Mining Supplies
Mining Supplies Ltd, of Doncaster
1960 Arthur Snipe set up a business to make machinery for coal mining, especially cutting discs, picks and other ancillary equipment used with the Anderson Shearer Loader, based on his 20+ years experience in the mining industry[1]
1964 Started making forks for loaders.
1965 The company supplied a large proportion of the ancillary equipment used by Anderton Loaders operated by the National Coal Board.
1965 Public company
1967 Profits were much less than expected at time of flotation; the company had started a strategy of moving away from dependence on the National Coal Board as principal customer and was diversifying its products but this was expenses and took time[2]
1970 Was a close company; had established subsidiary Mechforge to handle forge and engineering work for customers outside the mining industry[3]
1974 Subsidiary Mech Cast supplied 70 percent of the castings it made to other operations in the group. Two new subsidiaries were set up Mech Construction and Mech Electric24[4]
1977 The National Coal Board was still the main customer of the company[5]
1980 The company acquired a stake in Laurence, Scott and Electromotors, indicating it was a defensive move to protect key supplies of motors[6]; this led to a takeover[7]. The company had developed a new shearer loader[8].
1982 Rationalisation to tackle losses included sale of subsidiary Agovox[9]
1984 Renamed MS International[10]
1988 Sold the armoured face conveyer business to Dobson Park Industries
1989 Part of MS International[11]