At a gala dinner marking the final judging of the 2008 Siemens Cyber Junkyard competition as part of the annual Siemens Industry Sector TIA User Forum, it was a clean sweep for South African tertiary institutions. Top honours went to the North West University, closely followed by the Free State’s Central University of Technology and the Durban University of Technology.
The team from Northwest University took first place by impressing the judges with exceptional levels of ingenuity and creativity
From a total of 10 institutions – seven from South Africa and one each from Zambia, Botswana and Namibia, North West University was judged to have best met the project criteria to design and build a hot and cold beverage manufacturing machine incorporating complex elements such as HMI, wireless communication, visualisation, system status monitoring and PLC programming.
“With the proviso that all the equipment provided by Siemens and Festo had to be incorporated in the project, additional specifications included: single and batch order entry and delivery capability; the quality of the end product, consistency and order accuracy; speed of delivery; hygiene and safety,” says Devendree Karuppanan, Cyber Junkyard project manager at Siemens Industry Automation and Drive Technologies.
First prize winners, North West University, received R50 000 worth of Siemens equipment for the University, three weeks training at Siemens Training Center in Midrand for all the team’s students and six Fujitsu Siemens laptops.
Second placed Free State’s Central University of Technology received R30 000 worth of Siemens equipment for the University, two weeks training at Siemens Training Center in Midrand for all the students and six Tom Tom Navigators.
Third place winners, the Durban University of Technology, won R20 000 worth of Siemens equipment for the university, one weeks training at Siemens Training Center in Midrand for all students and six 80 gig Ipods.
With growing levels of enthusiasm year after year from tertiary institutions across southern Africa, the Siemens team is already looking forward to next year’s project says Karuppanan.
Reinstatement opportunity for ECSA registration
News
In 2023 the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) announced a special opportunity for engineers in South Africa to reinstate their registration status if it had been cancelled. This exclusive offer is available until the end of August 2024.
Read more...Fuel your competitive edge with tech that transforms
News
The KwaZulu-Natal Industrial Technology Exhibition 2025, taking place from 22 to 24 July at the Durban Exhibition Centre, offers a vibrant, solution-focused platform tailored to the unique needs of KwaZulu-Natal’s industrial, manufacturing, engineering, maritime, agricultural and mining sectors.
Read more...Driving digital transformation in the truck industry Siemens South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
Tatra Trucks, a leading truck manufacturer in Czechia, has adopted the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of industry software including Teamcenter software for product lifecycle management and the Mendix low code platform to help increase production volume and strengthen its ability to manufacture vehicles that meet specific customer requirements.
Read more...Enhancing cyber security for industrial drives Siemens South Africa
IT in Manufacturing
The growing connection between production networks and office networks as part of IT/OT integration and the utilisation of IoT have many benefits for industrial companies. At the same time, they also increase the risk of cyber threats. Siemens ensures that your know-how and plants are protected at all times.
Read more...Schneider Electric launches first registered Innovation Hub in Africa Schneider Electric South Africa
News
Schneider Electric has officially launched its first registered Innovation Hub in Africa. This provides an interactive environment where visitors can explore the company’s integrated solutions across key segments and businesses such as energy, buildings, data centres, industrial, and power and grid.
Read more...A strategic milestone for Conical Technologies Conical Technologies
News
Conical Technologies has been appointed as the sole distributor in southern Africa for Mibbo, manufacturers of a vast array of products for the automation industry.
printer friendly version