News


Engineering students to explore the food and ­beverage industry in 2015

February 2015 News

Now that the 2014 PneuDrive Challenge Engineering Design Competition has been concluded, SEW-Eurodrive and Pneumax, co-sponsors of the competition, have announced that students will need to design a ‘Game Changer’ for the food and beverage industry in 2015.

DTI statistics for commodities associated with the food and beverage industry report that the industry was valued at more than R132 billion in 2013. It is also an industry that the South African government has identified as one of the top three priority areas for creating jobs, with a plan to see the creation of 145 000 jobs in agro-processing by 2020. Through challenging young mechanical, electronic and mechatronic engineering students to design applications which improve productivity in ways that benefit the bottom line, the sponsors have created a valuable platform to bring academic potential and the real needs of businesses in this industry closer together.

Game changers needed

Food and beverage companies are under pressure worldwide. Small, medium and large businesses in this constantly changing and competitive industry face a myriad of essentially unpredictable challenges. Adverse weather conditions, legislation changes, rising commodity prices, higher transportation costs and consumers becoming increasingly conscious of what they purchase are a few to mention.

Large companies have more resources and better access to capital to address challenges. However, it is the small-to-medium size processors and manufacturers that have to proactively find solutions to these pressures if they want to maintain or grow market share. Such businesses, which often lack easy access to finance, need to unlock potential growth opportunities by implementing efficient and well-managed systems. It is here where innovative ideas from talented engineering students could play an important role.

Technology + innovative engineering + talent = growth potential

The importance of offering students access to the latest drive and pneumatic technology, and how these can be used practically in industry, cannot be stressed enough. With the rollout of the competition to universities around the country at the beginning of each year, the sponsors typically find that students have very limited, if no knowledge at all, about the latest technology that is available. This suggests a serious gap in student understanding of how the technology can be used to improve business and manufacturing processes.

Started in 2008, the PneuDrive Challenge has proven itself as a successful model that can accelerate the introduction of young engineers to the technology. In 2015, the competition organisers will be on the lookout for talented young engineers brave enough to think out of the box, and with the potential to design applications that could make a significant impact in the food and beverage industry. Roadshows, technology workshops and coaching interventions throughout the year will aim to introduce, support and nurture students so that they can take a step into industry with confidence.

The winners of the competition will receive a 10-day, all expenses paid trip to Germany and Italy where they will have an opportunity to present their designs to the head offices of the sponsor companies. SEW-Eurodrive and Pneumax also offer more than R300 000 worth of equipment to competing universities to ensure that future students are afforded the opportunity to experiment with the latest in drive engineering and pneumatic technology.

For more information contact Rene Rose, SEW-Eurodrive, +27 (0)11 248 7000, [email protected], www.sew.co.za or Nicci Solomons, Set Point Group, +27 (0)11 923 7000, [email protected], www.pneumax.co.za



Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Palabora Mining Company and LH Marthinusen launch robotics and coding initiative
News
In a joint effort to advance education and digital skills development in Phalaborwa, Palabora Mining Company (PMC) and LH Marthinusen (LHM) have partnered to establish a fully equipped robotics and coding classroom at a local high school.

Read more...
A new era for African engineering
News
A group of mostly South African engineering professionals who bought a controlling margin of the South African arm of Netherlands-based engineering consultancy Royal HaskoningDHV have rebranded it as Atana.

Read more...
SEW-EURODRIVE builds regional strength with Gqeberha expansion
News
With the Eastern Cape firmly established as a hub for key industries such as automotive manufacturing, ports, agriprocessing and renewable energy, SEW-EURODRIVE is strengthening its presence in the region through an ongoing significant expansion of its facility in Gqeberha.

Read more...
Functional safety explained
News
The SAIMC supports Pepperl+Fuchs, a National Member, in a free four-part online seminar series focused on Functional Safety.

Read more...
The Future of manufacturing in Africa
News
The future and development of African manufacturing will be discussed extensively at the upcoming Manufacturing Indaba conference, to be hosted on 15 to 16 July 2025 at Johannesburg’s Sandton Convention Centre.

Read more...
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...
Fostering a collaborative learning environment for sugar producer
SKF South Africa News
One of South Africa’s leading sugar producers made strategic use of its off-crop season, turning scheduled downtime into an opportunity for both essential maintenance and valuable skills development with the help of SKF

Read more...
TechAccess and Schneider Electric partnership goes from strength to strength
Schneider Electric South Africa News
Schneider Electric, together with its longstanding partner TechAccess, is poised to take the Southern African market by storm.

Read more...
Steinmüller Africa and Eskom uplift eMalahleni communities
News
Steinmüller Africa, in partnership with Eskom, has reaffirmed its commitment to social upliftment by donating essential goods and creating meaningful connections with two impactful community organisations in eMalahleni.

Read more...
Comtest calibration user group seminar
News
Comtest invites metrology and calibration professionals to a focused technical seminar series aimed at demystifying some of the most common hurdles in inter-laboratory comparisons.

Read more...









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.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved