The August virtual technology evening was hosted by Eric Carter of turboTRAIN on the subject ‘Instrumentation fault finding: why it is problematic and what can be done about it’.
During the presentation Eric outlined some of the knowledge deficiencies prevalent amongst instrumentation staff, especially the younger ones. He highlighted how these gaps can range from Ohm’s Law, through to understanding of thermocouples, lack of measuring ability, especially when it comes to current, through to ignorance regarding output devices.
He went on to highlight how staff need to be able to grasp the bigger picture; how to dive into the details from there and how training, including the use of graphic illustrations in the form of posters, can help to rectify the problems.
From there, he discussed the need to develop people, and to get the most from their capabilities. He also delved into the need for greater communication with the HR department, particularly when it comes to recruitment.
At the start of his presentation, Eric stressed that it would be about conventional I/O, but that a future presentation could do something similar with fieldbus devices. Of course, this could be extended to control systems and loop understanding. Hopefully, this will also spark some thought about the training systems we put in place for our people.
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.
Read more...SAIMC: From the office of the COO: Enabling AI-ready manufacturing in South Africa SAIMC
SAIMC
Last month, I wrote about the ethical use of AI in our daily lives. This month, I want to explore two concepts, backed by different architectures and technologies, that can assist our manufacturing facilities to exponentially increase the pace of their digital transformation.
Read more...SAIMC: Johannesburg branch SAIMC
SAIMC
The SAIMC Johannesburg branch hosted its June Technology Evening at the Bryanston Sports Club, where attendees explored a topic beyond the usual scope of process automation.
Read more...SAIMC: Zambia branch
SAIMC
SAIMC Zambia recently facilitated an industrial visit to the Zamefa Cable Manufacturing Company in Luanshya for twenty automation students from Sinozam. The visit gave students valuable exposure to the advanced technology used in copper and aluminium cable production.
Read more...SAIMC: Durban branch SAIMC
SAIMC
The August technology meeting was jointly presented by Pusetso Sentle and Suvern Moodley on the subject of ‘Universal Automation: Open, Flexible and Vendor-Agnostic Industrial Control’, and drew a record attendance.
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