New Model for the Integrated Production Scheduling and Preventive Maintenance Programming Problem in an Open-Pit Iron Ore Mine: A Case Study

This paper addresses the integrated production scheduling and preventive maintenance programming problem (IPSPMP) in an open-pit iron ore mine, located in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. This problem consists of determining the quantities produced of each product, as well as the preventive maintenance schedule. In other words, it can be seen as a combination of the lot sizing problem and the preventive maintenance scheduling problem. To deal with this problem, a new mixed-integer linear programming model (MILP) is proposed. The MILP was implemented in a solver, and the results were compared with the maintenance planning generated with the current method of the company. The planning generated, promptly, through the proposed model obtained an average gain of 3% in the final product mass in a real operating scenario, compared to the company’s current method. Considering the production horizon of 1 month, this gain is equivalent to half a day of production.