News


The Road to the Indaba: Pieter Geldenhuys on smart manufacturing, IIoT and Africa’s digital future

March 2026 News


Pieter Geldenhuys.

As African industry navigates the realities of Industry 4.0, digitalisation and smart manufacturing, few experts are as adept at connecting emerging technology trends with practical industrial application as Pieter Geldenhuys. In this edition of The Road to the Indaba, the spotlight turns to one of South Africa’s leading futurists and technology strategists, and a key contributor to the Africa Automation Indaba 2026.

Geldenhuys is widely recognised for his work in technological foresight, innovation strategy and digital transformation across manufacturing and industrial sectors. Through his leadership at the Institute for Technology Strategy and Innovation, Pieter has advised corporations, utilities, and public sector institutions on how to anticipate disruption, assess readiness, and implement technologies that deliver long-term value. His strength lies in demystifying complex concepts such as IIoT, digital twins and smart factories, translating them into actionable insights for industry professionals.

Geldenhuys will deliver the keynote ‘Smart Manufacturing, IIoT and Digitalisation – Is Africa Ready?’ at the Africa Automation Indaba 2026. This session will examine Africa’s preparedness for Industry 4.0, exploring the technological, skills, and infrastructure requirements needed to build digital factories of the future. Importantly, he will challenge delegates to consider not only what is technically possible, but what is practical and scalable within Africa’s unique industrial context. His contribution will help manufacturers and automation specialists understand how to adopt connected technologies incrementally, responsibly and with clear business outcomes.

Geldenhuys’ participation adds critical foresight and strategic clarity to the Indaba programme. By bridging global technology trends with African operational realities, he equips decision makers to move beyond experimentation toward execution. His insights ensure that conversations around digitalisation are grounded in readiness, return on investment and long-term competitiveness, making his sessions highly relevant for engineers, plant managers, system integrators and technology suppliers alike.

As The Road to the Indaba continues, Geldenhuys’ contribution underscores a central message: Africa’s automation future will not be defined by how fast it adopts technology, but by how wisely it integrates smart manufacturing and IIoT into its industrial ecosystems.

Seats are limited – secure your place at Africa Automation Indaba 2026

Africa Automation Indaba brings together senior industry leaders, policymakers, investors and technology innovators shaping the future of automation across the continent. With a highly curated programme and limited capacity, delegate seats are strictly limited.

At R6500 excl. VAT, your registration gives you access to two days of executive-level insights, strategic networking and future-focused industry dialogue in a premium environment. Demand is already strong and seats are allocated on a first-come basis. Once capacity is reached, registrations will close.

Don’t delay, secure your place now and be part of the conversation shaping Africa’s industrial future.

Click here to register.

For more information contact Hanli Goncalves, RX Africa, +27 82 601 4339, hanli.goncalves1@rxglobal.com, www.rxglobal.com


Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

SICK earns Great Place To Work certification
News
Sensor specialist SICK South Africa has been awarded Great Place to Work certification recognising the positive working environment and strong workplace culture it has developed.

Read more...
Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation chooses finalists
News
The Royal Academy of Engineering has shortlisted 16 innovators for the 2026 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation. This is the continent’s largest prize dedicated to stimulating, celebrating and rewarding engineering innovation and entrepreneurship across sub-Saharan Africa.

Read more...
From the Editor's desk: The AI paradox
Technews Publishing (SA Instrumentation & Control) News
AI has only been around in everyday life for a couple of years, but it’s resulted in a huge need for data storage and processing. The race to plug it into everything means that data centres are being ...

Read more...
BMG supports rising racing motorsport star
Bearing Man Group t/a BMG News
Backed by BMG and Liqui Moly, young South African racing driver, Karabo Malemela delivered a standout 2025 season in the BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series, competing as part of the Pablo Clark Racing Motorsport Development Programme.

Read more...
Iritron Achieves Level 1 B-BBEE Status
Iritron News
Iritron has achieved Level 1 B-BBEE Contributor status, up from Level 2 previously. This prestigious verification underscores Iritron’s unwavering commitment to transformation, inclusivity and sustainable empowerment in South Africa.

Read more...
RS South Africa celebrates three local university winners
RS South Africa News
RS South Africa, is celebrating the success of local student engineering teams following the announcement of the Formula Student Build Fund 2026 winners. The global initiative, led by RS, supports student teams around the world as they transform ambitious engineering concepts into fully functional Formula Student race cars.

Read more...
RS South Africa aligns with global shift towards sustainable packaging
RS South Africa News
RS South Africa is aligning with a global drive to reduce plastic waste as part of the Plastic Out programme led by the RS Group. The initiative aims to reduce emissions, minimise waste, and transform packaging across its international operations and value chain.

Read more...
Why sustainability is engineering’s greatest value driver
RS South Africa News
Each year, World Engineering Day recognises the engineers and problem solvers shaping a more resilient, sustainable world. This reflects a broader redefinition of what effective engineering leadership looks like in a rapidly changing world.

Read more...
The Road to the Indaba: Alderman James Vos on public sector leadership
RX Africa News
The Road to the Indaba welcomes Alderman James Vos, mayoral committee member for economic growth at the City of Cape Town. His participation highlights the important role of public sector leadership in enabling industrial investment.

Read more...
DEKRA Industrial RSA rebrands as Raysonics Industrial
News
DEKRA Industrial RSA has announced the sale of its South African operations to Raysonics Investment, a consortium of highly experienced South African non-destructive testing (NDT) and industrial inspection professionals.

Read more...









While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved