The provision of comprehensive training and in-depth practical exposure to the products, systems and solutions that make up the complex world of modern industrial automation can lead to greater plant efficiencies and significantly reduced maintenance costs.
Des Burrows, business unit manager at Sitrain training and aftersales service and support for Siemens Southern Africa’s Industry Sector, says the organisation has adopted a multifaceted approach to skills development that establishes the levels of prevailing knowledge within an enterprise, matches this with a needs analysis, and then offers training courses aimed at bridging the gap. “As the customer training organisation that provides all the training for the Industrial Automation and Drive Technologies divisions within Siemens Southern Africa, we use our resources to add value through the provision of training and needs analysis on all the Siemens equipment that is brought to market.”
According to Burrows, Sitrain adds value to training courses offered by providing a free-of-charge comprehensive training analysis on the Siemens equipment installed at a customer’s site. This highlights where skills gaps exist. “The needs analysis forms part of an holistic overview of the automation process, involving one-on-one interviews with staff to identify gaps and give advice on how to close them. Following this, we are able to choose the appropriate courses for the customer and where non-Siemens equipment is installed, offer advice on where to source training for those third party devices.”
Keeping in mind that prevention is better than cure, Burrows says that Sitrain has introduced hands-on training for fault finding and troubleshooting, two specialised courses that will assist delegates find faults or troubleshoot on PLCs and drives. “This training empowers the customer to take responsibility for first line maintenance and in the process, save substantial sums in callout or repair fees. “The five-day S7 troubleshooting and the two-day drives maintenance course equip our customers to perform any necessary first line maintenance themselves.”
Having moved into new premises at Siemens Park in Midrand, Burrows say the facility now boasts an area with five classrooms and several demonstration rooms with installed equipment that facilitates the right combination of theoretical and practical training.
RS South Africa shapes future engineering talent RS South Africa
News
RS South Africa is demonstrating that nurturing future engineers goes beyond traditional classrooms or competitions. On STEM Day, the company shone a light on the full spectrum of its educational initiatives.
Read more...UKZN’s SMART lab wins aviation award
News
: The SMART Lab at UKZN was awarded first place in the Aviation Research and Development category at the Civil Aviation Authority of South Africa’s award ceremony for outstanding contributions and achievements in the aviation sector.
Read more...Meta and partners announce completion of 2Africa subsea cable system
News
Meta, in partnership with leading global and regional telecommunications companies, has announced the completion and activation of the core 2Africa subsea cable system. This marks a historic milestone in digital infrastructure, establishing what the world’s longest open-access subsea cable system.
Read more...SEW-EURODRIVE unveils world class facility in Gqeberha
News
In a landmark event in the Eastern Cape attended by key customers and industry leaders, SEW-EURODRIVE officially opened its expanded state-of-the-art facility in Gqeberha, marking a major milestone in its strategy to strengthen regional support and deepen its footprint in the region.
Read more...Africa’s brightest young battery innovators Schneider Electric South Africa
News
Schneider Electric and Enactus, the international NGO dedicated to inspiring students through entrepreneurial action, have announced the winners of the 2025 Energy Transition Battery Innovation Challenge, funded by the Schneider Electric Foundation. It empowers young innovators to design battery solutions addressing the region’s most pressing energy challenges.
Read more...The road to the Indaba
News
The Africa Automation Indaba 2026 is set to become a landmark gathering for Africa’s automation, process control and manufacturing community. SA Instrumentation and Control will be running a dedicated editorial series spotlighting the voices, ideas and debates shaping Africa’s industrial future.
Read more...Crash reconstruction tests advance vehicle safety research
News
The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Scientific Multidisciplinary Advanced Research Technologies (SMART) Lab recently participated in a series of collaborative crash reconstruction tests held at the Toyota Test Track.
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 and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.
printer friendly version