From the editor's desk: The virtual business assistant June 2020, Technews Publishing (SA Instrumentation & Control) Enter robotic process automation (RPA), a disruptive workplace technology that uses software “robots” to mimic many of the repetitive interactions human beings have with their computers. It performs such ...
Control loop: Case History 172 - Interesting controls in a copper extraction plant. June 2020, Michael Brown Control Engineering In my 30 years devoted to optimising controls in industrial process plants in many countries, I thought that I had seen all the possible process dynamics that one would encounter. Imagine my surprise ...
The emergence of a new future in the energy sector April 2020 Adaptively complex and persistent challenges in Africa are driving the need for a new future in the energy sector. Lack of access to energy, (more than 600 million people in Africa with no access to energy) ...
Control loop: Case History 171 - Instability in a metallurgical plant March 2020, Michael Brown Control Engineering I have written several articles about the unique problems I have encountered, specifically in the mining processing industry. This article is about some experiences in a mining operation where recently ...
Control loop: Case History 170 January 2020 As mentioned in earlier articles, the integral (or I term) in the controller is a brilliant thing. It is an extremely elegant and simple solution for eliminating offset in control. However, like everything ...
Beyond Capex and Opex November 2019 How do we finance IT? We identify a need, we test the waters with a PoC (proof of concept), then we get the green light after we prove the value. We know roughly how much it will cost by looking at the ...
The technology landscape: insights from 2019 conferences November 2019, SAIMC Industry leaders and governmental agencies across the globe recognise technology as the cornerstone for economic development. President Cyril Ramaphosa famously posited: “The clear implication for South ...
Top tips to help you implement 4IR projects that deliver value September 2019, IT in Manufacturing In the just over 10 years I have spent working on IT projects in the manufacturing space, the amount of new fads and IT jargon that has to be adopted has reached the heavens, and ascended into other realms. ...
Smart devices for Ex areas: Unbelievably simple mistakes that prevent control. September 2019, Michael Brown Control Engineering, Motion Control & Drives I am often astounded by finding really basic problems with controls in plants, which have operated that way for years. These problems are so basic that one can only wonder at how these controls could ...
Preparing fertile ground for a successful IIoT project Technews Industry Guide: Industrial Internet of Things & Industry 4.0 The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is a collection of emerging technologies that together have the potential to create significant business value and even create new business models.
Control loop question answered June 2019, Michael Brown Control Engineering Control loop expert Michael Brown recently received a question from reader, Hansell Williams. The question relates to applying neural network and machine learning concepts to plant automation and control. ...
Nick Denbow’s European report: Trends in plant monitoring March 2019 Early last year, the interest from many large automation and sensor suppliers focused on condition monitoring, for example, using wireless communications to monitor the condition of the motors and bearings ...
Now might be the time to have a talk with your IT service provider March 2019, IT in Manufacturing The Gartner hype cycle provides a simple graphic representation of how emerging technologies are adopted in the market. The principle is quite simple: a new technology (such as augmented reality) will ...
Emerging technologies pose a pressing governance challenge December 2018 As the year draws to a close, multiple factors compel the continuation of the Industry 4.0 theme and its challenges, particularly those related to governance. Many readers of this column, as well as social ...
