The June Technology Evening, held at the Westville Country Club, was titled ‘Wireless ISA100 technology’ and was kindly sponsored by Yokogawa. It was great to have several new faces present in addition to the regular ones, and new members were presented with their membership certificates.
Johan van der Westhuizen (Wessie) presented a very interesting and well structured talk in which he gave an overview covering application capabilities and limitations of ISA100 systems in various environments. The relative merits of star and mesh topographies were discussed and he demonstrated the relative characteristics of the ISA100 and Wireless HART systems, giving examples of the information transfer times that can currently be achieved in each configuration. At the end of his presentation the number of questions made it evident that he had sparked plenty of interest, with questions coming from people in diverse industries indicating that more consideration is being given to the widespread use of wireless technology for many applications other than safeguarding functions. Kevin McElroy thanked Wessie for his informative and entertaining talk.
Discussions and general networking continued over drinks and supper. It was a lively and well attended evening.
Golf Day
The annual Durban branch golf day was held at the Amanzimtoti Golf Course on 1 June. As seems to be the norm at this course (which is right on the beach), the wind blew strongly all day but it did not dampen the enthusiasm and skills of the 28 four balls who all agreed that even with the wind it certainly beat a day in the office. Having declared the day’s golfing a success everybody then proceeded to the prize giving and relaxed over a few beers and supper in the club house. A big thank you goes to Howard Lister and his team for a well organised and well supported event.
This year’s winning four ball were the very first recipients of the new SAIMC Durban branch trophy. From left to right in the pic. Mark Viviers, Chris Coetzee, J.O.E, Pat Fowler and Arthur Potts.
To the victor go the spoils. This shiny new golf day trophy is the latest innovation from the Durban branch.
International robotics conference streams live to Africa
SAIMC
The SAIMC hosted five live-stream viewing events across South Africa for the IEEE International Conference of Robotics and Automation in Vienna, bringing global robotics research and technology directly to local industry and academia.
Read more...From the office of the CEO: Introduction to GRIP SAIMC
SAIMC
Industry has long been concerned about graduates who have no understanding of the modern equipment they will face in industry. This has triggered an investigation into the possibility of creating a facility whereby graduates register with the SAIMC and rotate through all the vendors to obtain experience on modern equipment.
Read more...SAIMC: Durban branch SAIMC
SAIMC
The SAIMC Durban Branch hosted a technology meeting featuring a presentation by Abacus Automation on the practical role of AI in industrial automation, drawing considerable interest from attendees.
Read more...SAIMC: Johannesburg branch SAIMC
SAIMC
Instrotech recently hosted a technical presentation on load cell technology and applications at the SAIMC Johannesburg Technology Evening, presented by Trevor Salzwedel. The session covered load cell fundamentals, selection and installation, mechanical considerations and calibration methods.
Read more...SAIMC: Johannesburg Golf Day SAIMC
SAIMC
The SAIMC Johannesburg Golf Day on 22 May 2026 brought together 16 four-balls for a day of golf, networking and fundraising, with generous support from sponsors across the instrumentation and control sector.
Read more...SAIMC: Johannesburg branch SAIMC
SAIMC
The Johannesburg Branch had the privilege of being hosted by Phoenix Contact for our technology event in May. Shamil Surbun, BU manager for Automation, presented a CPD-accredited session on ‘From Sensor to Cloud: How SPE and APL Are Transforming Industrial Connectivity’.
Read more...From the office of the CEO: Power Hour goes national SAIMC
SAIMC
South Africa’s automation, control, mechatronics and computer engineering community is changing fast, and the SAIMC is changing with it. I am excited to announce a new national initiative that will reshape how we deliver technical knowledge, strengthen branch identity and bring our community together like never before.
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