For most South Africans, 2016 got off to a rocky start and many, including myself, believed that things would deteriorate even further. At the beginning of January, global stock markets plummeted in a paranoid reaction to the slowdown in the Chinese economy. As a result, commodity prices collapsed with the price of crude oil dropping to below $30 per barrel; while copper and iron ore prices plumbed new lows in sympathy. This had a profound effect on some of South Africa’s most established mining houses, which resulted in many new projects being scrapped as companies scrambled to reorganise their operations. Locally, the ‘Three Finance Ministers in Four Days’ affair sent the Rand into free-fall, with the currency reaching R16.84 to the dollar in late January – and then there was Brexit.
However, despite all of the negativity around during the first quarter, things did not in fact get worse; they got better. There are still problems, but it seems as if we the people rallied together and said enough is enough, and mostly, the country is better off because of it.
Here at SA Instrumentation and Control, it has been a busy 12 months with many exciting developments and even a new publication. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) burst onto the scene amidst the blare of marketing trumpets, with tag lines like ‘The Fourth Industrial Revolution’ catching many a seasoned industrialist by surprise. To cut through all this hyperbole, we introduced a new industry guide that received compliments from many of our international peers.
At the SAIMC, Oratile Sematle in his first year as president took the Society a step closer to its goal of having automation inaugurated as the tenth official engineering discipline, as recognised by ECSA (more from Oratile in 'From the President's desk').
In amongst it all, product manager Jane van der Spuy put her formidable organisational skills to good use as a member of the team that brought the EtherCAT Technology Group back to South Africa. This highly popular series of breakfast seminars, sponsored by SA Power and Beckhoff Automation, attracted over 350 automation professionals from around the country to venues in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Durban (see the report in 'Ethernet on the fly is just faster').
In closure for this year, we wish all our readers and advertisers a happy and restful holiday break. Come back refreshed and ready for the challenges of 2017.
Pump spares and parts for Africa
News
KSB Pumps and Valves explains how its decentralised stockholding and local manufacturing keep spares and parts available across its installed base in Africa.
Read more...Inspiration for times of change Endress+Hauser South Africa
News
More than 2000 customers, partners and experts gathered in Basel, Switzerland, for the Endress+Hauser Global Forum in April 2026. Under the theme of driving sustainable transformation together, the event combined keynote sessions on strategy, technology and the future of work with practical case studies from across the process industry.
Read more...The gender gap in SA’s engineering sector
News
South Africa’s engineering sector is facing a critical gender imbalance, with women making up just 16% of registered engineering professionals compared to 84% of men.
Read more...Safe removal of the historic US 181
News
Mammoet provided the heavy-lift expertise that helped remove the 2300 ton centre span of the historic US 181 Harbor Bridge in Corpus Christi, Texas, using a precision lift-and-lower method that protected nearby marine environments and reopened navigation channels swiftly.
Read more...Africa Energy Indaba 2027 aims to ignite the power revolution
News
Africa Energy Indaba 2027 takes place from 2 to 4 March 2027 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, bringing together ministers, utilities, investors and developers to accelerate energy generation, unlock investment and drive the continent’s industrial future.
Read more...Major bearing tender for SKF SKF South Africa
News
SKF has secured a major bearing supply tender from an Algerian steelmaker, reinforcing its position in the metals segment across North Africa.
Read more...Closing the energy efficiency gap at SKF’s Tech & Innovation Summit SKF South Africa
News
SKF is hosting its yearly virtual Tech & Innovation Summit, bringing together industry leaders and experts to showcase technologies, products and solutions designed to help close the energy efficiency gap in industrial operations.
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