The last Technology Evening was held on 4 June at the Umhambi Lodge and was sponsored by Yokogawa where KZN regional sales manager, Andre Verreyne, gave a presentation on the topic 'How C&I diagnostics benefit the industry'.
Mervyn Govender (right) thanks Andre after the presentation.
Andre gave an in-depth overview of how to manage diagnostic data. To illustrate the extent that downtime has on the productivity, he stated that according to recent statistics, it was estimated that downtime contributed almost $20 billion in lost revenue – hence the need to identify and predict problems through analysis of diagnostic data.
Starting from the field level, he explained various types of data residing in instruments and showed the hierarchy with which this data moves from the field level, and the processing involved until it gets to the high level MES and ERP systems. Of interest was the integration into systems like SAP. Different systems are available such as CMMS (computerised maintenance management systems) that provide core information and allow the user to do an analysis to identify repeat offenders and pinpoint losses. The information can be analysed by employing techniques such as regression analysis, and the data can be used to help reduce downtime or breakdowns by developing appropriate maintenance schedules.
Mangosuthu University of Technology site visit to Tata Steel
Group photograph with the technicians at Tata Steel.
On Friday 5 June, the branch hosted a successful site visit to Tata Steel KZN for a group of S3 and S4 students from the Mangosuthu University of Technology. The 24 students, accompanied by lecturer James Rwafa, were taken through the smelting process operation by the Tata steel technicians, from raw materials handling right up to the finished product sections. Most of the students had never been in a plant before and the visit gave them the opportunity to see and experience the instrumentation and processes in practice. Unfortunately the plant was off for winter shut-down, so they could not witness the tapping of molten metal from the furnace.
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SAIMC
The Durban branch of the SAIMC was pleased to welcome Vusi Sithole, managing member of Hybrid Control Corporation in Richards Bay, who presented\on the very pertinent topic of ‘Infrastructure monitoring and control for water loss management’.
Read more...SAIMC: Sunshine, swings and smiles: Durban Golf Day hits a high note Technews Publishing (SA Instrumentation & Control)
SAIMC
We say it every year, and we’ll say it again: May in Durban is hard to beat; but 9 May, when the Durban Golf Day teed off at Kloof Country Club, was something else. With sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 20s, it was a fantastic day, full of fun and great energy.
Read more...SAIMC User Advisory Council KS4I event: Bridging the industry/education divide
SAIMC
Horst Weinert, head of Didactic at Festo Southern/Eastern Africa, will be sharing some of Festo’s Didactic experiences of working across industry and education. He will cover training for productivity and employability in the public and private sectors, discussing especially the potential for inter-company training centres.
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The local Johannesburg Branch of the SAIMC recently hosted a Technology Evening at Bryanston Sports Club on 9 April 2025.
Read more...SAIMC: Durban branch SAIMC
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The April technology meeting for the Durban branch of the SAIMC was kindly sponsored by ProRisk, a subsidiary company of the Proconics Group of Companies. Process safety engineer, Guillaume de Swardt gave a fascinating presentation on the power of operational risk control by utilising CFD software.
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The SAIMC User Advisory Council started 2025 with its first event in the ‘Knowlege Sharing 4 Industry’ event series on the 19th of March.
Read more...Knowledge Sharing 4 Industry
SAIMC
In proud partnership with Innomotics, SAIMC will be hosting the first Knowledge Sharing 4 Industry event for 2025.
Read more...Getting your OT data into the cloud – the why and the how
SAIMC
As users recognise the benefits of a digital transformation strategy for their industrial plants and systems and start to adopt it, they soon face the challenge of getting operational technology data securely and reliably to a cloud service provider of their choice.
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