34th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 34) - Singapore, Singapore - 2026

https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0257

Development of lean maturity in an earthmoving mining project

Kevin Ronceros1, Clever Bendezu2, Marco Aroquipa3, Luis Mio4, Jose Chicoma5, Oscar Miranda6 & Mauricio Neyra7

1Production Engineer, National University of Engineering, Lima, Perú, [email protected], orcid.org/0009-0005-1205-3833
2Site Resident, Tecnomin Data S.A.C, Lima, Perú, Bendezuromeroclever @gmail.com
3Project Engineer, Volcan S.A.C, Lima, Perú, [email protected]
4Civil Engineer, National University of Engineering, Lima, Perú, [email protected], orcid.org/0009-0004-4832-9232
5Civil Engineer, National University of Engineering, Lima, Perú, [email protected]
6Civil Engineer, National University of Engineering, Lima, Perú, [email protected], orcid.org/0000-0002-0949-5295
7MSc Student, Postgraduate Program in Civil Engineering (PPGCI), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil, [email protected], orcid.org/0009-0007-7379-5798

Abstract

Earthmoving projects in mining face persistent challenges to production reliability due to high operational variability, changing constraints, extreme weather conditions, and flow instability. While Lean thinking has demonstrated benefits in other industries, its adoption in mining remains limited and insufficiently documented. This article investigates how a maturity model facilitates the adoption of Lean Construction (LC) while explicitly integrating Operations Science principles into a tailings dam raising project at the Alpamarca Mining Unit in Junin, Perú. The research follows a case study approach and applies a structured five-stage method: (1) defining the adoption challenge and target maturity; (2) diagnosing the current state using the MMDPLC maturity model; (3) establishing realistic evolution targets for the production system; (4) experimenting to achieve the target condition through iterative and structured Kaizen events and flow-centric diagnostics; and (5) reassessing the achieved maturity using the same instrument. After 35 weeks of implementation, most maturity components reached Level 2 (Formal), supported by improved flow stability, clearer value identification, and a systematic reduction in waste. The study provides empirical evidence that maturity models translate operations science principles into operational routines in complex and highly variable mining environments and motivates replication and evaluation in other types of mining projects.

Keywords

Lean construction, maturity model, kaizen, design science, production.

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Reference in APA 7th edition format:

Ronceros, K., Bendezu, C., Aroquipa, M., Mio, L., Chicoma, J., Miranda, O. & Neyra, M.. (2026). Development of lean maturity in an earthmoving mining project. In Hamzeh, F., Poshdar, M., & Garcia-Lopez,, N. P. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 34th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC 34) (pp. 1761–1772). https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0257

Shortened reference for use in IGLC papers:

Ronceros, K., Bendezu, C., Aroquipa, M., Mio, L., Chicoma, J., Miranda, O. & Neyra, M.. (2026). Development of lean maturity in an earthmoving mining project. IGLC34. https://doi.org/10.24928/2026/0257

 

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