CIM

Tony Eltringham

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2012

CIM Distinguished Lecturers

George A. (Tony) Eltringham graduated with a Natural Sciences degree from the University of Cambridge in 1968. He began his career in copper smelting on the Zambia Copperbelt, working at what was then the largest copper smelter in the world. After spending 15 years working in smelters and a concentrator with Kennecott and Phelps Dodge, he joined Magma Copper Company as director of R&D and became vice president of planning and later director of smelting and refining for Magma Metals.

When Magma was acquired by BHP Billiton in 1996, Eltringham became vice president of technology for the copper sector. He also began internal consulting that lasted for 13 years, including a term as general manager with the Hot Briquetted Iron plant in Australia. The portfolio of challenges expanded from processing back into open pit and underground mining as well as mineral acquisitions.

In less occupied periods, Eltringham created and taught critical thinking courses to all graduates joining BHP Billiton across four continents, totalling over 2,000 participants. He also become a Six Sigma Black Belt and led the Six Sigma deployment across Base Metals in his role as vice president, operating excellence.

Eltringham retired in 2009, but still continued to be very much involved in projects in mining and smelting as well as railway and port operations in Australia. He has served in section chairman positions for SME-AIME in Arizona and New Mexico and also served as chairman of Copper/Cobre 99 representing TMS-AIME . He is also a member of IoM3 and CIM.

Distinguished Lecturer 2012-13

Lecture Abstract

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Four decades, Four Continents, Four Copper Operations – a Personal Perspective on Constraints

The last forty years are reviewed using four different copper operations, on four continents, as examples of the changes in thinking approaches the industry has developed. prioritization of effort and resources is a skill that has developed continuously and necessarily at an ever increasing rate.

The copper smelting procedures of Zambian Copperbelt (Africa), Kennecott Mine (North America), Escondida Mine(South America) and Olympic Dam mining centre (Oceania) will be explained and compared to demonstrate how technology, luck, shrewd business acumen and a vision can produce outstanding results and be a great source of learning about the “game” of mining.