well as information important to the overall Gudai-Darri project, such as flights, accommodation, interface milestones and local and Indigenous participation