As South Africa’s economy evolves, industries are under increasing pressure to improve operational efficiency and cut costs. Telemetry is becoming a vital component of industrial strategy, allowing companies to harness real-time data to optimise processes and reduce waste.
One company leading this technological shift is Interlynx. As the demand for smarter industrial solutions grows, the company has positioned itself as a leading provider of cutting-edge telemetry systems in southern Africa. It achieves this by specialising in solutions that cater to the specific needs of local industries, using the latest advancements in IIoT and data analytics.
Advanced technology for a competitive edge
For more than three decades, Interlynx, formerly known as SSE, has built a reputation for technical excellence, innovation and reliability in the southern African industrial landscape. With an installation base of more than 25 000 telemetry and IIoT stations across the region, the company is known not only as a pioneer of telemetry, but also as a trusted partner to municipalities, utilities, mining houses and industrial players requiring robust, long-term solutions.
Founded as SSE in 1994 by Gert Bezuidenhout, the company began with a bold vision to create telemetry, and communication systems tailored to the realities of southern Africa, rather than relying on imported systems that were often ill-suited to local conditions. What began as a small operation quickly grew into a respected national enterprise, earning credibility for its technical expertise and reliability.
In March 2023, following a strategic unbundling and restructuring, the company rebranded as Interlynx-SA, with a renewed focus on becoming not ‘just a systems integrator’, but also the region’s most trusted telemetry product provider, backed by in-depth engineering expertise. This repositioning allowed it to broaden its portfolio while retaining its hallmark focus on rugged, engineered reliability.
Technical excellence, innovation and reliability
Interlynx operates from its headquarters in Centurion, supported by a network of carefully selected system integrators across southern Africa. The company is lean with a dedicated team of 23 professionals, many of whom have been with the organisation for more than 25 years.
They bring with them deep technical knowledge, much of it based on the design of military-grade equipment. Most of the company engineers developed their expertise in the military and aerospace industries, environments renowned for highly reliable systems. Their expertise directly shapes product development and service delivery, ensuring solutions that are robust and reliable, even under the most challenging conditions. This concentration of experience forms the backbone of the company’s strength.
A holistic approach to industrial solutions
Interlynx defines itself not as a ‘box mover’, but as an engineering-driven solutions partner. While its business model has shifted toward products, the emphasis remains on supporting system design, integration and lifecycle service. The company carefully chooses its portfolio to balance breadth with technical depth, ensuring that every offering is specialised and interoperable.
Testing for industrial strength
The Interlynx culture has always prioritised ruggedness, reliability and performance under extreme conditions. This has influenced every aspect of the company’s approach, from product design and selection to testing and qualification. New designs undergo exhaustive MIL-SPEC processes that include electromagnetic interference (EMI) testing, high/low temperature validation, shock and vibration resilience, and beta field testing in live customer applications. The result is a suite of products and solutions that stand up to the unique environmental and operational challenges of southern Africa, from remote desert installations to dense urban infrastructure networks.
Reliable hardware and advanced software
By changing its business model, Interlynx has diversified its industrial product offering. Utilising the deep technical knowledge of its engineers, it sources top industrial products from around the world. This carefully selected range is both comprehensive and specialised. The current portfolio typically consists of the following:
• Industrial telemetry RTUs: The locally developed Maestro Telemetry RTU remains a flagship product, complemented by advanced Brodersen RTUs from Denmark.
• Wireless data communications: Industrial radios from GE Vernova (Orbit platform) provide secure, high-reliability connectivity for critical infrastructure.
• Battery-powered loggers: Rugged, user-programmable devices from Senquip (Australia) extend data acquisition into remote or off-grid environments.
• Scada solutions: Both proprietary and partner-developed web-based scada systems, including WIBICC (Romania), designed for cloud integration and remote management.
• Industrial IoT: A wide range of gateways, routers and rugged Ethernet I/O devices from BLIoT, supporting MQTT, Modbus and 4G/5G communications.
• Industrial networking: Heavy-duty switches, routers and media converters from ATOP (Taiwan), designed for high resilience in harsh plant conditions.
• Instrumentation: Comprehensive sensor and measurement systems for water, electrical and process industries.
By offering both proprietary innovations and international best-in-class products, Interlynx ensures clients receive solutions that are technically robust, cost-effective and future-ready.
A diverse client base
This portfolio allows Interlynx to serve diverse markets, including water, wastewater and electrical utilities; mining and mineral processing; oil, gas and renewable energy; manufacturing; food and beverage processing; and transportation and logistics. Clients range from national utilities and large municipalities to major industrial players including Sasol Gas, Transnet Freight Rail, Anglo Platinum, Exxaro Coal and Afrox.
A network of trusted integrators
With its rapid expansion into the southern African market, Interlynx realised that effective support systems were crucial. As a result, it has appointed a network of handpicked systems integrators throughout the region. This not only extends its reach, but also ensures that end users receive well-integrated and professional locally-supported solutions.
Telemetry and beyond
While telemetry remains Interlynx’s core strength, the company is steadily expanding into related areas, aligning itself with global IoT-enabled automation trends.
Cloud-based scada solutions, for example, allow utilities and industries to monitor and control assets remotely, with real-time analytics enabling predictive maintenance, energy optimisation and improved resource allocation. By combining rugged edge devices with cloud integration, Interlynx helps clients modernise legacy systems while reducing operating costs.
Its IoT gateways and MQTT-enabled devices enable seamless communication across heterogeneous systems, a critical step for industries migrating towards Unified Namespace (UNS) architectures and event-driven data flows. Similarly, its rugged industrial networking solutions are enabling the secure, high-speed communications required for modern scada and IoT architectures.
By bridging the gap between legacy infrastructure and next-generation digital systems, Interlynx has positioned itself as both a technology enabler and a strategic partner for industrial digital transformation.
Integrity, reliability and long-term commitment
At its core, Interlynx is guided by uncompromising values. Integrity, honesty and accountability are non-negotiables, as is zero tolerance for unethical practices. Internally, its culture emphasises mutual respect, technical excellence and accountability. These principles are evident in client relationships and team dynamics. This people-centric culture is complemented by continuous training and knowledge transfer, both within the company and through its system integrator network. In this way, Interlynx builds not only products and solutions, but also the human expertise required to sustain them.
Research, development and the road ahead
Whilst its products and services are world-class, Interlynx has managed to remain highly cost competitive. Its model of combining imported best-in-class technologies with locally engineered solutions ensures both affordability and fitness for purpose. Interlynx strongly believes in continually expanding and upgrading its offerings, not only to keep up with technology, but also to keep abreast of clients’ needs.
Interlynx’s long-term success is built on a willingness to invest in R&D.; Whether through refining its proprietary Maestro RTU range or adopting new IIoT and communication technologies, the company is committed to aligning innovations with client needs. Looking ahead, the company sees opportunities in renewable energy, distributed water management and data-driven manufacturing, where robust telemetry and IIoT solutions will be essential to building sustainable, efficient operations.
A South African company with a global outlook
With a track record of over 30 years, a network of over 25 000 installations and a team steeped in military-grade engineering expertise, Interlynx has established itself as a cornerstone of southern Africa’s industrial technology sector. With a reputation built on product and service excellence, the company is committed to solving industrial challenges with locally designed, high-performance solutions, staying true to its roots while moving towards a more connected and automated environment. As founder and managing director, Gert Bezuidenhout continues to lead the company into its next stage, the pioneering spirit that defined its birth in 1994 has not changed. Interlynx stands today as a proudly South African company with a global outlook, committed to building a more connected, automated and resilient industrial future.
For more information contact Gert Bezuidenhout, Interlynx-SA,
| Tel: | +27 12 663 4331 |
| Fax: | +27 12 663 4335 |
| Email: | [email protected] |
| www: | www.interlynx.co.za |
| Articles: | More information and articles about Interlynx-SA |
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