The branch started the year in February with the AGM and a presentation by Duncan Bonnet, then from Whitehouse & Associates, a specialist research company with strategic insight into Africa. Duncan provided an insightful message on why it is imperative to look at markets in the rest of Africa, what they offer, and how to conduct business in these regions.
In March, Kevin Preston, group manager CIS &IE from Phoenix Contact made a comprehensive yet easy-to-follow presentation on IEC61511 (Process Industry) which forms part of IEC61508 (Functional Safety). SANS recently adopted these, which means it is no longer optional to consider aspects such as SIF/SIL and others when designing control systems.
In April, Petrus Klopper from Ai2SA introduced resource efficiency cleaner production (RECP) principles and how these apply to the C&I domain. ISO 5000x, EnMS, ESO and other cost-saving/value-adding philosophies were discussed, along with respective DTI programs to reduce energy and other resources costs.
In May, the branch hosted its annual golf day fund raising event.
In June, Kallie Bodenstein of Yokogawa, compared the differences between the DCS and PLC. This presentation was insightful and a lot of effort went into highlighting the plant in a box simulators, used to train engineers.
In July, Ralph White from ifm electronic introduced ‘Condition based monitoring and vibration analysis’, a largely mathematical presentation, which demonstrated a very strong knowledge of the subject.
In August, du Toit Grobler from the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA), introduced ‘Professional engineering registration’.
In September, Dave Bean from Industrial Data Exchange (IDX), introduced ‘Some general observations on the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) landscape’. It was also in September that the branch was awarded bronze status at the prestigious SAIMC Gala Dinner.
In October, Bill Peet from Swagelok presented ‘The Bloodhound SSC’, a high-tech project aimed at designing a car that will break to 1000 mph barrier.
During the year the branch also hosted two well-received site visits to SAB Rosslyn and Ford Silverton.
Read more...SAIMC: Durban branch SAIMC
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.
Read more...SAIMC: Johannesburg branch SAIMC
SAIMC
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
SAIMC
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.
Read more...SAIMC User Advisory Council KS4I event SAIMC Supplier Advisory Council
SAIMC
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.