RICHTER VOLUME 39 NO 1 JANUARY 2023 Automotive | Process measurement | Control systems Safety systems | IT in manufacturing KEEP ON FLOWING 39 VOLUME NO 1 JANUARY 2023 Official publication of the SAIMC Mining, metals and quarrying | Oil & gas | Automotive & eMobility IT in manufacturing | Process me surement
Your Global Automation Partner Hand in Hand to the Cloud Benefit from digital value creation between shop floor and cloud – with Turck‘s end-to-end IIoT architecture from a single source. Your Global Automation Partner Swiss Army Knife! Factor 1 Sensors with IO-Link New technology allows worlwide longest sensing ranges up to 10 mm IO-Link o ers more device information such as temperature, identi cation etc. Various output functions can be parameterized – like independent switch points, speed monitoring, pulse divider and more www.turck.com/uprox3 www.turckbanner.co.za/s2c
www.instrumentation.co.za January 2023 1 IT in manufacturing Process measurement VOLUME 39 NO 1 JANUARY 2023 04 10 12 38 REGULARS Cover story 14 FEATURES Oil & gas Automotive & eMobility Mining, metals & quarrying Motion control 16 25 24 28 30 34 News & events SAIMC news Automation professionals Product news Magnetic drive pumps withmonitoring – the best of two worlds ASSTech Process Electronics & Instrumentation, Michael Brown Control Engineering CC, IS3 - Industry Software, Solutions & Support ATEQ South Africa, Pepperl+Fuchs Turck Banner PFERD South Africa Beckhoff Automation, Wolfpack Information Risk, Lance Turner VEGA Controls SA, Instrotech, GHMMesstechnik South Africa, Endress+Hauser South Africa OUR COVER 14 RICHTER RICHTER VOLUME 39 NO 1 JANUARY 2023 Automotive | Process measurement | Control systems Safety systems | IT in manufacturing KEEP ON FLOWING 9 VOLUME NO 1 JANUARY 2023 Official publication of the SAIMC Mining, metals & quarrying | Oil & gas | Automotive & eMobility IT in manufacturing | Process me surement Plastic-lined magnetic drive pumps deliver a high level of safety and reliability when conveying corrosive, toxic or ultrapure media. However, this unique feature has so far come at the expense of some noticeable disadvantages with respect to pump performance. By adapting the technologies used in the compressor industry, it has now been possible to develop a new generation of pumps that are closing the performance gap between mechanical seal pumps and metallic magnetic drive pumps.
2 January 2023 www.instrumentation.co.za welcome VOLUME 39 NO 1 JANUARY 2023 Disclaimer While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements, inserts and company contact details are printed as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material. All rights reserved. Nopart of thispublicationmaybe reproduced, adapted, stored ina retrieval systemor transmitted inany formorbyanymeans, electronic,mechanical, photocopying, recordingor otherwise,without thepriorwrittenpermissionofTechnewsPublishing (Pty) Ltd, RegNo. 2005/034598/07 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters to the editor should be addressed to Jane van der Spuy at [email protected]. Sending material to this publication will be considered automatic permission to use in full or in part in our Letters column. Be sure to include your name, e-mail address, city and zip code. We reserve the right to edit all letters. CIO & DIRECTOR Graeme Bell NHD Elec. Eng., MBA [email protected] DEPUTY EDITOR Kim Roberts MSc Chem [email protected] CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Michael Brown BSc (Eng) (Rand), CEng MIEE MSAIEE Gavin Halse BSc Chem Eng Lance Turner BSc (Hons) Information Systems ADVERTISING Sales manager Jane van der Spuy [email protected] Tel: +27 83 234 5412 Heidi Hargreaves [email protected] Tel: +27 83 504 0436 DESIGN AND LAYOUT Technews Production Department SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES For address changes, subscriptions, renewal status or missing issues, email: [email protected] or write to: Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd, Box 385, Pinegowrie 2123 SUBSCRIBE ONLINE www.technews.co.za PUBLISHERS Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd Wild Fig Business Park, Block B, Unit 21, 1494 Cranberry Street, Honeydew Graeme Bell SA Instrumentation & Control [email protected] I am temporarily returning to the steering wheel of SA Instrumentation & Control magazine and its buyers’ guide because the previous editor, Brett van den Bosch, has left the company. We wish him well with his future endeavours. This month sees not only the start to a new year, but also the first time that we are running a new feature called Automation & eMobility. There have been some truly staggering advances in driverless car technology in recent years, but it is not likely that we will be seeing many driverless vehicles on our South African roads in the near future. Many driverless vehicles are battery-powered e-vehicles and require charging points that draw vast amount of power. Eskom’s load shedding woes are a major stumbling block for the mass introduction of battery-driven vehicles. Vehicles in Johannesburg would also likely need specially adapted software to compensate for the myriad potholes on our roads. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has prototyped a new type of battery that it hopes will provide a significantly cheaper alternative to the existing widely-used lithium batteries. The new battery runs on a combination of aluminium, sulphur and a liquid rock salt. The project was headed up by MIT Professor Donald Sadoway. He explained in an MIT press release that he wanted to invent something that was much better than lithium-ion batteries for small-scale stationary storage, and ultimately for automotive uses. In addition to being expensive, lithium-ion batteries contain a flammable electrolyte, making them less than ideal for transportation. So, Sadoway started studying the periodic table, looking for cheap, Earth-abundant metals that might be able to substitute for lithium. The commercially dominant metal, iron, doesn’t have the right electrochemical properties for an efficient battery, he explained. But the second-most-abundant metal in the marketplace – and actually the most abundant metal on Earth – is aluminium. The cheapest of all the non-metals is sulphur, so that became the second electrode material. As for the electrolyte, they tried some polymers but ended up looking at a variety of molten salts that have relatively low melting points – close to the boiling point of water, as opposed to around 500°C for many salts. Moving into 2023 In their experiments, the team showed that the battery cells could endure hundreds of cycles at exceptionally high charging rates, with a projected cost per cell of about one-sixth that of comparable lithium-ion cells. They showed that the charging rate was highly dependent on the working temperature, with 110°C showing 25 times faster rates than 25°C. Surprisingly, the molten salt the team chose as an electrolyte, simply because of its low melting point, turned out to have a fortuitous advantage. One of the biggest problems in battery reliability is the formation of dendrites, which are narrow spikes of metal that build up on one electrode and eventually grow across to contact the other electrode, causing a short-circuit and hampering efficiency. But this particular salt, it happens, is very good at preventing that malfunction. What’s more, the battery requires no external heat source to maintain its operating temperature. The heat is naturally produced electrochemically by the charging and discharging of the battery. Our thanks to MIT for its very interesting press information. The project offers extremely promising advances for everything from vehicle batteries to solar storage systems. You can read more about the project at www.instrumentation.co.za/*jan23-mit Watch this space for more information.
NEWS & EVENTS 4 January 2023 www.instrumentation.co.za Schneider Electric made a resounding statement of intent across the manufacturing landscape in 2021 when it leaped from 29th in Corporate Knights’ annual global 100 list of most sustainable corporations, right into first place. What makes this rapid progress all the more remarkable is that the company’s sustainable manufacturing portfolio was not so much ‘created’, as it grew organically out of Schneider’s internal ESG (environmental, social and governance) initiatives to lessen its impact on the environment. This came to light during a discussion between SA Instrumentation & Control and Schneider Electric South Africa’s Quintin McCutcheon (global marketing director – Anglophone Africa), Vikash Rampathi (segment marketing leader) and Johan Potgieter (industrial software leader). The conversation took place at the MESA Africa Year End International Summit 2022 held on 16-17 November in Johannesburg, where Schneider Electric was the Platinum sponsor. Although ESG is a separate discipline, with its own set of risks and rewards, it goes hand in hand with MESA Africa’s domain of MES and MOM (manufacturing execution systems and manufacturing operation management). Defined as software for optimising manufacturing processes by monitoring, tracking, documenting and controlling the entire production lifecycle, MES is a key enabler for sustainability in the manufacturing sector – after all, how can you accurately measure your environmental impact if you can’t quantify these key metrics through a centralised supply chain platform like an MES? Needless to say, Schneider takes MES seriously: it recently signed an agreement to acquire the remaining shares of British MES Preach what you practice specialist, Aveva, of which it currently owns 59%. It therefore came as no surprise that Aveva was front and centre of Schneider Electric’s display at the MESA Africa conference, featuring a live demonstration showing delegates how Aveva’s MES can provide deep and actionable insights into their supply chains, in real time. The magic ingredients Citing its completeness of vision and ability to execute, Gartner lauded Aveva’s MES as a leader in its field by giving it a spot in its ‘2022 Magic Quadrant for Manufacturing Execution Systems’ – the third year in a row that it has earned this distinction. “Our positioning in the Magic Quadrant for Manufacturing Execution Systems by Gartner for the third consecutive year validates our ability to help customers gain exceptional value from their manufacturing systems and investments. In the post-pandemic business landscape, manufacturers’ ability to operate in an agile and resilient way, in the face of massive and unpredictable disruptions to demand and supply networks, is key. We continue to leverage the latest technology (both on-premise and in the cloud) to enable the optimisation and integration of business planning and manufacturing execution into a single digital pane,” said Rob McGreevy, Aveva’s executive vice president of operations business. In the report, Gartner defines manufacturing execution systems (MES) as “a specialist class of production-oriented software that manages, monitors and synchronises the execution of real-time physical processes involved in transforming raw materials into intermediate and/or finished goods”. Over and above the software that forms the ‘nuts and bolts’ of an MES solution, Schneider Electric encourages customers to take maximum advantage of its consulting services and the development of a comprehensive digital roadmap strategy, as the first steps to ensuring the success of any MES implementation. As just one element of its portfolio, the scalable and modular Aveva Production Management platform enables increased profitability, agility and competitiveness by: • Calculating true process performance KPIs for monitoring, reporting and analysis, to continuously improve operational efficiency and asset utilisation. • Modelling your entire value chain, highlighting areas of quantity and quality concern before they propagate downstream, allowing you to rapidly adjust your operations to reduce penalties, and providing opportunities to take advantage of the spot market. • Democratising the sustainability commitment to your operations, enabling your entire workforce – from the control room to the boardroom – to immediately identify adverse sustainability and environmental events, take corrective actions, and coordinate root cause analysis for continuous improvement. This expansive and integrated value proposition allows for building a digital twin of the plant and the processes, which helps to improve plant productivity and throughput by up to 5-10%, reduce energy consumption by up to 16% as well as eliminate up to 25% of waste, making manufacturing operations more efficient and sustainable. For more information contact Schneider Electric South Africa, +27 11 254 6400, [email protected], www.se.com/za/en/ Participating in the panel discussion on Sustainable Manufacturing – Planet | People | Partnerships at the recent MESA Africa Summit from left to right: Jan Robberts, Co Founder/Director, Ki Leadership Institute; Vinesh Maharaj, Associate Director, Smart Manufacturing – PwC South Africa; Dhevan Pillay, Group CEO, LTM Energy (Pty) Ltd; Quintin McCutcheon, Global Marketing Director, Anglophone Africa, Schneider Electric; Gina Schroeder, Engineer & Lead Project Developer, LWS Family.
NEWS & EVENTS Siemens Smart Infrastructure and Eplan have signed a strategic partnership to strengthen collaboration in the area of software solutions for the industry and infrastructure market segments. As part of this agreement, Siemens’ Electrical Products business unit will join the Eplan Partner Network as a strategic partner. The objective is to coordinate the products of both companies in a more targeted manner in order to offer optimised solutions for switchgear manufacturers and electrical planners. Sebastian Seitz, CEO of Eplan, and Andreas Matthé, CEO of Electrical Products at Siemens Smart Infrastructure, signed the agreement on 26 September 2022. “The overall goal of our collaboration is to create a plug-and-play structure for electrical planners. We want to open our tools bidirectionally for both sides and thus simplify and accelerate workflows,” said Andreas Matthé. Sebastian Seitz of Eplan also emphasised the benefits for joint customers: “In switchgear construction, we can use Eplan Pro Panel to optimise processes and automate them to a greater extent. In addition, we will more specifically address the growing area of power distribution and work with Siemens to create end-to-end solutions for integrated, more efficient workflows.” The industry segment comprises offerings and products for control panel building, while the infrastructure segment includes switchgear construction for power distribution. In the industry market segment, Siemens and Eplan will intensify the successful cooperation that has existed for many years; for example, to Siemens and Eplan enter strategic partnership (Left to right): Sebastian Seitz, CEO of Eplan, and Andreas Matthé, CEO of Electrical Products at Siemens Smart Infrastructure. provide Eplan data across all configured Siemens products. For the infrastructure market, the companies have decided to jointly optimise and automate customer processes, for instance in the Sivacon and Alpha environment (power distribution systems) by integrating Simaris (planning tools) and the Eplan platform. Both parties will contribute their expertise to the benefit of their joint customers, to enable more efficient workflows in switchgear construction and power distribution. Eplan offers engineering software and services in the fields of electrical engineering, automation and mechatronics. The company develops one of the world’s leading software solutions for machine, switchgear and control panel builders. In addition, it helps customers simplify challenging engineering processes. Siemens Electrical Products offers products for a safe and efficient electrical infrastructure at the low-voltage level in buildings and industrial environments, including safety and control products, measuring and monitoring devices, switches and sockets. Furthermore, the business unit’s portfolio includes communication-enabled software tools that can be used to connect power distribution products to building and industrial automation, as well as to open, cloud-based IoT systems. For more information contact Eplan Software & Services, +27 11 609 8294, [email protected], www.eplan.co.za
NEWS & EVENTS The euphoria in the industry was palpable when more than 1100 specialists in space technology gathered in Las Vegas at the end of October for the ASCEND conference of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA): spaceflight is in the midst of a transformation from government-funded research and national prestige projects into a commercially successful field of business. Both well-established and start-up companies in the ‘New Space’ movement continue to gain ground accordingly. And with NASA’s new research and exploration goals, industry momentum is accelerating. After all, the space agency’s large-scale ‘back to the moon and then further’ projects are expanding the industry’s focus from near-Earth orbits to cislunar space: the area between geostationary orbit and the orbit of the moon. The presentations and panel discussions at ASCEND covered the entire field of modern space activities – from deep-dive technical presentations to concepts on building a global rescue system for space travellers, and even a space police force. After all, EtherCAT takes off in space industry some visionaries are already planning space colonies for thousands of people, and there must be the appropriate infrastructure and legal framework to go along with it. In the thick of technological developments for space is EtherCAT. The EtherCAT Technology Group’s (ETG) executive director, Martin Rostan (an aerospace engineer by education), presented a new paper at the conference titled ‘Advancing Space Robotics with the EtherCAT Communication Standard’. This paper was developed together with Dr Gerhard Grunwald from the DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, and Chris Thayer, the CEO of Motiv Space Systems. Thayer commented during the ASCEND conference: “Computing power is a coveted and very expensive commodity in space: only a few space-qualified systems can handle the computationally intensive needs of advanced robotics. It helps us enormously that EtherCAT requires hardly any resources from the controller; neither computing power nor special hardware. This makes our space robotics much easier to integrate into other systems.” The DLR Institute was among the first in the industry to recognise that bus systems developed specifically for space applications were too expensive and made them dependent on just a few suppliers. As early as 2004, the DLR selected EtherCAT as the ideal technology for space robotics in a research project, and has since relied on this communication standard which is also the leading network for industrial robots. Now, EtherCAT is also establishing itself as the de facto standard for space robotics. EtherCAT will not only be used in NASA’s Lunar Gateway but is already being used in many other high-profile space projects. This acceptance radiates into other industries: “What’s good enough for NASA, is good enough for me.” Martin Rostan has heard this validation many times from ETG members and EtherCAT users. More than 250 ETG member companies are active in the aerospace and New Space industries. For more information visit www.ethercat.org For more information, visit pepperl-fuchs.com/pr-smart-ex-02 The proven smartphone to withstand toughest conditions in Ex zones is waiting to meet your needs. Smart-Ex 02®—The First Android 11 Smartphone for Zone 1/21 and Div. 1/2 Ready for Challenges?
NEWS & EVENTS www.instrumentation.co.za January 2023 7 SMC Corporation, a global leader in manufacturing comprehensive automation control equipment, has been recognised by Forbes magazine as one of its World’s Best Employers 2022. These rankings are the result of the most far-reaching and inclusive research conducted on employers on a global scale. Forbes Media, in cooperation with the independent market research firm Statista, selected theWorld’s Best Employers 2022 based on independent surveys of 150 000 full-time and part-time employees from 57 countries working for multinational companies and institutions. The participants’ anonymous responses rated their willingness to recommend their own SMC recognised among world’s best employers employers to friends and family according to various criteria such as economic impact, image, trust, gender equality, talent development, corporate social responsibility, culture and benefits. The 800 companies that received the highest total scores made the final list. “We are very proud that SMC has been recognised by Forbes as aWorld’s Best Employer for 2022,” commented Yoshiki Takada, president and CEO of SMC. “Our global initiatives to implement our business continuity plan – by fulfilling our product supply responsibilities and maintaining customer trust, while contributing to sustainable growth and advancing technical innovations – are core corporate values. In addition to these, SMC will assure that all processes within our company’s activities carefully consider their effects on the environment and climate change as we work towards achieving our sustainable development goals.” SMC has a global workforce of 20 620 employees, including 1700 engineering staff and 8700 salespeople supporting customers in 83 countries. Its production facilities are based in 29 countries and regions strategically located around the world to minimise disruptions to global supply chains that may occur through the effects of adverse weather or political unrest. For more information contact SMC Corporation South Africa, +27 10 900 1233, [email protected], www.smcza.co.za Danfoss Drives appointed BMG as the first authorised Danfoss DrivePro service partner in Africa in 2019, and has renewed this official certification each year. Danfoss Drives partners with a network of global sales and service partners that need to meet stringent requirements to be eligible to offer customised support and technical assistance to users of Danfoss VLT and VACON frequency converters. Danfoss DrivePro services, which cover the entire lifecycle of VLT and VACON AC drives, are designed to improve productivity and performance; minimising downtime and giving peace of mind to every user. “BMG is currently the only Danfoss DrivePro service partner in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, and was one of the first 30 companies to achieve this level of recognition globally,” said David Dyce, business unit manager: Electronics, BMG. “As an official Danfoss service partner, BMG offers our customers specialised services that go beyond simple troubleshooting, maintenance, repairs, and replacements. With a thorough understanding of the characteristics, and requirements of every customer’s AC drive applications, we ensure enhanced reliability, efficiency and profitability at a plant, by minimising the operational costs of drive solutions in diverse industries. “Through the DrivePro programme, our customers have the assurance that we meet the pristine standards demanded by Danfoss. BMG has made a significant investment in distribution, engineering facilities, and technical skills in strategic parts of Africa. These include electronic workshops and a technical resources centre for the repair, maintenance and commissioning of Danfoss VLT and VACON products and services.” BMG retains Danfoss DrivePro service partner status BMG’s dedicated product specialists for these drive solutions are backed by a technical resources teamwhich optimises predictive maintenance for application field services by addressing mobile breakdowns and onsite maintenance for Danfoss AC drives. “Many companies require certification before any service can be conducted onsite, and with our team’s extensive experience and specialised training, we are well positioned to meet these requirements. BMG also offers specialised training to customers, and shares expert knowledge about advanced Danfoss technology that enhances plant productivity,”Dyce added. Benefits of these support services include the DrivePro ExtendedWarranty, which lengthens the standard warranty by up to six years. This facility offers customers a predictable maintenance budget, by creating cost-saving solutions and avoiding unforeseen repair costs. The DrivePro Retrofit service involves the professional management of the end-of-product lifecycle when replacing AC drives, and ensures a smooth transition to the latest technology. This facility, which emphasises optimal uptime and enhanced productivity during the replacement process, encompasses an audit of the current environment, meticulous planning for the upgrade, and delivery of the required retrofit kit into the existing environment. The DrivePro Spares facility minimises downtime by ensuring users always have the correct spare parts available in case of a breakdown. DrivePro Exchange gives users the assurance that, in the event of an AC drive needing urgent repair, a replacement drive will be ready on site to minimise production delay. DrivePro Preventive Maintenance is a customised maintenance plan designed to suit particular requirements and budgets, to ensure operational efficiency and extended service life of AC drives. DrivePro Site Assessment is a tailored service solution that plans for maintenance, retrofits and future upgrades. A maintenance strategy is presented to the customer after a site-wide survey and risk assessment of AC drives at the plant. DrivePro Life Cycle Services are tailormade products designed to meet specific requirements through the different stages of an AC drive’s lifecycle. These solutions range from optimised spare part packages to condition monitoring solutions. BMG supplies and supports more than 70 000 customers in nine countries, offering the broadest range of industrial engineered products and services in Africa. For more information contact Dave Dyce, BMG, +27 11 620 1546, [email protected], https://bit.ly/3PKx9ga
NEWS & EVENTS 8 January 2023 www.instrumentation.co.za www.rtsafrica.co.za — [email protected] — +27 (0)82 879 0734 Dust Free Instrumentation & Control Rooms RTS Africa Inertial Spin Filters No Maintenance – No Down Time – No Dust – Energy Efficient RTS Africa Engineering (Pty) Ltd TM COVID-19 has impacted, and continues to impact, every aspect of our lives. Across industry, widespread factory closures and drastically restricted logistics globally have meant that downstream manufacturers soon found they had major supply chain disruptions. Many had to shift swiftly to using predominantly online sourcing and procurement services. Suppliers had to fasttrack the expansion of their online sales and services. Transportation and logistics became a major challenge for everyone. In essence, to tackle the challenges, virtually every aspect of the business, and throughout industry globally, required some form of additional digital technology – often disruptive in nature. Clearly, businesses that had embraced digital transformation were better positioned to adapt. Since the start, we have seen, and continue to see, a significant increase in B2B (business to business) and B2C (business to consumer) business, including eCommerce, not only from existing clients but also from new and occasional customers. Managing director for RS South Africa, Brian Andrew, says that RS was ready to respond quickly and decisively to the COVID-19 crisis in 2020. “In the main, the company provided continued support to customers worldwide, initially prioritising health and allied services, and those working on supplying critical and essential equipment and infrastructure. Supply chain continuity was largely ensured, as the crisis management team was able to plan and act swiftly, shifting inventory around a global network of 14 distribution centres (DCs) to where it would be most needed. As a single point of service and support with a broad range of over 650 000 stocked electronic and industrial products and solutions, RS was able to continue to satisfy customer needs,” he said. RS is a UK-based multinational company that is also listed on the London Stock Exchange. The company’s strong digital, omni-channel offering was easily expandable Disruptive technologies to deal with disruption to support increased online sales. Through communication and collaboration, purchasing staff were able to extend support for key customers in essential businesses. By encouraging a digital mindset and connecting teams working remotely – while the DCs rapidly adjusted to operating with social distancing and appropriate PPE – employees were inspired to go the extra mile. Andrew also added that the key drivers are changing customer expectations, the need for greater efficiency, and the realisation that data can be used to spot trends. “Ease of use, AI-based personalisation tools and online real-time sales support have brought us repeat business. Many businesses have suffered financially due to COVID-19 and this has increased the emphasis on improving efficiency,” added Andrew. eProcurement is a key starting point, and demand is growing for tools such as RS PunchOut and RS PurchasingManager. PunchOut is a tool that integrates into your own eProcurement system, giving you quick and easy access to products and your purchasing information. PurchasingManager is a free, web-based order management tool that provides a complementary workflow and spend management system. Customers have found that ease of use and process streamlining have produced significant benefits, in particular by cutting costs and increasing staff efficiency. RS also offers eOrdering and eInvoicing, which are extensively used by some of SA’s largest beverage and automotive manufacturers. These value-added solutions automate the procurement process for small and medium orders for MRO (maintenance, repair and operations) products, helping to save valuable production time. One of the major causes of hesitation in the wider adoption of digital acceleration is the change it engenders in the workplace. The aim is to shift from manual to digital tasks, remove low-value repetitive jobs and improve employee productivity. Supporting people through this change requires a behavioural shift in re-educating employees throughout the company. The pandemic has demonstrated that dramatic changes in working practices (working from home, for example) can be made with positive results for all. The key is ‘test and learn’. Make evolutionary, small changes in a structured way. Work with the people to see that the change is achieving the required effect. For sure, digitalisation will cause disruption to processes and major changes to culture and working practices, but COVID-19 has certainly provided us with a painful demonstration of how much greater the cost of disruption could be without it. For more information contact RS Components SA, +27 11 691 9300, [email protected], www.rsonline.co.za Brian Andrew.
NEWS & EVENTS www.instrumentation.co.za January 2023 9 November was World Quality Month – an annual celebration embraced byWearCheck with open arms, as it reinforces the condition monitoring company’s fundamental goal of providing services of world-class quality. WearCheck’s quality administrator, Prinda Narasi, is behind the company’s ongoing commitment to achieving and upholding major quality goals. “At WearCheck, we take continuous quality improvement (CQI) very seriously,” she says. “Our services are regularly audited by a range of agencies, including SANS (South African National Standards) and the SABS (South African Bureau of Standards). “WearCheck is currently the only company on the African continent that has earned multiple quality confirmation certificates, which include ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 certification, and ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation. These are audited regularly, and the company has never failed to have an accreditation or certification renewed.” Peace of mind “We are proud of our relentless dedication to top quality service – it gives our customers peace of mind, knowing that the laboratory results and analytics provided byWearCheck are scientifically accurate and would be replicated identically in any certified laboratory, anywhere in the world,”Narasi adds. ISO 14001 recognises international standards implemented by companies to Prinda Narasi. Quality counts at WearCheck manage their environmental responsibilities, which is very important toWearCheck and in line with the company’s earth-friendly work ethics. WearCheck was first awarded ISO 14001 certification in January 2005. ISO 9001 was first awarded in 1996, and recognises the integrated design, development and provision of condition monitoring services to international standards. ISO/IEC 17025 is the international standard that sets out the general requirements for the competent, impartial and consistent operation of laboratories. WearCheck first earned this accreditation in 2012 for its laboratory, and Set Point Water Laboratories, a division of WearCheck, has also earned this certification. Benefits forWearCheck customers The ISO 9001:2015 standard is recognised worldwide. Some customers insist on using only certified companies because they know their management systems are continually assessed and improved. Further advantages include improved quality and service, delivery on time, ‘right the first time’ approach, minimised incidence of mistakes, improved reporting and communications, better quality products and services, more reliable production scheduling and delivery, and the fact that standards are maintained through annual assessments. The ISO system promotes an efficient management process and is a mandatory prerequisite to tender for some public sector work. Coupled with the positive message that certification presents to both customers and staff, the system also reduces costs by highlighting time-saving procedures. For more information contact WearCheck, +27 31 700 5460, [email protected], www.wearcheck.co.za Parker Hannifin hosted its annual Parker South Africa Distributor Conference on 23 and 24 November 2022 at the beautiful Kievitz Kroon Wine Estate in Pretoria. The theme of this year’s conference – Re-Connect, Communicate and Celebrate – signals the company’s commitment to fostering new growth opportunities and offering the utmost levels of technical and marketing support in partnership with its distributors. The aimwas to bring Parker and key distributor partners together to discuss updates within the national and global distribution network, such as future growth goals, ongoing market opportunities and resolving mutual challenges. In addition to strengthening the relationships within the distributor network, Parker hosts annual distributor conference Parker will also focus on strengthening the channel-to-market strategies, further growing system integrations networks and the expansion of retail operations, aftermarket and value-added services. Barry Mackay, regional general manager of Parker Hannifin Sales Company South Africa, said, “the annual distributor conference is a fantastic opportunity for Parker and key partners to network with each other by discussing our future objectives and present challenges across a variety of different markets. It is a valuable networking session for us all. There is nothing more important than open, two-way communication with our distributor partners about their needs and the needs of their customers – including distributors from the recent Baldwin acquisition.” Parker also welcomed several new distributors to their very first Parker distributor conference. The new additions came with the recent Balwin acquisition. The conference attendees enjoyed a tour of the Cullinan Diamond Mine on the first day of the conference – a fitting excursion and a great opportunity to come close to one of the major industries serviced regularly by Parker. For more information contact Lisa de Beer, Parker Hannifin SA, +27 11 961 0700, [email protected], www.parker.com/za
10 January 2023 www.instrumentation.co.za From the office of the CEO Johan Maartens. National Members SAIMC NEWS I wish you all a blessed year ahead, a year in which you will make great memories and gather a lot of ‘firewood’ that you will be able to use when the day comes for you to think back on your career and personal life, knowing that God was good to you. It is easy to get caught up in negative thoughts that ruin our day, things we cannot change. For those things we can do something about, I pray we will have the courage to stand up and make our voices count. We only have one go at this life. Every person that passes through this life to wherever they think they will go afterward leaves footprints. May yours be deep and your legacy a sweetsmelling aroma to those who remain behind. Looking back over 2022, we are proud of many things. We assisted in developing various documents for the Engineering Council of South Africa. We formalised the Education and Training Advisory Council and welcomed MESA Africa into the SAIMC. We lodged the SAIMC Skills Trust Fund document. We also participated in a combined stand of Technews Publishing, SAIMC, and MESA at Electra Mining, started a new branch at Nelson Mandela University, and grew from 674 members to over 800 paid-up members. It is a new year with opportunities and challenges! The SAIMC will start this year with Annual General Meetings. Make sure you get involved in our activities for your and our industry’s benefit. Remember to register with the Engineering Council of South Africa if you are doing ‘EngineeringWork’. Time is running out. We can create many things with automation, but there are things that automation cannot achieve for the human race: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control. Yours in Automation, JohanMaartens Branches Johannesburg: Dean Floyd at [email protected]; Mobile: +27 82 455 3929 Cape Town: Hein Ries at [email protected]; Mobile: +27 73 351 2875 Durban: Mark Calvert at [email protected]; Mobile: +27 83 452 3181 Gqeberha: Prof. Theo van Niekerk at [email protected], Mobile: +27 82 440 8957 Richards Bay: Mervyn Govender at [email protected]; Mobile: +27 83 299 2260 Secunda: Lezahn Meiring at [email protected]; Mobile: +27 84 440 7787 Tshwane : Mark Taylor at [email protected]; Mobile: +27 61 769 3344 Vaal: John Phala at [email protected]; Mobile: +27 71 679 5076 Zambia: Andrew Sikwese at [email protected], Tel: +26 96 963 1008 Council: Ina at [email protected], Mobile: +27 82 440 8957, Tel: 08610 72462 (08610 SAIMC) Details to be confirmed Watch this space! Annual gala dinner September/October 2023
www.instrumentation.co.za January 2023 11 SAIMC NEWS November technology evening The November technology meeting was the last one of the year for the Durban branch of the SAIMC, and the presenter was Marco Cocioni fromYokogawa who gave an overview of a novel wireless vibration sensing instrument based on the LoRaWAN networking technology. As Marco explained in his very comprehensive and interesting presentation, LoRaWAN is defined as a wireless technology standard that is used to connect remote IoT devices in the field for applications that require long range, low data rates with a very low power consumption. Marco also gave an overview of the LoRaWAN technology, the Sushi vibration sensors, followed by an interactive demo. Marco is currently the NCS Proposals Engineer for Yokogawa South Africa and has been working for the company since 2014. He started his engineering career at Harmony Gold Mine, thereafter joining Yokogawa as its PCI engineering trainer, and subsequently becoming their training manager. Marco also underwent a full year of advanced training in the company’s head office in the Netherlands, specialising in Yokogawa’s Test & Measurement equipment. Annual year-end dinner After a hiatus of two years during COVID, the Durban branch of the SAIMC held its annual yearend dinner at the Mount Edgecombe Country Club in November 2022. Even the cool, windy and rainy weather (welcome to summer in Durban) didn’t deter people from turning out in full force to celebrate the return of this well-loved event which was deemed a success by all who attended. As always, formalities were kept short, with Mark Calvert multi-tasking as both the very efficient MC and Branch General Manager. After welcoming and thanking everybody, he then introduced SAIMC CEO Johan Maartens, who gave a brief run-down of what the SAIMC had achieved during the year. Daleen Filbey from Reed Exhibitions gave another short presentation on what’s in store for the industry with Africa Automation & Technology Fair in 2023, and that concluded the formalities. Dinner was a delicious buffet of Durban chicken curry and roast lamb with crispy roast potatoes and sautéed vegetables, which everybody tucked into whilst enjoying some background music provided by our musicians of the evening – Angus. Angus later upped the ante, and the volume, and even managed to seduce a few people on to the dance floor, providing a backdrop of some old and wellloved tunes. Durban branch John Owen-Ellis (right) thanking Marco Cocioni for his presentation. Joey Rasdien was undoubtedly the highlight of the evening, with his clever and whacky brand of humour. In conversation with him the next day Joey admitted to loving the audience and instead of his standard 45-minute slot, very generously spent an hour and a half weaving threads of comedic magic throughout his routine – everyone there will remember the hilarious ‘peanut’ butter moment. Joey commented that it was a pleasure interacting with an audience of such high technical calibre (and IQ!) who ‘got’ his humour more than most. The Durban management teamwould like to thank all table sponsors, and the following additional sponsors of the evening: IFM – welcome drinks. Reed Exhibitions – table decorations. Cabstrut – dessert. Proconics – music. For more information contact Mark Calvert, [email protected] Comedian Joey Rasdien. CEO Johan Maartens addressing the guests.
12 January 2023 www.instrumentation.co.za AUTOMATION PROFESSIONALS Abacus Automation supplies innovative, custom-developed technical solutions using standard PLCs, drives, scada and motion control equipment and is Siemens approved for crane automation. With 23 years in the industry, this award-winning and internationally acclaimed company has highly qualified, experienced and professional staff. It operates out of offices in KwaZulu-Natal. Tel: +27 31 702 5767 [email protected] www.abacus-automation.co.za Abacus Automation Control Software Solutions - CSS Customer-centricity allows CSS to attain a high percentage of repeat business from its growing customer base.With a solid 17 years’experience in designing customised C&A solutions, CSS partners with customers in relationships thriving on information sharing and open communication enabling them to enhance customer operations. Supplier Certification provides customers with the assurance that the CSS team is completely up to date on current trends and technology as indicated by a number of prestigious awards. Tel: +27 31 914 0040 [email protected] www.cs-solutions.co.za Moore Process Controls Moore Process Controls provides process automation and optimisation solutions to realise the maximum potential of your plant and assets. Its offerings include DCS, PLC, scada, compressor control solutions, MES, production management and predictive maintenance systems, control loop optimisation, alarm and energy management systems, plant security and access management systems, Matrikon OPC, OSi Soft, dashboards and historians, wireless and data solutions including digital twin, process simulators and training simulators and cloud-based IIoT solutions. Tel: +27 11 466 1673 [email protected] www.moore.co.za Consulting engineers, systemintegrators &project houses EHL Consulting Engineers offers comprehensive C&I services across all industries including control system design, software development and system integration; legacy system upgrades and replacements; process automation and optimisation; and IS and SIL services. Tel: +27 11 370 7400 [email protected] [email protected] www.ehl.co.za EHL Consulting Engineers Autotronix is a recognised leader in industrial automation design and implementation having attained its ISO 9001 certification. Autotronix offers its clients turnkey control system integration services for energy management, PLC/HMI/scada/VSD, manufacture of control panels, applications for water distribution and manufacturing. The company operates from offices in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. Tel: +27 31 705 0400 or +27 16 422 7644 [email protected] www.autotronix.co.za Autotronix Iritron is a newmillennium technology company providing quality solutions in the fields of electrical instrumentation and control systems engineering, MES systems integration and simulations. It has a proven ability tomanage projects efficiently and produce high quality results. It has an extensive track record of successfully implementing plant infrastructure reticulation, designs, and automation and information systems. Iritron, aTUV accredited ISO 9001:2015; ISO 14001:1015 and ISO 45001:2018 as well as a GAMP®5: ARisk-BasedApproach toCompliant technology company, can offer its clients PLC, DCS, MES and scada software and hardware, as well as electrical and instrumentation design, engineering, project management and commissioning services. Tel: +27 12 349 2919 [email protected] www.iritron.co.za Iritron
www.instrumentation.co.za January 2023 13 AUTOMATION PROFESSIONALS Systems Automation and Management is a supplier of data acquisition systems and innovative automation solutions and is one of the leading integrators of PLC, scada and fieldbus systems in South Africa. The company’s comprehensive range of capabilities includes industrial networks, automation and control, scada, custom solutions, information delivery, data warehousing, hardware and software, BMS, MIS and MES. Tel: +27 11 803 0570 [email protected] www.sam.co.za SAM – Systems Automation and Management Process Dynamics specialises in industrial automation and process control. The company is one of Africa’s leaders in turnkey automation projects and specialises in the integration of scada (WINCC, PCS7, Wonderware, Citect and Ignition) and PLC ( Siemens, Schneider, Rockwell and Festo) as well as MCC and control panel manufacturing and installation. Process Dynamics is ISO 9001:2015 accredited as well as a registered CIDB company. Tel: +27 11 394 5412 [email protected] www.process-dynamics.co.za Process Dynamics PCS Global At PCS Global we understand that you’re ultimately in business tomaximise profits. This means reduced cost of ownership, increased uptime, consistent results and ultimately a solution that not only fits your budget but lets your business work whilst you’re at home with your family. To us that means providing a hassle free, customised engineering solution that exceeds your expectations. Are you ready to take your business to the next level?We are! Level 2 BBEEE , ISO 9001:2015, CIDB. Siemens, Schneider, Wonderware and Rockwell certified. Automation Innovation, it’s the new AI. Tel: +27 11 466 4172 [email protected] www.pcsglobal.com Proconics is a locally based multi-discipline engineering company that executes projects to improve and extend the life of factories. Proconics specialises in multi-discipline, short-term turnkey projects, featuring brownfield replacement projects as well as renewable grid connections. Tel: +27 16 982 7880 [email protected] www.proconics.co.za Proconics Philco Systems Philco Systems provides turnkey industrial automation solutions that are tailored to the client’s individual application, with 30 years’ experience in industrial automation design, drafting panel building, software engineering, field construction, commissioning and legacy migration. Philco Systems integrates a vast array of PLCs, VSDs, HMI, scada and instrumentation into custom solutions, which align with industry standards. At Philco we pride ourselves on building long-lasting customer relationships and have an excellent reputation for providing service and support to the clients’ automation systems. Tel: +27 35 751 1363 [email protected] www.philco.co.za What we are offering (an anually renewable subscription): South Africa’s only dedicated process control and factory automation publication. Whether you are a consulting engineer, a system integrator or a project house, we have the perfect marketing platform to put you in touch with nearly 4500 relevant control and automation practitioners in the automotive, food & beverage, mining, petrochemical, power, pulp & paper and water & wastewater industries. Name, contact details, logo and brief description of your business solution will appear in each issue of SA Instrumentation & Control magazine. Two A4 in depth editorials OR, two half page display advertisements – content of your choice. All articles will also be hosted on our website and appear in a prominent position in one of our electronic newsbriefs. PDF copies of the articles (to be used for your own purposes) will be provided after publication. Your listing will be published in a new“Choose Your Automation Professional” section of the annual SA Instrumentation & Control Buyers’ Guide and a link to your company web page in all directory listings. Contact: [email protected]
Plastic-lined magnetic drive pumps deliver a high level of safety and reliability when conveying corrosive, toxic or ultrapure media. However, this unique feature has so far come at the expense of some noticeable disadvantages with respect to pump performance; in addition, plastic as a material limits the robustness of the impeller and thus the head that can be achieved by the pump. By adapting the technologies used in the compressor industry, it has now been possible to develop a new generation of pumps that are closing the performance gap between mechanical seal pumps and metallic magnetic drive pumps. Richter Chemie-Technik’s MNK portfolio of seal-less magnetic drive pumps is designed for the conveyance of corrosive, hazardous, and pure media in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and petrochemical industries, semiconductor production, water treatment, pulp, metal processing and waste disposal/recycling. The product range is rated for everything from average to the most difficult operating conditions, for media where stainless steel, iron silicon alloy and others do not have sufficient corrosion resistance. As an alternative to pumps made of expensive exotic metals like Hastelloy, Monel and tantalum, MNK pumps can handle solids-laden, crystallising, toxic, hot or otherwise critical media. Magnetic drive pumps with monitoring – the best of two worlds
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjEzMjU=