Founded in 1996 by Paul Saker, MineWare Consulting offers software solutions tailored to the dynamic and growing mining industry. Initially, MineWare provided support and software to the gold sector at mines such as Gold Fields and at Harmony Gold mining company. However, recent developments and growth have seen us expanding into the platinum sectors as well. As a result, we now boast a range of clients including Northam and Anglo Platinum.
Customised software for the mining industry
Most of the MineWare team have direct mining experience from various disciplines across the mining sector. By combining this experience with information technology and business expertise, they provide the perfect knowledge base with which to develop any mining-related software application.
MineWare not only develops customised software, but adapts and redesigns a client’s current products to ensure seamless integration of the system and easy understanding for operators. It is this flexibility that has brought the company success in South Africa’s mining industry.
Web-based mine software
Since its founding, the company has consistently concentrated on research and development as a long-term strategy in order to stay up to date with national and international trends in the mining sector. In recent years, and with continued expansion, MineWare has invested time and resources in retraining and re-skilling its labour force, as well as investing in new technology.
MineWare software has moved away from the old Delphi platforms that served the industry in earlier years, with its various limitations. Now, all new software is written in platforms that allow remote web-based access. This not only allows the company to remotely monitor systems, but also allows clients to access relevant information remotely when not on-site, giving them greater access, control and freedom of movement.
Paul Saker, MD of MineWare Consulting, says: "Our aim is to provide a tool that enables management to do their jobs more effectively, by giving them direct access to relevant information. We design software that puts control back into the hands of the appropriate personnel."
Integrated, tailor-made mining software
MineWare provides many different off-the-shelf products that can be altered to suit any client’s needs. Software includes the bonus management system, as well as a centralised production management system (CPM).
A package can be engineered to suit every client’s individual requirements, such as integration with other popular systems (i.e. SAP, CADSmine, time and attendance systems (T&A) and Solit). MineWare’s core activity is providing products that fit a client’s precise needs by tailoring its software. As requirements change, MineWare integrates changes seamlessly to ensure no time is lost on having to re-train personnel on new systems.
MineWare has also recently been collaborating with other vendors, and making use of telemetry in gathering relevant information for its data systems. The use of such monitoring mechanisms allows programs to track raw data and pull it directly into the software, thus eliminating the factor of human error when entering information.
MineWare is in the process of consolidating and building on the growth that it has been experiencing in the past two years. With a full complement of new and highly skilled staff, and the prospect of broadening its position in new markets, MineWare is in a position to offer the best service to its client base.
"In an ever-changing world, the only certainty is that clients’ requirements will change and grow on a day-to-day basis. It is our ability to change our systems continuously whilst maintaining their integrity that has allowed MineWare to grow and prosper," says Paul Saker, MD.