The September technology evening presentation was sponsored by SICK Automation and presented by Robert de Scande, the company’s product manager for presence detection, encoders and industrial instrumentation. Robert has been in the automation industry for 15 years and holds a BTech in Electrical Engineering from Nelson Mandela Metro University. He has experience in programming PLCs/scada systems, designing, electrical panel layouts, pump and fan systems, as well as turnkey solutions for warehouse automation.
Juaandré Heyneke thanks Robert de Scande after the presentation.
The presentation focused on “Industry 4.0, distilling the facts from hype”. Terms like Big Data and IIoT are bandied about a lot these days, and it is sometimes difficult to understand the real world benefits and applications from these technologies. The other aspect of the presentation was to outline how Industry 4.0 is influencing the automation industry, most importantly, discussion around networking and digitalisation (turning data into usable information), illustrated by giving real examples in the context of a smart factory.
It is always beneficial to know how we arrived where we are today in order to decide where we are going. It is certain that the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) has arrived and is already shaping the future. With this in mind, we need to prepare and upskill ourselves and future generations in line with the rapidly evolving technologies of the future.
New committee members
During the branch meeting, chairman Juaandré Heyneke added additional committee members as follows: Deon Lottering who will look after technology evenings, Cobus du Toit who will look after the growth portfolio, and Marthel Mhlanga who will look after the education portfolio.
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