Changing the demographics of the industry
February 2005
News
With South Africa having come through a particularly tumultuous period of change, there exists an awkward imbalance in the demographics of training and experience within the population. On the one hand companies need the necessary skills to run viable organisations, on the other hand they need to play their part in assisting in the necessary adjustments to spread opportunities equally across the race groups. Eminently qualified whites can find that positions suitable for them are hard to find - while other race groups with the same training and experience are in short supply. While the transition in our country has been nothing short of miraculous, there is still much to be done. It is not `business as usual' and effort needs to be expended in directions that the existing systems were not set up for. The SAIMC is involving itself in the matter of training - turn to the Education and Training feature 'SAIMC professional development and training'.
I&C in Astronomy
In this issue we have an added bonus for those having an interest in astronomy. This month we have an article on the control system for the SALT (Southern African Large Telescope).
Compared to industrial processing plants, a telescope may seem a relatively simple piece of equipment to control. Of course, SALT is not a simple instrument. Once you consider all those reflector segments needing to be kept in correct alignment - and then the task of maintaining correct orientation of the other massive components, and the careful monitoring and control of temperatures... An instrument that is based on a simple concept ends up requiring a rather complex control system. Read all about it in 'Central control system for SALT (Southern African Large Telescope)'.
John Gibbs, editor
Send your letters to the editor, [email protected]
For all your Instrumentation & control shopping, visit www.ibg.co.za
You can access past articles at www.instrumentation.co.za
Further reading:
Palabora Mining Company and LH Marthinusen launch robotics and coding initiative
News
In a joint effort to advance education and digital skills development in Phalaborwa, Palabora Mining Company (PMC) and LH Marthinusen (LHM) have partnered to establish a fully equipped robotics and coding classroom at a local high school.
Read more...
A new era for African engineering
News
A group of mostly South African engineering professionals who bought a controlling margin of the South African arm of Netherlands-based engineering consultancy Royal HaskoningDHV have rebranded it as Atana.
Read more...
SEW-EURODRIVE builds regional strength with Gqeberha expansion
News
With the Eastern Cape firmly established as a hub for key industries such as automotive manufacturing, ports, agriprocessing and renewable energy, SEW-EURODRIVE is strengthening its presence in the region through an ongoing significant expansion of its facility in Gqeberha.
Read more...
Functional safety explained
News
The SAIMC supports Pepperl+Fuchs, a National Member, in a free four-part online seminar series focused on Functional Safety.
Read more...
The Future of manufacturing in Africa
News
The future and development of African manufacturing will be discussed extensively at the upcoming Manufacturing Indaba conference, to be hosted on 15 to 16 July 2025 at Johannesburg’s Sandton Convention Centre.
Read more...
Reinstatement opportunity for ECSA registration
News
In 2023 the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) announced a special opportunity for engineers in South Africa to reinstate their registration status if it had been cancelled. This exclusive offer is available until the end of August 2024.
Read more...
Fostering a collaborative learning environment for sugar producer
SKF South Africa
News
One of South Africa’s leading sugar producers made strategic use of its off-crop season, turning scheduled downtime into an opportunity for both essential maintenance and valuable skills development with the help of SKF
Read more...
TechAccess and Schneider Electric partnership goes from strength to strength
Schneider Electric South Africa
News
Schneider Electric, together with its longstanding partner TechAccess, is poised to take the Southern African market by storm.
Read more...
Steinmüller Africa and Eskom uplift eMalahleni communities
News
Steinmüller Africa, in partnership with Eskom, has reaffirmed its commitment to social upliftment by donating essential goods and creating meaningful connections with two impactful community organisations in eMalahleni.
Read more...
Comtest calibration user group seminar
News
Comtest invites metrology and calibration professionals to a focused technical seminar series aimed at demystifying some of the most common hurdles in inter-laboratory comparisons.
Read more...
printer friendly version