The SAIMC Durban Branch closed off its 2025 technology meetings with an exceptionally well-attended November session at the Premier Splendid Inn, where members engaged enthusiastically with the topic and posed numerous questions throughout the presentation.
The insightful talk focused on the critical considerations involved in selecting and applying signal transducers, an often overlooked, yet essential, aspect of field cabinet and remote panel design. The topics covered included the choice between active and passive devices, input versus output loop-powered configurations, and how signal type and transmission distance can impact performance between field instruments and control cabinets. Delegates also gained valuable insight into the wide variety of transducers available from different OEMs, each tailored to specific industrial environments and applications.
The session was presented by Kevin Preston, group manager of IMA & IE at Phoenix Contact South Africa, who oversees the Interface, I/O, Networks and IMA product ranges. With extensive experience in industrial electronics and automation, Kevin is frequently invited to contribute to industry discussions and knowledge-sharing platforms, and his expertise ensured an engaging and informative session for all attendees.
The November meeting was a fitting conclusion to a successful year of knowledge sharing, highlighting the SAIMC’s ongoing commitment to keeping its members informed about emerging technologies and best-practice engineering principles. The Durban branch would like to thank Phoenix Contact for their kind sponsorship of the evening.
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SAIMC branch manager, Mfanasibili Nkonyane thanking Kevin Preston for his presentation.
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