At a night of spectacle, Siemens along with partners Festo, Lappcable and Afrox hosted the ninth annual Cyber Junkyard Competition and Awards ceremony.
The day began with a breakfast meeting hosted by Siemens where guests were introduced to the new go-to-market re-organisation of the Industry Sector by the divisional director for IA/DT. “For us as a leading supplier of equipment for industry, being close to our customers, distributors, system integrators and markets is a key driver for sustainable growth. Only by understanding the requirements and processes typical in our market, working closely together and maintaining our partnerships on a continuous basis can we provide the right support to sustain profitable growth,” commented Mr. Moodley.
During these proceedings the judging of the Cyber Junkyard entries was under way. Students from Tertiary institutions as far away as Zambia and Germany had their first opportunity to measure their mettle against fellow students in a test of engineering capability. The benefits of completing the ‘Bubble and Brains’ challenge successfully included exposure to cutting-edge industrial automation products, tools and technologies, the opportunity to network with industry representatives, access to employment opportunities and much sought-after training at the Siemens Sitrain campus and the Festo Didactic and Lapp Kabel training facilities. The student project was based around the concepts of sustainability and innovation and the young engineers worked tirelessly for months on an automated E-car powered by compressed air and the sun.
The awards ceremony that evening was attended by key figures in the automation and drives markets as well as government representatives. Guests were allowed to interact with the prototypes on display before being seated to await the results of the competition.
“Today, the people of Siemens work to improve power grids and electric motors to make E-cars a reality on the streets worldwide. And this evening, I am excited to see that our own young South African talent, guided by our own Siemens employees, are developing their skills in future technologies such as e-mobility. Siemens is committed to developing engineering talents. We focus on keeping our talent pipeline filled. We need the best to develop the answers for the toughest questions of our time. One way to develop our talent is to invest in skills development programmes and initiatives,” remarked Siemens executive director Alex Mathole during her keynote address.
The proceedings did not disappoint with the Cape Peninsula University of Technology taking top honours followed in second place by Tshwane University of Technology and in third place the Nelson Mandela University of Technology.
For more information contact Keshin Govender, Siemens Southern Africa, +27 (0)11 652 2412, keshin.govender@siemens.com, www.siemens.co.za
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