SAIMC: Durban Branch

February 2021 SAIMC

The branch held its annual general meeting via Zoom on 27 January. Secretary, John Owen-Ellis, welcomed everybody and gave a brief review of 2020 which, with the death of branch general manager Hennie Prinsloo added to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, was something of an ‘annus horribilis’.

The branch was unable to hold any technology evenings, site visits, training or social activities, but did manage a few virtual technology meetings – something that will be pursued more vigorously in 2021.

Kevin McElroy presented the annual accounts which were accepted. The new branch management team, which had been elected electronically beforehand, was then confirmed and welcomed as follows:

• Jane van der Spuy.

• John Owen- Ellis.

• Kevin McElroy.

• Howard Lister.

• Dean Trattles.

• Luckmore Penduka.

• Busani Sibindi.

John welcomed Dean Trattles back into the fold and confirmed that he had kindly taken on the leadership role and would be the new branch general manager for 2021. John Owen-Ellis would remain as branch secretary and Kevin McElroy as financial manager. The branch intends to retain the practice of co-opting other members to the branch management team, which has worked well in the past. The co-opted members will be invited and duties finalised at the first committee meeting of the year.

Further reading:

SAIMC: From the office of the COO
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The recognition of mechatronics and computer engineering has created both an opportunity and a responsibility. Recognition means little without participation, professional registration without professional conduct, and technical knowledge without the mentorship, implementation and measurable value that industry needs.

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SAIMC: Johannesburg branch
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Hendrik Spies of SICK Automation Southern Africa presented at the SAIMC Johannesburg Technology Evening on 12 August 2026, covering the digital journey from condition monitoring to predictive maintenance.

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SAIMC: Johannesburg branch: Distilled to perfection: Women’s Month gin experience
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The SAIMC Johannesburg branch celebrated Ladies Month with a gin tasting event.

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SAIMC: Durban branch
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The SAIMC Durban branch hosted S’yabonga Langa, systems performance engineer at eThekwini Electricity, who presented on applying substation automation to improve operational efficiency and service quality in modern power distribution networks.

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SAIMC INSPIRE conference extends abstract submission deadline
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Following requests from our sponsors, the SAIMC INSPIRE conference has officially extended the abstract submission deadline to 28 August 2026.

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SAIMC: From the office of the COO
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Recognising practical engineering talent is a missing link in the South Africa’s skills pipeline.

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SAIMC: Durban Technology Evening
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The SAIMC Durban branch hosted a Technology Evening on mobile machine automation.

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SAIMC: Eastern Cape branch
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The SAIMC Eastern Cape Branch co-hosted a satellite viewing site for ICRA 2026 at Nelson Mandela University, giving postgraduate students, academics and local industry professionals access to premier international robotics and automation keynote sessions.

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SAIMC: Johannesburg Technology Evening
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The SAIMC Johannesburg Branch July Technology Evening, hosted by WIKA Instruments, covered key level measurement technologies and featured live product demonstrations from area sales manager Anthony Terblanche.

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International robotics conference streams live to Africa
SAIMC
The SAIMC hosted five live-stream viewing events across South Africa for the IEEE International Conference of Robotics and Automation in Vienna, bringing global robotics research and technology directly to local industry and academia.

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