Rustenburg Branch
June 2004
SAIMC
Our May meeting was well attended and a presentation by Innomatic proved to be most informative and interesting. Gerhard Badenhorst, a fieldbus system specialist at Innomatic, delivered a well-organised lecture on Profibus and AS-Interface (affectionately termed 'Azzie bus') networking systems.
Gerhard Badenhorst presenting the Profibus and AS-Interface lecture
Instead of the normal inconvenience and difficulties associated with demonstrating equipment to many people at the same time, Gerhard effectively used a video camera to display the live operation of the equipment on the normal Proxima, and consequently no one needed to move out of their seats because it was all clearly visible on the screen in front. A neat trick that should perhaps be noted by would-be presenters of the future!
Some members obviously intrigued by the presentation
The technology, without a doubt, is increasing exponentially and not only are more and more features being offered for less cost, but the self-analysis diagnostic facilities are becoming unbelievably intelligent.
The presentation brought home the fact that instrumentation today is truly very 'hi-tech' and is perhaps now the most sophisticated field of all engineering disciplines. The emphasis on technical education cannot be stressed too highly for future generations. Like the old motor mechanics who are slowly fading away because modern engines and vehicle technology has become so sophisticated, are we in danger of losing our mechanics and technicians? The answer undoubtedly lies in education and re-training programmes.
Brian White, Vice-Chairman, Rustenburg Branch, [email protected]
Further reading:
SAIMC: From the office of the CEO: Recognising winners
SAIMC
SAIMC
The Africa Automation and Technology Fair proved to be another successful event – and that is before any formal figures have been released.
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SAIMC: Durban branch
SAIMC
SAIMC
The Durban branch of the SAIMC was pleased to welcome Vusi Sithole, managing member of Hybrid Control Corporation in Richards Bay, who presented\on the very pertinent topic of ‘Infrastructure monitoring and control for water loss management’.
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SAIMC: Sunshine, swings and smiles: Durban Golf Day hits a high note
Technews Publishing (SA Instrumentation & Control)
SAIMC
We say it every year, and we’ll say it again: May in Durban is hard to beat; but 9 May, when the Durban Golf Day teed off at Kloof Country Club, was something else. With sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 20s, it was a fantastic day, full of fun and great energy.
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SAIMC User Advisory Council KS4I event: Bridging the industry/education divide
SAIMC
Horst Weinert, head of Didactic at Festo Southern/Eastern Africa, will be sharing some of Festo’s Didactic experiences of working across industry and education. He will cover training for productivity and employability in the public and private sectors, discussing especially the potential for inter-company training centres.
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SAIMC: From the office of the CEO: Understanding the Engineering Profession Act
SAIMC
SAIMC
For a full and detailed explanation of whether you are doing engineering work, I recommend visiting the ECSA website and looking up the IoEW Gazette. Meanwhile, here’s a simplified breakdown to get you started and hopefully encourage you to explore further.
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SAIMC: Johannesburg branch
SAIMC
SAIMC
The local Johannesburg Branch of the SAIMC recently hosted a Technology Evening at Bryanston Sports Club on 9 April 2025.
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SAIMC: Durban branch
SAIMC
SAIMC
The April technology meeting for the Durban branch of the SAIMC was kindly sponsored by ProRisk, a subsidiary company of the Proconics Group of Companies. Process safety engineer, Guillaume de Swardt gave a fascinating presentation on the power of operational risk control by utilising CFD software.
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SAIMC User Advisory Council KS4I event
SAIMC Supplier Advisory Council
SAIMC
The SAIMC User Advisory Council started 2025 with its first event in the ‘Knowlege Sharing 4 Industry’ event series on the 19th of March.
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Knowledge Sharing 4 Industry
SAIMC
In proud partnership with Innomotics, SAIMC will be hosting the first Knowledge Sharing 4 Industry event for 2025.
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Getting your OT data into the cloud – the why and the how
SAIMC
As users recognise the benefits of a digital transformation strategy for their industrial plants and systems and start to adopt it, they soon face the challenge of getting operational technology data securely and reliably to a cloud service provider of their choice.
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