The November technology evening was on the topic of shutdown planning, which was clearly of interest and attracted an audience of over sixty members and visitors to the usual venue at the Durban Country Club. Several members, who had been upgraded, were presented with their certificates by Hennie Prinsloo before the technical presentation began.
Alassandro Macedo, director of Instroworx, gave an informative talk as he took an attentive audience through the sequence of planning, execution and critique of work involved when a process plant has to be to be shut down for maintenance or upgrading.
Pre-shutdown work, essential for developing a successful plan, was the starting point of this presentation where typical activities were demonstrated together with timelines. After answering questions on some of the details, Alassandro moved on through the materials procurement and handling phase, for which the importance of having a multi-disciplinary and experienced team was shown to be critical for a successful outcome.
Next there came the actual shutdown, for which there were key points highlighted as requiring attention, and an example shown of a check list for work execution. Finally he covered post-shutdown activities, noting that there are always learning points throughout the process that could benefit future shutdowns.
Hennie Prinsloo (left) thanks Alassandro Macedo for the presentation.
What of the future for shutdown planning and implementation? A video demonstrated potential to use connectivity between the field workforce and a centralised information system, which can be used to supply data plus loop and hook-up drawings, while tracking actual versus planned progress so that resources can be optimised.
After a final question and answer session, Alassandro was thanked by Hennie who also thanked Instroworx for co-sponsoring the evening. The evening concluded with some lively networking over a meal and drinks.
Interested readers can find an in-depth article on the subject on page 32.
Durban branch
SAIMC
At the Durban branch of the SAIMC held in October, Mitch Naidoo took the attendees on an interesting journey on Asset Health Management: Tracking The Pulse Of Your Plant.
Read more...SAIMC: Durban branch SAIMC
SAIMC
At the Durban branch of the SAIMC held in October, Mitch Naidoo took the attendees on an interesting journey on Asset Health Management: Tracking The Pulse Of Your Plant.
Read more...SAIMC: Johannesburg branch SAIMC
SAIMC
The SAIMC Johannesburg Branch technical evening was hosted by Proconics Advanced Solutions. The topic of the session was ‘Turning Big 3D Data into Actionable Engineering Insights – Challenges and Smart Solutions’.
Read more...SAIMC User Advisory Council Annual Summit 2025 SAIMC
SAIMC
October 2025 marked a pivotal moment for the South African automation and manufacturing community as the SAIMC User Advisory Council hosted its first annual summit under the SAIMC banner.
Read more...SAIMC: Johannesburg
SAIMC
The Johannesburg Branch of the SAIMC hosted a successful Technology Evening on 10 September. The event was well attended and generously sponsored by Phoenix Contact.
Read more...SAIMC: Durban branch SAIMC
SAIMC
At SAIMC Durban’s October Technology Evening, Nico Erasmus delivered a thought-provoking presentation on a topic close to every automation professional’s heart: PLC and Drive Manufacturer Generational Hardware - UpGrades, UpGates or UpRates?
Read more...SAIMC: Johannesburg branch SAIMC
SAIMC
The Johannesburg Branch of the SAIMC hosted a successful Technology Evening on 10 September. The event was well attended and generously sponsored by Phoenix Contact.
Read more...Why ECSA matters SAIMC
SAIMC
I always knew I had to register as a Professional Engineer. Then I opened the registration guidelines.
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.
printer friendly version