Taking place from 10-14 September at the Expo Centre in Nasrec, Johannesburg, visitors to this year’s Electra Mining Africa will not only have the potential of engaging with 900+ exhibitors across the inside halls and outside exhibit areas, they will also have the opportunity to attend daily free-to-attend seminars and to book as a delegate for various conferences that will be running alongside the show.
So well received were the newly launched free-to-attend seminars at the last Electra Mining Africa in 2016, it was decided that not only would they be included again at this year’s show, but an even greater number of topics would be included. Hosted by the South African Institution of Mechanical Engineering (SAIMechE), the seminars will be presented by expert speakers and the content will be aligned to the show’s ‘five days, five themes’ topics. Information on latest industry trends will be shared and important industry issues addressed.
“Brand new at Electra Mining Africa this year is that each day will be themed differently,” says Charlene Hefer, event director for Electra Mining Africa. “Our first day will focus on the future of skills development and we are launching a brand new artisans training area in Hall 10. On the second day, the spotlight will be on new product innovation and product launches. And day three is our proudly South African day. On the Thursday, we will put the spotlight on safety and on the last day, Friday, we will celebrate our diversity. For this year’s free-to-attend seminars we have aligned with these themes.”
With skills development the theme for the first day of Electra Mining Africa, many of the free-to-attend seminar speakers will be focusing on topics that talk to skills development, new skills opportunities and the re-skilling of a workforce.
Aubrey Doogan who is the general manager at the SAJ Competency and Training Institute will speak about reducing unemployment and how SAJ accomplishes this by providing quality training relevant to the priorities of the National Skills Authority, private and public sector business needs
An introductory overview of Industry 4.0 in the automation industry and how to make existing plants Industry 4.0 capable will be presented by Rob Burns, area sales manager sub-Saharan Africa at Pepperl+Fuchs.
Talking about the new Mandela Mining Precinct and the revitalising and modernising of South Africa’s mining sector will be Navin Singh, co-director of the Mandela Mining Precinct and Manager for Mining R&D at the CSIR, together with Freddy Muguri, board chair at MEMSA. Delegates will be given insight to this exciting public–private partnership that is looking to ensure the longevity of the South African mining industry.
New product innovation
New product innovation is in the spotlight on day two of Electra Mining Africa and the line-up of the speakers and their respective topics reflect this theme.
Amongst the exciting speakers for the day is Marc van Pelt who is currently Pepperl+Fuchs managing director and sales director for Africa, and regional manager Africa for the FieldComm Group. He is also the task manager on the Industry 4.0 Workgroup for the Society for Automation, Instrumentation Measurement and Control (SAIMC) and the chairman of the Industrial Instrumentation Group (IIG). He will be speaking about SAIMC being at the forefront of the Digital Industrial Revolution in South Africa and how Industry 4.0 will profoundly shape efforts to promote industrial development.
Gokhan Guler, programme manager for mechanised drill and blast non-explosive rock breaking and mechanised drill and blast programmes at Mandela Mining Precinct, will present a paper that outlines global and local developments in mineral extraction with relevance to mining companies, equipment manufacturers and state institutions, and will describe a new attempt to revitalise mining in South Africa.
Unlocking the culture of next generation mining and talking about how technology and innovation is critical to further development, will be Andrew Lane who is a senior partner at Deloitte Africa, where he leads the Energy and Resources practice in Africa, leads the Monitor Deloitte corporate and business unit strategy capability and leads the CEO programme at the Deloitte Executive Institute. He will be providing insight into how companies seeking efficiencies and cost improvement will look at technological advancements to drive success, and he will also explore latest insights driving NPD in mining.
Local is lekker
Wednesday is ‘Local is Lekker’ day and the day will be packed with interesting and thought-provoking seminars. Edwin Ritchken, presently the co-ordinator of the Mining Phakisa, an industry wide collaborative initiative between government, the mining industry, labour and other stakeholders to galvanise growth and technology development in the mining sector, will be presenting insights to South Africa’s Mineral Revolution. The Mineral Revolution is a term used by historians to refer to the rapid industrialisation and economic changes which occurred in South Africa from the 1870s onwards. This talk explores how these discoveries formed and facilitated SA’s economic and social frameworks.
The importance of local manufacturing in southern Africa is the topic that will be presented by Eric Bruggeman, CEO of the South African Capital Equipment Export Council (SACEEC). This presentation will address where we are today, and the impact of foreign influences and what needs to be done. It will also highlight aspects of exporting, training and education, and supply chain management.
Occupational health and safety
The topic of occupational health and safety is of increasing importance, both for office workers as well as those in more physical sectors such as mining and construction. Thursday’s theme day at Electra Mining Africa is centered on safety and this is mirrored by the day’s seminar topics.
Amongst those speaking include Philip Fourie, executive head of Safety and Sustainable Development for Anglo American Kumba Iron ore. His topic is ‘eradicating fatal injuries in mining’ and he will talk about how, over the past few years, the mining industry has been heavily criticised for its apparent inability to avoid fatalities among miners. Yet in some cases, enormous strides have been taken to protect miners.
Talking about selecting the correct workwear protection, will be the topic presented by Bruce Glenday, workwear sales manager at Dromex. His talk will stress that when evaluating the qualities of a workwear suit, industrial safety is the most important criterion. Economic considerations should only be considered when the comparison of like items, that meet the same criteria, are factored into the final decision.
Diversity day
As one of the seminar speakers on the Friday, Gerhard Kuhn, senior economist at the Research and Information Department of the Industrial Development Corporation will be talking about the interface between mining and manufacturing and how, through a greater interface between the two, would not only benefit the two individual sectors but the economy at large.
‘Expanding SA’s energy sector: The pathway to energy efficiency’ is the topic that will be presented by Pierre Marie Maurice, Mining and Cement Industrial Lubricants field and application engineer at Total. Total is the world's 4th ranked oil and gas company and the 2nd largest solar energy operator with sunpower and operations in more than 130 countries and this presentation will outline Total’s commitment to better energy and their energy efficiency campaign.
Conferences alongside Electra Mining Africa
More knowledge and industry insights will be available to delegates as they listen to top industry speakers who will be presenting at the conferences hosted by leading industry associations SAIMM, LEEASA and WIMSA, which will be taking place alongside Electra Mining Africa. Bookings are essential and more information is available at www.electramining.co.za
For further information and online visitor registration, visit www.electramining.co.za
For further information, contact Leigh Miller, marketing manager, Electra Mining Africa, +27 010 003 3060, leighm@specialised.com
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