“Transitioning to integrated operations here at Bartow has been a way for us to rethink the way we do work,” says Chip Mills, Integrated Operations Center Manager – Bartow. “We’ve clarified roles and responsibilities, streamlined the flow of information and improved processes – all of which has helped us remove silos and increase knowledge sharing and collaboration across the site.”  

Bartow’s new Integrated Operations Center (IOC), which opened in June 2022, is the first for Mosaic’s phosphate manufacturing operations. Designed by the Bartow team, the IOC and supporting processes help operations, maintenance and engineering employees work together to optimize production, planning and resources across the site. 

Improved access to real-time information and the ability to quickly connect with others improves the quality and speed of decision-making. “Being together in one physical space and working together from one playbook makes it easier to identify and address issues as soon as they emerge,” explains Mills. “An employee in one area can hear what’s going on in another, alter plans as necessary, and make a good business decision immediately without having to wait for a meeting.” 

Building on Our Success  

Learnings from Bartow are now being used by the Riverview team to integrate their operations at the site level. Employee workshops are underway to define how roles and responsibilities will change with the IOC and determine the design of the IOC. The team expects to have their new IOC up and running in 2024. 

In phosphate mining, employees coordinate planning and leverage resources across operations in Central Florida. Pits, pumps and other mining equipment are remotely monitored, managed and operated from the safety and comfort of an IOC that opened at our FishHawk office in 2020. An organizational structure is now in place that is helping create synergies, break down silos and create consistency in how we operate.  

In potash, operations for our Esterhazy facility – including the machines that mine potash ore underground and the conveyance system that transports it to the surface for processing – are monitored and run from a pilot IOC on the surface. Construction of a new IOC is underway, designed with input from employees using learnings from the Esterhazy pilot and other IOCs around the business. The new IOC is expected to open later this year.  

Input from employees is being used to design new processes, systems and workspaces to support Integrated Operations across our North America Business. The Esterhazy team recently participated in a series of workshops that included activities and ideation sessions to find opportunities that will identify and eliminate production losses.

One Team, One Plan 

 We have successfully established two cutting-edge Integrated Operations Centers in the last three years and are currently working on two more at our Esterhazy and Riverview facilities. But as explained by Chris Hagemo, Sr. Director, Digital Strategy – the true value lies in what happens within these centers, rather than the centers themselves. “It’s easy to recognize each other based on our work location or department, but we must keep in mind that we are all part of the same team with shared objectives,” says Hagemo. “Integrated Operations means these objectives are visible to everyone and our strategies and plans are coordinated to achieve them. By utilizing common data to track progress and make necessary changes, we ensure we stay on track to accomplish our goals.”
 

Looking Ahead  

As we move forward, our goal is to continue to improve our tools, processes, and culture. “We have already made significant progress in transitioning from the ‘crawl’ phase to the ‘walk’ phase,” explains Hagemo. “We are excited to integrate the experience and ideas from our operations in Brazil, and to begin using demonstrated results to guide the next steps for our Integrated Operations strategy. Looking ahead to 2024, we are confident that the global processes, tools, and data from Mosaic’s Global Digital Acceleration will serve to further elevate and accelerate our progress. It’s an exciting time for our company, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds.”