Johannesburg branch
October 2005
SAIMC
This month was something special; my confidence in the sustained future of kndustrial knstrumentation engineering in South Africa was reinforced. I have just spent some hours with a group of techno-junkies who will form the core of the future instrumentation fraternity. Let me tell you about it.
The Johannesburg Branch of the SAIMC has offered the University of Johannesburg and the Vaal University of Technology to provide guest lecturers to provide a total of 10 hours tuition to these two institutions. The subjects to be covered are flow, level, temperature, pressure and digital communication. This is a grand opportunity to infuse our passion for this wonderful subject (or should that read subjects?)
I was the first to be thrown to the lions, or so I imagined. I was very wrong; the 47 students from the University of Johannesburg were fantastic! They were interested in their future professions; they listened attentively, and asked sensible and pertinent questions. These young men and women will carry this industry on into the future, and the mind boggles at what technical advances will be made in their time. Of course, their regular lecturer, Gert Potgieter, had kindled their interest and we must compliment him for his dedication. After the event, the head of the department, Johann Fouche, phoned to express his appreciation.
The only one unfortunate aspect about this is that there were far too few students. We all must encourage young people to join this fascinating industry.
The entire agreement between the SAIMC and the universities was conceived and concluded by Nico Marneweck of our Education Subcommittee. He must be commended for this initiative.
Remember, our meetings are normally held every second Wednesday of the month at the Rivonia Recreation Club at 18h00 for 18h30. Come and join us for an opportunity to network and to learn from many experts in their particular fields.
Vivian MacFadyen, chairman, Johannesburg Branch SAIMC
Further reading:
SAIMC: From the office of the COO
SAIMC
SAIMC
The recognition of mechatronics and computer engineering has created both an opportunity and a responsibility. Recognition means little without participation, professional registration without professional conduct, and technical knowledge without the mentorship, implementation and measurable value that industry needs.
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SAIMC: Johannesburg branch
SAIMC
SAIMC
Hendrik Spies of SICK Automation Southern Africa presented at the SAIMC Johannesburg Technology Evening on 12 August 2026, covering the digital journey from condition monitoring to predictive maintenance.
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SAIMC: Johannesburg branch: Distilled to perfection: Women’s Month gin experience
SAIMC
SAIMC
The SAIMC Johannesburg branch celebrated Ladies Month with a gin tasting event.
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SAIMC: Durban branch
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SAIMC
The SAIMC Durban branch hosted S’yabonga Langa, systems performance engineer at eThekwini Electricity, who presented on applying substation automation to improve operational efficiency and service quality in modern power distribution networks.
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SAIMC INSPIRE conference extends abstract submission deadline
SAIMC
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Following requests from our sponsors, the SAIMC INSPIRE conference has officially extended the abstract submission deadline to 28 August 2026.
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SAIMC: From the office of the COO
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SAIMC
Recognising practical engineering talent is a missing link in the South Africa’s skills pipeline.
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SAIMC: Durban Technology Evening
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SAIMC
The SAIMC Durban branch hosted a Technology Evening on mobile machine automation.
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SAIMC: Eastern Cape branch
SAIMC
SAIMC
The SAIMC Eastern Cape Branch co-hosted a satellite viewing site for ICRA 2026 at Nelson Mandela University, giving postgraduate students, academics and local industry professionals access to premier international robotics and automation keynote sessions.
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SAIMC: Johannesburg Technology Evening
SAIMC
SAIMC
The SAIMC Johannesburg Branch July Technology Evening, hosted by WIKA Instruments, covered key level measurement technologies and featured live product demonstrations from area sales manager Anthony Terblanche.
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International robotics conference streams live to Africa
SAIMC
The SAIMC hosted five live-stream viewing events across South Africa for the IEEE International Conference of Robotics and Automation in Vienna, bringing global robotics research and technology directly to local industry and academia.
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