The Johannesburg Branch of the SAIMC held its AGM on 10 March. The 2010 committee was elected – the majority of the 2009 stalwarts committed to devoting another year to furthering the aims of the industry, whilst we welcomed some new faces too. We would like to welcome Terri Bowey, Alvin Seitz, Andrew Bharath and Syd Thoresson to our diversely talented crew. Office bearers are Debbie Scott (chairperson), Johan van Jaarsveldt (treasurer) and Eric Carter (secretary). Other committee members are Paulo de Sousa Gomes, Johan Maartens and Jay King. The guest speaker for the well attended event was Chris Yelland, a noted commentator on the electrical industry and also the managing editor of EE Publishers. His presentation entitled ‘Watt Power’ certainly shed new light on the current Eskom supply situation.
Chris Yelland
Forthcoming attraction
Our monthly Technical Evenings resume on 14 April 2010 with a presentation by Gary Friend, sales director for Extech Safety Systems, titled Intrinsic Safety. IS is the preferred protection technique for many instrumentation installations. He will look at the origins and principles of IS, including hazardous area zoning and the implications for dusts. He will then examine and compare the use of zener barriers and galvanic isolators. He will look at how loop approvals are done and how cable lengths are calculated. The presentation will end with a brief look at IS for fieldbus and for Ethernet. We hope to see you all there – same place, same time – Rivonia Recreation Club, Achter Road, Rivonia at 18h00.
SAIMC: From the office of the CEO SAIMC
SAIMC
The INSPIRE Conference 2026 brought industry and academia together to explore advances in automation, AI, mechatronics and engineering. It also marked a new direction for the SAIMC as it works to build future-ready engineering talent and strengthen South Africa’s automation industry.
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SAIMC Durban members went behind the scenes at the ATNS facility at King Shaka International Airport. The visit offered a fascinating look at the sophisticated technology and highly trained people keeping South Africa’s skies safe.
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At the SAIMC Durban branch September 2026 technology meeting, Werner Das of SICK explored how deep learning is moving industrial machine vision beyond rule-based systems into practical, everyday quality control on the factory floor.
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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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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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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
The inaugural SAIMC INSPIRE Conference will bring together the industrial automation, robotics and academic communities for two days of presentations, panel discussions and networking, and will explore developments in smart manufacturing, mining, robotics
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