PKM’s Chevron Five Star lubrication championship team at the waste oil handling facility.

Phu Bia Mining continues to excel in Chevrons ‘Best in Class’ lubrication standards

Phu Bia Mining (PBM) is proud to announce that both its Phu Kham Copper-Gold and Ban Houayxai Gold-Silver Operations have again achieved “Chevron’s Best in Class Five Star rating” for Reliability-Focused Lubrication (RFL) practices.
This marks the fourth consecutive audit in which both operations have received this elite recognition.
A Chevron Assessment Team from Thailand inspected the Phu Kham (PKM) and Ban Houayxai (BHX) Fixed Plant Maintenance workshops and lubrication facilities throughout March, auditing the reliability-focused lubrication standards and practices at both operations.
In this year’s assessment, the Fixed Plant Maintenance (FPM) lubrication teams at Phu Kham achieved an outstanding 100 percent score, only just beating Ban Houayxai’s score of 98 percent. Both are excellent achievements, ranking higher than other similar industry standards assessed by Chevron globally.
PBM has undertaken Chevron’s lubrication assessment since 2015. In 2019, both Phu Kham and Ban Houayxai achieved their first five-star rating, scoring 95 percent and 97.6 percent, a standard that has improved year-on-year, but was suspended during the Covid-19 years. 

BHX’s Chevron Five  Star Lubrication championship team  seen with the new oil dispensing equipment.

Undertaken as part of Chevron’s Customer’s Value Guarantee commitment, Phu Bia Mining annually undergoes these assessments to ensure best lubrication practices are being followed, and any new improvement opportunities are identified and acted on.
Excellent lubrication practices are one of the key principles for achieving the exceptional availability statistics the firm enjoys at both PKM and BHX sites.
Mr Paul Krans, Superintendent Asset Management, Process Operations, explained, “The Best in Class assessment compares our current practices with international practices and ensures that we are continually improving. Critical areas assessed at both mine sites include the workshop lube storage and disposal facilities, oil analysis, crusher, conveyors, grinding mills, agitator drives, water pumps and any newly commissioned equipment freshly arrived on site.”
He added, “These excellent results show both PBM Fixed Plant Maintenance teams continue to achieve the highest lubrication management and handling standards, a target for the rest of the world to follow.”

By Advertorial Desk
 (Latest Update April 7, 2025)