Earlier this year, the North American Engineering and Reliability organizations of Freeport-McMoRan hosted EnSu25. This event brought together industry leaders, engineers, and reliability experts from across the continent with a shared objective: to exchange best practices, foster strong inter-site relationships, and drive actionable commitments for measurable improvements.
The summit's agenda was meticulously crafted to cover key areas of focus, including project development, professional development, maintenance reliability, and support teams. These topics were chosen to ensure that every participant could gain valuable insights and practical knowledge to apply in their respective roles.
Project Development sessions highlighted innovative approaches on previous projects, providing attendees with fresh perspectives on managing and executing their own jobs. The emphasis was on success in execution, the use of technology and systems, core fundamentals, and chasing the value. These elements were crucial in enhancing project outcomes and efficiency.
In the realm of Professional Development, topics that were covered included recruiting, onboarding with the MinED program created in Morenci, retention, and development.
Maintenance Reliability was another critical focus area, with discussions centered on optimizing maintenance practices to improve equipment reliability and reduce downtime. Key topics included Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA), maintenance pillars, and success in outages. Experts shared their experiences and strategies for implementing effective reliability programs, emphasizing the importance of proactive maintenance and data-driven decision-making.
Support Teams also played a vital role in the summit, with dedicated sessions that underscored their contributions to the overall success of engineering and reliability initiatives. These sessions focused on operational readiness, operational excellence, corporate initiatives, and site-specific goals. The aim was to strengthen the collaboration between engineering and support teams, ensuring seamless integration and support across all projects.
A highlight of the summit was the attendance of Kathleen Quirk, CEO of Freeport-McMoRan, who delivered a passionate speech about the vital role this group plays in the company's future. She emphasized the importance of speaking up if you have a question, or suggestion that move the needle in operations.
The summit concluded with breakout sessions where participants were given time to sit with various engineers from across the organization to talk what the day-to-day struggles were and what they planned to do when everyone returned to their sites. This collective pledge underscored the spirit of collaboration and continuous improvement that defined the event.
Overall, Engineering Summit 2025 was a resounding success, leaving attendees inspired and equipped with the insights needed to propel their organizations forward. The relationships forged and the knowledge shared during this event will undoubtedly contribute to a stronger, more cohesive engineering community across North America.
