Case Study: Rio Tinto achieves $3M savings by improving information transfer with Oracle Aconex

Rio Tinto saves $3M by improving information transfer across shifts on Holden Mine

Rio Tinto’s Holden Mine Remediation in Washington State is a large CERCLA-classified cleanup (2011–2016) focused on water-quality improvement and long-term land reclamation. The remote Superfund site—with 300+ inches of snow, virtually no wireless coverage, a 350-person team spanning 50 organizations, staggered two-weeks-on/one-week-off shifts, and strict regulatory documentation requirements—created major information-transfer and compliance challenges.

Rio Tinto centralized project communications on the Aconex collaboration platform, using mobile apps and automated workflows with a permanent audit trail to bridge Wi‑Fi gaps and speed access to historical documents. The change delivered instant document access, sub‑30-minute onboarding for new team members, and a 65% reduction in overlap time during rotations, saving US$3 million over four years; additional savings included US$480,000 for remote lead updates, US$450,000 from faster handovers, and US$900,000 from reducing document controller headcount.

Rio Tinto

Luis Hidalgo

Project Construction Manager