Strikes and panic buying - why the hype? We have recently endured a strike by the petroleum workers and it had the whole country in a panic. There were long queues at the petrol stations, shortages, and people driving around frantically for fuel, but wasting the precious stuff in their quest.
Vivian MacFadyen
In retrospect, the whole matter became a needless and costly comedy. I am sure that some individuals became wealthier from the negotiations, but it was not the workers. The strikers were out for eight days, and if you consider the settlement minus the losses to the workers, the outcome may be even lower than the employers were prepared to pay in the first place.
This illustrates how people can be manipulated by clever presentation of the facts. This also happens in our industry; just look at manufacturers' product specification sheets. The accuracy of products is frequently quoted with reference to vague and complicated formulae making comparisons almost impossible without plotting the curves on a graph.
Other aspects are also highlighted beyond their relevance. These could involve simple issues such as caged terminal screws, calibration procedure, or programmability. Once the lid is on and it is working, what is the relevance of these matters? An astute engineer will disregard all issues excepting those specifically related to the function and reliability in operation. In fact, it may be that only two issues are relevant: mean time between failure and price.
What about accuracy you ask. Well, in the majority of instances, the accuracy of a product is far better than the situation requires. If you only need to measure temperature to 1,0°C, why buy something that measures better than 0,1 K. These decisions need to be made in the cold light of reason. Weigh up the reliability of the supplier, the product and the cost for the particular application. This is where skill and experience make the difference.
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.
Read more...From the office of the CEO: Introduction to GRIP SAIMC
SAIMC
Industry has long been concerned about graduates who have no understanding of the modern equipment they will face in industry. This has triggered an investigation into the possibility of creating a facility whereby graduates register with the SAIMC and rotate through all the vendors to obtain experience on modern equipment.
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SAIMC
The SAIMC Durban Branch hosted a technology meeting featuring a presentation by Abacus Automation on the practical role of AI in industrial automation, drawing considerable interest from attendees.
Read more...SAIMC: Johannesburg branch SAIMC
SAIMC
Instrotech recently hosted a technical presentation on load cell technology and applications at the SAIMC Johannesburg Technology Evening, presented by Trevor Salzwedel. The session covered load cell fundamentals, selection and installation, mechanical considerations and calibration methods.
Read more...SAIMC: Johannesburg Golf Day SAIMC
SAIMC
The SAIMC Johannesburg Golf Day on 22 May 2026 brought together 16 four-balls for a day of golf, networking and fundraising, with generous support from sponsors across the instrumentation and control sector.
Read more...SAIMC: Johannesburg branch SAIMC
SAIMC
The Johannesburg Branch had the privilege of being hosted by Phoenix Contact for our technology event in May. Shamil Surbun, BU manager for Automation, presented a CPD-accredited session on ‘From Sensor to Cloud: How SPE and APL Are Transforming Industrial Connectivity’.
Read more...From the office of the CEO: Power Hour goes national SAIMC
SAIMC
South Africa’s automation, control, mechatronics and computer engineering community is changing fast, and the SAIMC is changing with it. I am excited to announce a new national initiative that will reshape how we deliver technical knowledge, strengthen branch identity and bring our community together like never before.
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