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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At SAIMC Durban’s October Technology Evening, Nico Erasmus delivered a thought-provoking presentation on a topic close to every automation professional’s heart: PLC and Drive Manufacturer Generational Hardware - UpGrades, UpGates or UpRates?
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The Johannesburg Branch of the SAIMC hosted a successful Technology Evening on 10 September. The event was well attended and generously sponsored by Phoenix Contact.
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I always knew I had to register as a Professional Engineer. Then I opened the registration guidelines.
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Last month, I wrote about the ethical use of AI in our daily lives. This month, I want to explore two concepts, backed by different architectures and technologies, that can assist our manufacturing facilities to exponentially increase the pace of their digital transformation.
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The SAIMC Johannesburg branch hosted its June Technology Evening at the Bryanston Sports Club, where attendees explored a topic beyond the usual scope of process automation.
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SAIMC Zambia recently facilitated an industrial visit to the Zamefa Cable Manufacturing Company in Luanshya for twenty automation students from Sinozam. The visit gave students valuable exposure to the advanced technology used in copper and aluminium cable production.
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The August technology meeting was jointly presented by Pusetso Sentle and Suvern Moodley on the subject of ‘Universal Automation: Open, Flexible and Vendor-Agnostic Industrial Control’, and drew a record attendance.
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