Festo Didactic is a leader in both basic and advanced training in industry. Keeping the productivity of customer top of mind is achieved through continually adding new technologies to the list of subjects and by updating the courses available to the local market. Some of the latest courses from Didactic include robotics and the PLC programming software, CoDeSys.
“The use of robotics is increasing as more companies automate their production lines, from pick and place systems to high-speed applications,” explains Festo Didactic manager, Horst Weinert. “As global sponsors of the Worldskills disciplines, Mechatronics and Mobile Robotics, we have considerable experience in bringing this technology to students. The Worldskills competitions make use of the Festo Robotino, a mobile robot system that participants need to program in order to complete a number of set tasks; and the MPS Modular Production Systems, with stationery six-axis industrial robots. To support this technology locally, we decided to include robotics in our 2014 training portfolio.”
“Furthermore, with the growth of embedded and PC-controlled industrial automation applications, we believe that it is becoming increasingly important to teach different programming languages. We have therefore chosen to add a CoDeSys course to our range as this is tried and tested international software, independent of any specific hardware platform.”
CoDeSys is developed by 3S-Smart Software Solutions in Germany. It is a leading, hardware-independent, IEC 61131-3 development system under Microsoft Windows for programming and creating controller and HMI applications. The software is used across a number of industries and includes factory, process, energy and embedded automation amongst others. “The broad range of applications for this software, together with the fact that Festo PLCs are compatible, made it an obvious choice for us to include in our training offering,” says Weinert.
As part of the promotional activities around the CoDeSys course, each participant is given a free Festo CoDeSys PLC Starterkit, including power supply and software so that they can practise what they have learnt and grow confident in their skills.
Reinstatement opportunity for ECSA registration
News
In 2023 the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) announced a special opportunity for engineers in South Africa to reinstate their registration status if it had been cancelled. This exclusive offer is available until the end of August 2024.
Read more...A strategic milestone for Conical Technologies Conical Technologies
News
Conical Technologies has been appointed as the sole distributor in southern Africa for Mibbo, manufacturers of a vast array of products for the automation industry.
Read more...Robotics TechTalk at UKZN
News
The Scientific Multidisciplinary Advanced Research Technology Lab at the University of KwaZulu-Natal recently held an exciting TechTalk. It was an opportunity to introduce students to the IEEE Robotics and Automation chapter, SAIMC, and the Robotics Association of South Africa.
Read more...Schneider Electric honoured with Gender Leader Award Schneider Electric South Africa
News
Schneider Electric has been awarded the Gender Leader Award at this year’s Africa CEO Forum. This award acknowledges those organisations operating in Africa that have shown a significant and continuous commitment to gender diversity and inclusion.
Read more...Africa Automation Technology Fair 2025 closes on a high note
News
The Africa Automation Technology Fair 2025 officially wrapped up after three dynamic days at Gallagher Convention Centre, cementing its status as Africa’s leading platform for industrial automation, AI and IoT.
Read more...A new generation of solar professionals
News
A new generation of solar professionals is rising in Cape Town. The second cohort of the Solar Youth Project has just completed an intensive eight-week training course and is ready to take on the next stage, 10 months of work experience.
Read more...From the editor's desk: The age of superintelligence Technews Publishing (SA Instrumentation & Control)
News
In this issue of SA Instrumentation & Control we say farewell to our longstanding contributing editor, Michael Brown, who is retiring soon. His outstanding contribution over the years in the field of ...
Read more...Driving digital transformation in the new wave SAIMC Supplier Advisory Council
News
The latest presentation in the series ‘Knowledge Sharing 4 Industry’ will be held on Wednesday 25 June. It will be presented by Johan Potgieter, Cluster Industrial Software Leader for Schneider Electric, South Africa.