Eric Carter (right) thanks Malcolm Heathfield after the presentation.
At the last Technology Evening, Malcolm Heathfield of Adroit Technologies gave a well received presentation on the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT is a scenario in which objects, animals or people are provided with unique identifiers and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. Malcolm walked us through some scenarios of machine-machine interaction and the underlying enabling technologies.
Machine-to-machine (M2M) describes any technology that enables networked devices to exchange information and perform actions without the manual assistance of humans. Malcolm covered topics such as short range technologies, cloud computing, types of clouds, services choices, predicted Internet growth, M2M growth and enablers, challenges for cellular networks, M2M revenue opportunities, changing client expectations, challenges with BI for industry, partially cloud-based systems, entirely cloud-based systems, data transmission and scada hosting in the cloud.
The branch thank’s Malcolm for his valued and informative talk.
Site visit
During March, members were treated to a 2,5 km walking tour of BMW’s Rosslyn plant by knowledgeable 80 odd year old Jo Klut, who has been working at the plant for 18 years. Also joining us on the tour was a group of learners from The Mountain Cambridge School in Hartbeespoort.
The plant produces one 4-door 3-series BMW every 4 minutes, which means about 360 cars in 24 hours, with 90% of the 520 component parts arriving from the neighbouring steel plant about 3 hours before the build. The car’s body is assembled with minimum human intervention by 188 Kuka Robots, of which 8 do the measurements required to ensure the body alignment remains within an 0,2% tolerance. The body is designed in such a way that it can be configured as a right-hand or left-hand drive, so the only difference in the body assembly line is whether or not the car has a sunroof.
After the tour, the branch took the opportunity to shed some light on the control and instrumentation industry by talking to the students and answering their enthusiastic questions, filled with energy and expectation of what the future might hold for them.
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.
Read more...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.
Read more...SAIMC: Durban branch SAIMC
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.
Read more...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.
Read more...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.
Read more...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.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.
printer friendly version