MESA forums focus on sustainability

September 2010 News

2010 is the year selected by the MESA SA executive committee to focus on sustainability in manufacturing. This year’s first user forum was hosted by Sappi at its group head office in Braamfontein. The forum was opened by Paulo de Sousa Gomes who introduced MESA as the Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association, whose objective is to promote MES (manufacturing execution systems) in southern Africa through education and events.

The first presentation titled ‘Where are we going?’ was made by Liezl Krummeck, regional chairperson for Sappi’s sustainability council. Liezl provided an overview of Sappi’s sustainability mission and explained why this has become an important business imperative for the company. The next presentation covered corporate sustainability, presented by André Oberholzer, Sappi group head corporate affairs. André’s presentation stressed the importance of building an internal understanding to support behaviour change based on Sappi’s sustainability charter. The last presentation was given by Dr Paolo Gianadda on ‘Energy 101 – Environment, Energy and Climate’. This was based on Sappi’s energy focus and its roadmap beyond 2010.

Finally, partially sighted motivational speaker, Leon Steyn, gave a fascinating talk on ‘HMI – A new Perspective’. This gave the attendees an inspiring view on how partially sighted persons deal with the daily challenges normally sighted people take for granted.

The second forum, hosted by EOH on 3 August, continued the sustainability theme with very informative presentations by the guest speakers. The forum was opened by Gerhard Greef from Bytes and facilitated by Paulo de Sousa Gomes from Honeywell.

The first presentation was made by John Coetzee, business systems manager: manufacturing, SAB. He spoke about SAB systems and sustainable manufacturing. The next presentation by Bobby Kupresan of PBMR focused on cyber security in industrial control systems and stressed the importance and implications of security on sustainability. The final speaker was Claire Janisch, senior associate of the Cambridge Programme for sustainability leadership in South Africa and a founding director of Engineers for a Sustainable World SA. Claire’s presentation was an insightful look at the field of biomimicry and how wonderfully the creatures in nature can provide us with answers about how to do things with less negative impact on the environment in the future.

Presentations can be downloaded from http://rcpt.yousendit.com/922380655/48e866f6c957bf368759185721abcdd7

The highlight of the year will be the annual conference scheduled for 21 October.

For more information contact Shaun Tosen, MESA SA, +27 (0)11 407 8212, shaun.tosen@sappi.com

Further reading:

Mining industry alignment will define Africa’s PDS journey
News
As African mines advance toward higher safety standards and respond to tightening regulations and rapid technological change, Booyco Electronics says the future of proximity detection systems will be shaped by strong long-term industry collaboration.

Read more...

---

RS South Africa launches student fund for future engineers
RS South Africa News
RS South Africa has launched the Student Project Fund, an initiative designed to support engineering and technology students as they transform innovative ideas into practical solutions.

Read more...

---

Raysonics Industrial celebrates 6,5 million injury-free hours
News
Raysonics Industrial, formerly DEKRA Industrial, has achieved a significant safety milestone, recording 6,5 million lost-time injury-free hours across its national operations.

Read more...

---

SICK earns Great Place To Work certification
SICK Automation Southern Africa News
Sensor specialist SICK South Africa has been awarded Great Place to Work certification recognising the positive working environment and strong workplace culture it has developed.

Read more...

---

Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation chooses finalists
News
The Royal Academy of Engineering has shortlisted 16 innovators for the 2026 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation. This is the continent’s largest prize dedicated to stimulating, celebrating and rewarding engineering innovation and entrepreneurship across sub-Saharan Africa.

Read more...

---

From the Editor's desk: The AI paradox
Technews Publishing (SA Instrumentation & Control) News
AI has only been around in everyday life for a couple of years, but it’s resulted in a huge need for data storage and processing. The race to plug it into everything means that data centres are being ...

Read more...

---

BMG supports rising racing motorsport star
Bearing Man Group t/a BMG News
Backed by BMG and Liqui Moly, young South African racing driver, Karabo Malemela delivered a standout 2025 season in the BMW ///M Performance Parts Race Series, competing as part of the Pablo Clark Racing Motorsport Development Programme.

Read more...

---

Iritron Achieves Level 1 B-BBEE Status
Iritron News
Iritron has achieved Level 1 B-BBEE Contributor status, up from Level 2 previously. This prestigious verification underscores Iritron’s unwavering commitment to transformation, inclusivity and sustainable empowerment in South Africa.

Read more...

---

RS South Africa celebrates three local university winners
RS South Africa News
RS South Africa, is celebrating the success of local student engineering teams following the announcement of the Formula Student Build Fund 2026 winners. The global initiative, led by RS, supports student teams around the world as they transform ambitious engineering concepts into fully functional Formula Student race cars.

Read more...

---

RS South Africa aligns with global shift towards sustainable packaging
RS South Africa News
RS South Africa is aligning with a global drive to reduce plastic waste as part of the Plastic Out programme led by the RS Group. The initiative aims to reduce emissions, minimise waste, and transform packaging across its international operations and value chain.

Read more...

---