The branch held its first virtual technology meeting of the year on 10 February, where John de Castro (a long-time friend of the Durban SAIMC) gave us some insight into his experiences working abroad. The attendance was good and the presentation was very interactive with plenty of feedback from another expat currently working in Saudi Arabia.
John de Castro braving the sub-zero temperatures in Kazakhstan.
John has been fortunate to have worked in the People’s Republic of China, Singapore, Malaysia, Angola, and more recently, the Republic of Kazakhstan. Paired with interesting and delightful photographs, John took us through each of his tours of duty, highlighting the tourist attractions (and food), the extreme and sometimes challenging weather conditions, as well as the more mundane office environments, and we even got to ‘meet’ some of his foreign colleagues along the way. One of the highlights for John was the cultural differences and it was great to see how expat workers are included in cultural festivities, weddings and the like, which of course adds so much value to any experience like this.
From the point of view of seeing the world, this was certainly the ‘glitz and glamour’ side of expat working, but we got to see some of the downside as well, like the constant waits in airports, economy class travel on extra-long flights, lost baggage, and of course, missing out on so much family time. One of the take-aways from this presentation was with all the different package options on offer, we were urged to ‘read the small print’ and ensure we are up to speed on matters of tax.
Entertaining and interesting, John’s presentation was a great way to kick-start the year and the branch thanks him for taking the time to speak to us.
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