SA Instrumentation and Control recently had the opportunity to talk to incoming SAIMC president, Annemarie van Coller. Her predecessor, Oratile Sematle, joined us as well. We quizzed them about personal highlights and the society’s plans for the future.
“The one thing I never imagined when I began my term as president is how leading an engineering association can give one such a tangible feel for the effect technology has on business, government and society,” begins Oratile, setting the tone for a lively few hours of conversation.
Oratile’s time as president brought some much needed consolidation to the SAIMC, following the sweeping reforms implemented by Vinesh Maharaj. He secured what had been achieved and then took it further. He spoke passionately at the time about the need to make people at the highest level in our country understand that automation is not a threat, but rather a key driver for industrialisation in the region.
But perhaps Oratile’s most important contribution as president stems from the fact that as E&I Group manager for Sasol, he is an automation end user, not a vendor. “I believed we had to break through the barrier of being known as a supplier-centric organisation to truly become the ‘voice of automation’ for the country,” he explains intently. This quiet determination took the SAIMC to all corners of government and saw it become a focal point at events such as Africa Automation Fair, Manufacturing Indaba and The Connected Industries Conference. For the first time in its history, the SAIMC was invited to the State of the Nation Address, and its opinion mattered.
If Vinesh championed reform, Oratile understood that it would only succeed if he advocated sustainability. The proof of this is in the outcome of the strategic planning session held earlier this year, where the society’s leaders met with industry representatives and educators to determine how the SAIMC should expand its contribution in the future. Oratile’s presidency culminated in the identification of three new strategic responsibilities: automation thought leadership, education and training, and growth. These then will be the primary responsibilities of the SAIMC’s newest president, Annemarie van Coller.
Like Oratile, Annemarie is an automation end user and an employee of Sasol, where she is GDP (graduate development programme) manager: electrical and control engineering. If circumstances had followed the usual succession plan, Annemarie would have been vice president to Rob Mackenzie for the next two years and thereafter taken over the presidency in 2020. As things did not go according to plan due to Rob’s promotion within Endress+Hauser, and subsequent relocation to Europe (all the best Rob), Annemarie found herself taking over the reins at very short notice. A situation she describes as ‘interesting’.
The biggest challenge Annemarie faces is that she did not have the benefit of two years of ‘grooming’ in the vice president position. Her biggest advantage is that because of this she carries no baggage. “I bring a fresh perspective,” she says in tones that relish the challenge ahead. “We have much to do and I can’t be afraid to make decisions, but at the same time, I need to be sensitive in how I deal with people.”
“It’s a balancing act,” adds Oratile. “In my new role as immediate past president I believe I can support Annemarie and help her weigh-up the decisions that will take the SAIMC to the next level.”
Looking ahead, the two would like to see the organisation become an advisory-board member to future government initiatives relating to automation development and training. The first steps in this direction have already been taken with the National Tooling Initiative Programme and the Industry 4.0 European-South African (EU-SA) dialogue committee.
Since this is an open ended vision based on the three strategic responsibilities outlined earlier, I asked them how the SAIMC planned to deliver on these, and what they saw as key success factors along the way.
Q: Describe in more detail the three organisational objectives identified as crucial to the society’s future success.
A: Council is in the process of setting up three strategic project teams, one to deal with each objective. Firstly, it is thought leadership in the areas of automation and control technology. Industry 4.0 is a primary, but not the only, driver here, but it is key that South Africa does not fall behind as the rest of the world goes digital. Marc Van Pelt has been appointed as manager of the SAIMC’s Industry 4.0 Task Team, set up to investigate the country’s readiness to meet the challenges of the digital industrial revolution in terms of infrastructure, skills development and market structures.
Secondly, there is education and training. This team is managed by the SAIMC’s chief operating officer, Johan Maartens. Industry 4.0 aside, there is a critical need to attract more artisans, technicians and engineers into the field of control and instrumentation engineering. At present there is no recognised C&I discipline, something the SAIMC believes must change if we are to attract the necessary talent to keep the local manufacturing industry competitive. It isn’t all about ‘formal’ education either as Annemarie believes much can also be accomplished through the branch technology evenings, and through online delivery platforms like webinars and videos. Investment in a library of engineering white papers is another possibility under investigation as a way to add value for members.
Thirdly, it’s about growth. This is where Annemarie and Oratile are both ideally positioned to add value. Their vocation as consumers of automation, rather than suppliers, positions them to interact with other end-users in an open, collaborative way. They share many of the same problems after all. This is important as the pair believe that from here on strong growth depends on a value proposition that attracts more South African manufacturers to join the society. To this end the marketing project team has been established under the leadership of vice president Pregs Naidoo. Amongst other things, this team is tasked with developing an appropriate communication strategy to inform potential members (ordinary and patron) about the benefits the SAIMC has to offer. Oratile put it like this, “The time has come for the SAIMC to announce itself as South Africa’s trusted advisor on all matters of automation.”
Q: What are the key milestones along the way?
A: The two presidents agree that the most important outcome is to skill our youth and give them an opportunity to pursue a career in what promises to be an exciting era of opportunity for the manufacturing industry. Annemarie believes this can only come about if people are equipped with the skills that industry requires, rather than a qualification which the education system offers. Aligning these two sometimes divergent objectives seems like an almost impossible task, yet she talks with a quiet confidence of using models that have been successful in other fields and adapting them to the automation environment. Oratile contextualises it perfectly, “A skilled person is not just anyone with a qualification. A skilled person is someone with the right academic qualification for their profession, enhanced by practical on-the-job experience. Automation has become much more complex than just instrumentation. These days it takes 3-4 years for someone from another discipline, electrical for instance, to become fully productive as an automation engineer after they qualify. We could shorten that to 1-2 years if we had an appropriate automation qualification supported by the relevant practical training, This is what we hope to address through our Industry 4.0 and education initiatives.”
The challenge then is to develop the skills
Annemarie has taken over the presidency at an exciting time. Industry 4.0 (marketing hype aside) has the potential to reignite the manufacturing sector in South Africa. In order for this to happen though, the country will need a suitably skilled workforce. In terms of attracting the talent, Industry 4.0 already has the credentials with its promise of augmented reality, artificial intelligence, collaborative robotics and the like. Equipping the talent with the skills necessary to succeed in these highly specialised fields is the challenge.
The SAIMC has identified the priorities well, now it all hinges on implementation. “We need to get our members more involved in mentoring programmes,” explains Annemarie in a way that leaves little doubt that this is where her passion lies. “We have to find out what gets them excited and then put them in positions where they can contribute.”
To get this process started the new president will be embarking on a countrywide roadshow to take the message to the branches. Getting the branches more closely aligned with the organisation’s business plan and the objectives of the leadership is exactly what the SAIMC needs right now. Essentially Annemarie is proposing to use her time as president to build on Oratile’s achievements, but with the focus now on properly documented processes and more transparency between leadership and the branches. We wish you every success Annemarie!
Anyone wanting more information can reach Annemarie or Oratile through SAIMC secretary, Ina Maartens, 086 107 2462, [email protected], www.saimc.co.za
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