The year ended with a bang for the Durban branch. With a new format and a change of venue for the annual function, the committee were a bit anxious but as it turned out – for no reason at all. The venue did us proud with a buffet spread fit for a king, the room was nicely appointed and even the extra two tables we squeezed in because we were oversubscribed didn’t affect the ambiance and conviviality and there was an overall buzz of excitement and anticipation.
Vinesh Maharaj presenting Kallie with the SAIMC certificate.
MC Dean Trattles kept things slick and running smoothly, introducing Howard Lister as the Durban branch chairman. Howard thanked the committee for their work in making the year a success but also acknowledged the industry as a whole for the increased interest in the technology evenings and the great turnout at the dinner. He commended Hennie Prinsloo and John Owen-Ellis for having gone beyond the call of duty and called them up to receive a gift in appreciation of their hard work. Kallie Bodenstein from Yokogawa received the ‘Best Speaker Award’ for Durban branch technology evenings during the period 2013/2014 with his presentation entitled: ‘DCSs versus PLCs’. Each speaker is evaluated by the audience at each technology evening and the scores tallied at the end of the year. As we saw by the audience reaction and participation, Kallie’s talk was really well received and he was an engaging and enthusiastic presenter.
Conrad Koch (right) with Chester Missing.
Dean then introduced Vinesh Maharaj, President of the SAIMC who inspired and delighted the audience with his enthusiasm and a report of what had been achieved by the SAIMC as a whole during the past year and the plans for the future. Next up was the entertainment for the evening and Conrad Koch and Chester Missing certainly didn’t disappoint us with their unique combination of razor sharp comedy and satire.
Everybody loved the way Conrad focused on a few people in the audience and the fact that he took the time to understand what the audience did, along with the many references to engineers and automation which made it that much more personal. Of course the piece de resistance was the ‘Boy Band’ featuring Howard Lister and Vinesh Maharaj – Conrad providing the voices and the stars providing the moves.
SAIMC: From the office of the CEO September 2021, SAIMC
, News
The registration process for people doing engineering work according to the Identification of Engineering Work, (IoEW) document gazetted in March, will start in earnest next year.
Surnames A through ...
Read more...SAIMC: Durban branch September 2021, SAIMC
, News
Kevin Preston of Phoenix Contact kindly presented at the virtual Durban branch technology meeting in August. Kevin is group manager IMA & IE at Phoenix Contact and is responsible for the interface, ...
Read more...SAIMC: Johannesburg branch September 2021, SAIMC
, News
Once again, the Johannesburg branch technology evening had to held virtually. We were happy to have Stahl SA involved, with Diogo Fidalgo doing a presentation on ‘Ethernet and network technologies for ...
Read more...SAIMC: From the office of the CEO July 2021, SAIMC
, SAIMC, News
The Identification of Engineering Work that has been in the making since 2000, was eventually gazetted in March this year. People now have roughly three years to comply – depending on your surname.
...
Read more...SAIMC: Durban branch July 2021, SAIMC
, SAIMC, News
The Durban branch held its latest technology meeting via Zoom on the first Wednesday of June. Bryan Baxter explained the importance of effective cybersecurity for industrial networks – something which ...
Read more...SAIMC: Johannesburg branch July 2021, SAIMC
, SAIMC, News First hybrid meeting
Following lockdowns, shutdowns and the second wave, the Johannesburg branch rolled out a combined/online meeting for May, hosted by Adroit Technologies.
Dave Wibberley spoke on ...
Read more...SAIMC: From the office of the CEO August 2021, SAIMC
, News
This month let’s examine the question: what is considered engineering work? (Refer to Government Gazette Vol 669 published 26 March 2021 No 44333.)
It is important to understand what is considered ...
Read more...SAIMC: Durban branch August 2021, SAIMC
, News
As a well-known and respected figure in the industry, Gary Friend (sales director, Extech Safety Systems) drew record crowds for the Durban branch’s July (virtual) technology meeting. His presentation ...
Read more...SAIMC: Johannesburg branch August 2021, SAIMC
, News
The branch recently had the privilege of hosting Turck Banner for another hybrid technology evening, which was a great success. The topic was, ‘Have you seen the light?’
Kenneth McPherson, who was ...
Read more...SAIMC: Cape Town branch June 2021, SAIMC
, SAIMC
An integrated geared unit that combines the recently launched Nord IE5+ synchronous motor and a single-stage helical gear unit offers optimum system efficiency.
printer friendly version