SAIMC: Johannesburg branch

June 2014 SAIMC

At its April Technology Evening, the Johannesburg branch hosted Kevin Preston from Phoenix Contact on ‘Basics of Functional Safety in the Process and Mining Industry’.

The Presentation covered an understanding of functional safety in the workplace and examples of historical accidents, which led to the formulation of standards and regulations. Further, the presentation covered risk identification and analysis coupled with the multitude of parameters for SIL (Safety Integrity Level) classification and certification.

Functional safety is very closely related to explosion safety, but is dedicated to the safety of personnel, where explosion safety tends to focus more on the process and production safety technologies. Functional safety is sometimes confused with NOSA or AOHSA. Although the aims are similar when it comes to the movement of personnel. Functional safety addresses the loop safety of the process, thus ensuring personnel safety in the plant and surrounds.

The branch thanks Kevin for his valued and informative presentation.

The following site visits are planned for the course of the year:

* Unilever.

* 3M.

* Sedibeng Brewery.

* AST.

As well as the following Technology Evenings:

* Beckhoff.

* E+H.

* Robor.

The Johannesburg branch will also be hosting its annual golf day in August, formal invitations to follow soon.

Further reading:

SAIMC: From the office of the COO
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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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SAIMC: Johannesburg branch
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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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SAIMC: Johannesburg branch: Distilled to perfection: Women’s Month gin experience
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The SAIMC Johannesburg branch celebrated Ladies Month with a gin tasting event.

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SAIMC: Durban branch
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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 INSPIRE conference extends abstract submission deadline
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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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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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The SAIMC Durban branch hosted a Technology Evening on mobile machine automation.

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SAIMC: Eastern Cape branch
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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
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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
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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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