SAIMC


SAIMC: Durban branch

May 2014 SAIMC

The Durban branch’s April Technology Evening was kindly sponsored by Yokogawa and the presenter was Kallie Bodenstein, the systems facilitator at Yokogawa South Africa. Kallie studied Electrical Engineering and has had a varied and interesting career, starting at Iscor as an instrumentation technician and later as training officer before moving to Kentz Training Solutions as a training specialist. His love of training and his expertise in this field made him well qualified to present to us on the topic ‘DCS versus PLCs’.

Left to right: Nico Marneweck (Yokogawa) Howard Lister and Kallie Bodenstein.
Left to right: Nico Marneweck (Yokogawa) Howard Lister and Kallie Bodenstein.

Kallie’s presentation was lively, interesting and entertaining as he took us from the origins of the PLC through the evolution of the many programming languages that may be used depending on the type of device and user preference. He showed examples of some of the different programs and how PLCs can be networked to a remote scada and HMI, and then he moved on to show the structure and characteristics of a DCS.

When he had covered the basic structure of a DCS system he gave his attentive audience a concise summary of the differences between the DCS and PLC systems, showing the redundancy that is inherent in a DCS but which has to be specifically designed into a PLC network. He concluded by providing a summary comparing the strengths and possible limitations of each type of control system.

His presentation prompted a number of good questions, all of which added to the knowledge gained and proved that the audience had responded positively to the enthusiasm and energy of the presenter.

After the lively question and answer session branch chairman Howard Lister thanked Kallie and Yokagawa for the excellent presentation and reminded audience members to complete their score sheets so the talk could be rated. Then everyone adjourned to enjoy some food and drink that was to the usual high standard of the Durban Country Club.



Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

SAIMC’s May 2026 KS4I event to spotlight AI-driven industrial automation
SAIMC SAIMC
SAIMC’s May 2026 KS4I event will focus on practical and forward-looking approaches to AI-enabled automation and intelligent industrial connectivity.

Read more...
SAIMC: From the office of the COO
SAIMC SAIMC
We are failing young engineers - not just in classrooms, but as a society.

Read more...
SAIMC: Johannesburg branch
SAIMC SAIMC
Jenine Jansen van Vuuren from Comtest delivered a presentation at the SAIMC Johannesburg technology evening, focusing on electric vehicle charging stations and the key metrics that govern their functionality.

Read more...
SAIMC: Durban branch
SAIMC SAIMC
At the monthly meeting of the Durban branch of the SAIMC, Smunye Memela, project manager and switch gear specialist at Gubhuza 3 Trading presented on the subject ‘From sensors to insights: predictive maintenance in action’.

Read more...
SAIMC’s May 2026 KS4I event to spotlight AI-driven industrial automation
SAIMC
SAIMC’s May KS4I event will focus on practical and forward-looking approaches to AI-enabled automation and intelligent industrial connectivity.

Read more...
SAIMC presents knowledge-sharing session on predictive maintenance
SAIMC
SAIMC is presenting another upcoming knowledge-sharing event as part of its Knowledge Sharing for Industry (KS4I) series, aimed at advancing technical insight and collaboration across the engineering sector.

Read more...
SAIMC knowledge sharing event
SAIMC SAIMC
SAIMC will host a technical knowledge-sharing session by Hendrik Spies from SICK Sensor Intelligence, who will share his insights into ‘From Condition Monitoring to Predictive Maintenance: The Digital Journey’.

Read more...
SAIMC Durban
SAIMC
: At the SAIMC Durban monthly meeting, James Adams from Adroit Technologies presented to a full house on the subject of ‘The intelligent factory: AI, digital twins, zero-defect production, and cybersecurity in modern automotive manufacturing’.

Read more...
SAIMC: From the office of the CEO
SAIMC SAIMC
AI has become part of our productivity platforms, our operations and our decision making environments. The SAIMC NPC Power Hour series is one such initiative.

Read more...
SAIMC: Johannesburg branch
SAIMC SAIMC
The March SAIMC Johannesburg technology event was proudly hosted by Matech and focused on business intelligence made simple.

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