No, it is not gender I’m referring to, but a class of drone known as ‘Medium Altitude, Long Endurance’, of which the Bayraktar TB2 is one, and about which I wrote in my previous column (www.instrumentation.co.za/16288r).
Now that I have your attention, let us get onto other topics of the day. Myself (representing SAIMC), Prof. George van Schoor (North-West University), Henry Heymans (Siemens), Dr LW Beneke (Tshwane University of Technology), and Prof. Theo van Niekerk (Nelson Mandela University) recently put our heads together and drafted the Discipline Specific Training Guidelines (DSTG) for Mechatronics. These guidelines cover mechatronics devices, factory automation and process automation.
The next task assigned to Prof. van Schoor, Prof. van Niekerk, Itumeleng Moerane (Bafokeng Platinum) and I by ECSA (Engineering Council of South Africa) is to draft the Code of Practice for Mechatronics. Our next assignment from ECSA is the registration of Enterprise Integration Professionals (for MOM/MES activities), following the recent vote by MESA Africa’s executive committee in favour of integration into the SAIMC. I will keep readers posted on our progress.
“The alignment comes at a time where both business and operations seek the benefits of technology to improve operations and service, maximise customer engagement, and improve revenue. These are core components of operations technology and information technology convergence, and the smart factory that is the passion and expertise available within MESA Africa,” reads a statement from MESA Africa.
The SAIMC negotiated the collaboration deal with MESA International (Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association International), a global non-profit organisation providing education, networking and best-practice sharing around smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0. MESA’s community includes manufacturers, producers, industry leaders and solution providers focused on driving business results from manufacturing technology.
According to this collaboration model:
The SAIMC will form a core committee to engage with MESA International. The name of this group is still under discussion.
• Individual members of SAIMC may join MESA International at a reduced rate depending on their chosen category. There are four categories for individuals, ranging from $80 to $200 per annum. The benefits include white papers, event presentations, webinar recordings, eBooks and guidebooks.
By the way, I see there are also many FEMALEs ruling the world. This is also not a gender, but ‘Freaking Expensive Medium Altitude, Long Endurance’ class drones like the Denel Dynamics Bateleur and the Yabhon United 40.
Yours in Automation,
Johan Maartens
| Tel: | +27 11 312 2445 |
| Email: | [email protected] |
| www: | www.saimc.co.za |
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