Panamanians perform for the first time the Cobre Panama Mill Lining

40 professionals from Colón, Coclé and other provinces were trained for this maintenance task.
Within the mining industry, this activity is considered one of the most important maintenance tasks of a grinding plant.

Panama, July 07, 2023 – A new milestone was recently reached when 100% Panamanian personnel performed the mill relining, a maintenance maneuver that lasts approximately 72 hours and that, until now, was carried out by specialized contractor personnel. Within the mining industry, this activity is considered one of the most important tasks in the maintenance of a grinding plant.

“We are very proud. We have demonstrated, once again, that through a continuous learning process, our employees are expanding their knowledge and acquiring new skills that allow us to continue to successfully operate the first world-class mine in Panama,” said Stephen Tobin, Resource Optimization Manager.

For eleven months, 40 local professionals from Colón, Panama, Los Santos, Veraguas, Coclé, Herrera and Chiriquí learned by working directly with the contractors to carry out this highly demanding task. They were in charge of all the details of planning, logistics and execution of the various tasks involved in this activity.

Antonio Vélez, a Reline mechanic from Penonomé, said: “I was very happy to participate in this project, I felt prepared to face this challenge and I want to continue learning”.

Cobre Panama has invested more than $15 million in training programs, specialized training and knowledge transfer for its employees. The mining company has more than 7,300 employees, more than 90% of whom are Panamanian.