About Us

The Company

Simon Ntsimane - Product implementation

 

Mining Product Developments (Pty) Ltd was founded in 1995 and is wholly owned by Frans Pienaar and Mark Howell. From mining timber, polypropylene bag products to steel products, MPD has been at the forefront of stope support development and design for both deep level seismically active stopes through intermediate depth to shallow mining.

 

Systems are developed through the latest knowledge coming from the South African mining industry, and we believe very strongly in protecting our developments and advances through patent intellectual property.

 

Since our forte lies in the development and design and does not lie with manufacture and marketing, we form alliances with companies that are well based in such areas, and we command a commission on any sales of our designed systems – no sales, no commission – hence our incentive to design good operational and marketable products.

We offer a free back up and technical assistance service for our products sold into the industry by our allies.

Mark Howell

Mark Howell - Director

 

Mark graduated at Leeds University (UK) in 1982 with a BSc (hons) in Mining Engineering. Arriving on the South African shores in 1983, he went through the Goldfields of South Africa Learner Official training course, stoping and developing on Kloof, Libanon, finally working as a Shift Boss on Venterspost Gold Mine. Moving over to Rock Engineering, Mark worked on East Driefontein, Deelkraal and finally back on Kloof Gold Mine as Chief Rock Engineer. Mark left Goldfields for HL&H Mining Timber as a support design engineer in 1990 working at their Product Research and Development Centre in Westonaria with Frans Pienaar. Mark is the holder of a Chamber of Mines Rock Engineering Certificate No. 132 and a Mine Managers Certificate for Metallifferous Mines No. 4342. Mark in a member of both the S.A.I.M.M. and SANIRE.

Frans Pienaar

Frans Pienaar - Director

 

Frans graduated from the University of Pretoria in 1979 with a BSC in Civil Engineering, converting to honours in 1981, following with an M.Eng (Structures) in 1992.
Frans worked for the NTRI (National Timber Research Institute CSIR) from 1979 to 1987 where he became head of the Timber Engineering, after which Frans joined HL&H Mining Timber where he worked as Research and Development Manager, heading up the R&D facility in Westonaria.

 

Frans and Mark started Mining Product Developments in March 1995. Frans in a member of both the S.A.I.M.M. and SANIRE.

 

Lindy Pienaar

Lindy Pienaar - Director