A conference to remember
January 2018
News
At the ninth annual conference of the Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association (MESA) held recently at the Black Eagle conference centre, the theme was manufacturing solutions for the digital revolution: Big MOM, big data, big results. Once again the conference hosted an array of top drawer speakers and delegates who were able to enjoy great networking opportunities as well as keeping up with the latest developments in the field. They were presented with a wide mix of new technologies and new ideas and their practical application in interesting case studies in top companies such as Lonmin, Namibia Breweries, Aerosud and Hulamin. Some examples were the use of digital twinning for proof of concept in an Aerosud project and the deployment of mobile apps and machine learning models to generate an extra R195 000 per annum in revenue on a Lonmin concentrator plant. Sponsors included Esteq, Bytes Technology, Wonderware, Schneider Electric, AM2 Systems, GE, j5 International, GE, iWorx, MES, SAIMC, AdaptIT, OSIsoft and Pimsoft.
From left: Dr Adriana Marais, head of innovation, SAP Africa and adventurer extraordinaire; Kim Roberts, editor, Technews; Daniel Spies, chairman MESA Africa; Hanli Nel, process engineer, DRA; AJ Pelser, head of group MES, Sasol.
The highlight of the conference was the presentation by quantum biology researcher, Dr Adriana Marais, who is on the shortlist to go to Mars on the Mars One project – the adventure of the century. She believes that exploration drives innovation and she had the audience spellbound with her vision of life on Mars and the potential for this project to generate new technologies which could benefit people on earth.
For more information contact Daniel Spies, MESA Africa, +27 (0)83 666 6854, [email protected], www.mesa-africa.org
Further reading:
Schneider Electric to become Official Energy Technology Partner of McLaren Racing
Schneider Electric South Africa
News
Schneider Electric will become the Official Energy Technology Partner of McLaren Racing.
Read more...
Closing the skills gap: how WearCheck training boosts asset reliability
Wearcheck
News
Condition monitoring specialist company, WearCheck is tackling the skills gap head on, offering a wide range of practical, hands-on courses that cover various topics related to condition monitoring and maintenance.
Read more...
Young SA scientists awarded medals at IRIS Global Symposium in India
News
Young local scientists have been awarded gold and silver medals at the recent Initiative for Research and Innovation in STEM global symposium in India, where they displayed their scientific brilliance.
Read more...
60 day reduction in Kriel outage earns Eskom innovation award for Steinmüller Africa
News
Steinmüller Africa’s crane-free rigging solution has shortened the Kriel Unit 6 outage by 60 days, earning the company’s site team the 2025 Eskom Kriel Managers Award for innovation.
Read more...
Buyout model for solar investment
News
Sustainable Power Solutions has introduced a buyout model that converts existing solar and battery systems into immediate capital for South African businesses.
Read more...
Innovation award for Beckhoff’s XTS machine
Beckhoff Automation
News
The Premio Innovazione award has confirmed that Tetra Pak’s Cap Applicator 40 Speed Hyper has achieved a machine solution that pushes the boundaries of conventional packaging lines with a highly dynamic mechatronic solution based on XTS technology from Beckhoff.
Read more...
Vision meets reality at the Africa Automation Indaba
News
At the Africa Automation Indaba 2026, the panel ‘Automation for Africa – Opportunities, Challenges and Next Steps’ will feature a rare, high-level exchange where technology, ethics, entrepreneurship and data-driven reality shape what comes next for the continent.
Read more...
From the editor's desk: A tool not a crutch
Technews Publishing (SA Instrumentation & Control)
News
Every year, the dictionaries try to summarise a year of human behaviour with a single word, the word of the year. You can question the value of this, but it’s quite entertaining. Words are important,
...
Read more...
Timken funds Kids Haven STEM classroom
News
A bright new chapter in digital education has begun at Kids Haven with the official opening of a fully equipped STEM classroom at the Kids Haven Village. This exciting addition was generously donated by Timken South Africa and expertly installed by Breadline Africa.
Read more...
Technology trends that will and won’t shape 2026
News
A whitepaper by ABI Research shows that a clear trend is taking shape, and 2026 is set to be characterised by practical, outcome-driven change.
Read more...
printer friendly version