In June, the Secunda branch hosted a well attended presentation by Kenneth McPherson of Beckhoff Automation regarding industrial personal computers and why you would use this technology in your factory. Kenneth explained what the difference between standard PCs and IPCs are and why conformal coating is not a viable option for PC technology. IPCs can be installed in very harsh conditions that a normal PC would not be able to handle and can be ordered in a variety of enclosures and performance levels to suit almost any application. Various support strategies are available and they can be customised to suit the individual client. The branch would like to thank Kenneth and his team for taking the time to present this interesting topic to us.
Branch chairman Kobus Reinecke (l) hands the presenter certificate to Kenneth McPherson.
July
The Technical Evening for July was conducted by Francois Eybers from Sasol Technology and the topic for the evening was the role of control engineers in technology management. Francois briefly discussed technology strategy, forecasting, road-mapping, project portfolio and technology portfolios. The different types of technology management were also discussed, which included managing your own developed technology, the application of available technology and lastly control engineering as part of process technology. The evening was well attended for a winter month and the branch thanks Francois as well as all the attendees.
Kobus Reinecke (r) handing the certificate to Francois Eybers.
The branch would like to remind everyone about the demonstration trailer that we are constructing and invite everyone to comment on the forum of the SAIMC website. Any suggestion and ideas are welcome. Also visitors can have a look at the continuously updated Secunda page and see what the branch is up to.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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’.
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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.
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