Rio Tinto
Leading refinery performance under pressure
Shift Process Coordinator
- When
- 2010–2012
- Organisation
- Rio Tinto
- Setting
- Gove alumina refinery
- Focus
- Operations and improvement leadership
The mandate
Protect safety while lifting performance
Coordinate a high-value continuous refinery operation across production, utilities and port interfaces while improving throughput, energy efficiency and process stability.
Selected outcomes
Evidence of progress
- $1.1b
- Annual production value coordinated
- 34%
- Record production-rate improvement
- 15%
- Refinery energy-efficiency improvement
- 2.4%
- Production uplift without additional energy
How the work was approached
From intent to operating capability
Keep the whole refinery visible
Shift decisions balanced production, energy, equipment condition, safety and downstream quality across interconnected operations.
Respond calmly to abnormal conditions
During a complete power failure, shutdown and restart priorities were coordinated to prevent injury, environmental impact and equipment damage.
Turn analysis into operating focus
Loss analysis and process data directed teams towards improvements in digestion, heat integration, calcination and solubility control.
Work delivered
What changed in practice
- Coordinated a full refinery shutdown and restart without a safety incident.
- Established a process-engineering and science team focused on data-led improvement.
- Improved bauxite solubility control without increasing energy consumption.
- Supported commissioning of new calcination capability.
Perspective
Operational leadership is most visible when conditions are least predictable. Clear priorities and trusted communication protect both people and performance.