SAIMC


SAIMC: Cape Town branch

October 2021 SAIMC

Last month’s technology evening was hosted online and presented by Jaco Markwat and Leonard Smit of Element 8. The theme ‘Where’s my data?’ related to improving communication between different organisational components and departments.

Jaco Markwat, the founder and managing director, spent 15 years at an industrial software distributor leading the sales and marketing team. He is passionate about building communities and strives to deliver intuitive technologies to the industry.


Jaco Markwat.

Leonard Smit is currently the customer success and support manager at Element 8. He boasts experience in MIS/MES solutions and guiding client’s data requirements to actionable KPI information. He is responsible for delivering excellent customer experiences and tries to implement technology to its full potential.

Jaco and Lenard started the presentation by providing a brief overview of what technologies are relevant today. They stressed that most operational data is not in a form that can easily be accessed by IT systems or used in the enterprises’ reporting software. This is complicated by proprietary protocols, different data formats and the fact that most of the information is useless and out of context. They explained how many of these problems can be resolved by implementing a Unified Name Space and by using open modular systems to improve communication. These concepts improve the quality of data and transform it into information before conveying it to other systems.


Leonard Smit.

The presentation included a live demonstration showing how a Unified Name Space can be implemented. The demonstration used a combination of MQQT, with the Ignition software. They demonstrated how they changed ‘dumb’ data into ‘intelligent’ information by including meta data with the signals. This allows other users easy access to the information and existing values do not have to be re-entered. The demonstration showcased the advantages described in the presentation by putting them into a real-world example. It showed that with little planning, information can easily be captured into a reporting tool.

This presentation was highly relevant and a pleasure to watch. The branch thanks Jaco, Leonard and Element 8 for making the event possible.


Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

From the office of the CEO
SAIMC SAIMC
When South Africa clinched victory in the Rugby World Cup for the fourth time, the nation collectively rejoiced. However, amidst this optimism lies a pertinent question: is South Africa truly a land of hope, or is it merely a fool’s paradise?

Read more...
SAIMC: Johannesburg branch
SAIMC SAIMC
The local Johannesburg Branch of the SAIMC hosted a technology evening at the Bryanston Sports Club on 13 March 2024. It was sponsored by Phoenix Contact and the technical presentation covered the full gambit of industrial wireless technology in the automation field.

Read more...
SAIMC: Durban Branch
SAIMC SAIMC
The SAIMC Durban technology meeting in March drew a record attendance, with an old friend of the SAIMC, Gary Friend presenting on the very topical subject of ‘Risks, rewards, advantages and disadvantages of new technologies and the impact of legislation’.

Read more...
SAIMC: Secunda Branch
SAIMC SAIMC
The SAIMC Secunda branch held its monthly Technology Evening on 6 March 2024 at the Proconics, Secunda office. Sagadevan Kanniappen from WIKA presented on Thermowell stress calculations as per ASME PTC 19.3.

Read more...
SAIMC: From the office of the CEO
SAIMC SAIMC
The manufacturing industry is facing some challenges due to automation and outsourcing, but there are still opportunities in advanced manufacturing, such as 3D printing and robotics. It’s essential to stay updated on the latest trends and technologies in the industry to remain competitive.

Read more...
SAIMC:Johannesburg branch
SAIMC SAIMC
The annual general meeting of the SAIMC Johannesburg branch was held on 7 February 2024 at the Northcliff Country Club.

Read more...
SAIMC: Durban branch
SAIMC SAIMC
The Durban branch of the SAIMC held its annual general meeting at the Premier Splendid Inn in Pinetown on 24 January 2024

Read more...
SAIMC: Secunda Branch
SAIMC SAIMC
The SAIMC Secunda branch held its annual general meeting on 17 January.

Read more...
Reminiscences of a life in control
Michael Brown Control Engineering SAIMC
Reminiscences from Michael Brown on a long and rich journey in the world of automation together with SAIMC.

Read more...
SAIMC: From the office of the CEO: Cavemen to Chatbots
SAIMC
This month, we have a contribution to our Cavemen to Chatbots challenge. The idea is to reminisce on where our industry came from, and where it is headed.

Read more...