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Instrumentation & Control News

Outreach programme providing opportunities for participants

By: Simone Liedtke 28th July 2017 Engineering company Bosch’s Outreach Robotics Programme has provided participants the opportunity to compete in the 2017 World Robot Olympiad, in Costa Rica, in November this year. →

Education institutions struggling with connectivity

By: Simone Liedtke 28th July 2017 Amid water, electricity and basic infrastructure challenges at various education institutions, the lack of Internet connectivity has also been a challenge, states wireless connectivity firm Ruckus sub-Saharan Africa sales director Riaan Graham. →

RIAAN GRAHAM Connectivity to the Internet is essential and if it is available at a school, WiFi can be used to distribute access to the students

Training facility to improve skills deficit in artisan industry

By: Simone Liedtke 28th July 2017 Industrial rope access specialist Skyriders Access Specialists aims to bridge the rope access skills deficit in the artisan industry through offering training at its Midrand-based facility, states Skyriders marketing manager Mike Zinn. →

Skyriders marketing manager Mike Zinn gives a tour of their training facility, in Midrand. Camerawork and Editing: Nicholas Boyd.

Software-defined storage allows schools to use commodity hardware to build storage pool

By: Simone Liedtke 28th July 2017 Enterprise open-source software company SUSE has released what it calls software-defined storage which supports schools using free open-source software (FOSS), says SUSE client executive Derek Rule. →

DEREK RULE The global community of open-source software users and developers provides a constant stream of updates and improvements

No local-content verification of Transnet locomotives conducted yet, SABS confirms

By: Terence Creamer 26th July 2017 The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) has confirmed with Engineering News Online that it has not conducted any verification of local content in the 1 064 locomotives being acquired by Transnet and that it also does not have an agreement with Transnet to do so. Transnet awarded the... →

Industrial cybersecurity resilience in focus as attacks increase

By: Schalk Burger 21st July 2017 Effective industrial cybersecurity protection improves the resilience of industries, defends investments in automation and control systems and becomes an asset to manage industrial systems, risks and business continuity, a range of industrial cybersecurity specialists explain. The increased... →

Industry 4.0 will affect connectivity

14th July 2017 As Industry 4.0 advances, the demands on cable and connection technology will also change, states cable connector producer the Lapp Group, predicting that the speed at which data is transferred will climb with the consistent networking of company and business processes, which is a development... →

Photo by Bloomberg
SMALLER AND FASTER Lapp Group Southern Africa states it is an enormous challenge to combine the requirements of flexibility, robustness and the highest data rates into cable solutions

Latest product range for carrying cables to be showcased

By: Marleny Arnoldi 14th July 2017 At its annual expo scheduled to take place on September 14 and 15, technical solutions provider Bearing Man Group (BMG) will showcase industrial motor control manufacturer Tsubaki’s Kabelschlepp roller supporter chain (RSC) system, which is used to carry cables and suitable for cranes and long... →

THEY SEE ME ROLLING The roller support chain system’s rollers are mounted on ball bearings at the side of the carrier

Greener rotary compressor can deliver savings exceeding 20%

14th July 2017 Compressor engineering firm Lontra founder Steve Lindsey devised a more efficient, oil-free rotary compressor that offers a greener solution to traditional compression technology, able to deliver energy savings of more than 20%. His efforts gained recognition of the European Patent Office (EPO)... →

STEVE LINDSEY The founder of Lontra was nominated and shortlisted as a finalist at the 2017 European Inventor Awards

New pumps suited to packaging, food and beverage industries

14th July 2017 In May, sustainable productivity solutions provider Atlas Copco announced that it had extended its range of variable speed drive (VSD) vacuum pumps with the addition of three models offering flow rates up to 5 004 m3/h. The new GHS 3800-5400 VSD+ rotary screw pumps are particularly suited for... →

GHS VSD ROTARY SCREW PUMP The range provides significantly higher performance levels and reduced maintenance, noise and heat emissions compared to conventional oil-sealed and dry vane vacuum pumps

New variable-speed drive showcased at European expo

14th July 2017 Last month multinational industrial machinery manufacturer Voith exhibited power industry solutions at the POWER-GEN Europe 2017 conference and exhibition, and one of the main features was its new variable speed drive (VSD), the VECO-Drive, intended to enhance the efficiency of rotating... →

DRIVING FORCE The VECO-Drive increases input speed and generates a high output speed for compressors or pumps

Troubleshooting device eases, enables priority maintenance

14th July 2017 The Fluke 810 – manufactured by industrial testing equipment manufacturer Fluke – is one of the most advanced troubleshooting instruments available for vibration testing, enabling maintenance teams to rapidly collect data and diagnose and solve mechanical problems. Fluke, represented locally by... →

FLUKE 810 The Fluke 810 uses a set of advanced algorithms to produce a plain-text diagnosis of the machine with a recommended solution

Industrial IoT platform enables companies to customise solutions

By: Schalk Burger 14th July 2017 Network solutions provider Vula Telematix is inviting industrial and commercial organisations to develop fit-for-purpose industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) systems for their specific needs on an open IoT platform, which will help to stimulate local innovation and use of IoT, says Vula Telematix... →

Passenger rail group in final stages of deploying digital comms system

By: Schalk Burger 14th July 2017 A digital wireless communications system – GSM for railway, or GSM-R – is being deployed to improve the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa’s (PRASA’s) operations and run its rail passenger transport systems more efficiently, says information technology multinational Huawei Railway executive... →

Control system minimises dust escape during grab discharge

By: Simone Liedtke 7th July 2017 Materials handling equipment supplier BLT South Africa’s Samson travelling Eco-Hoppers have an effective dust control system that minimises the escape of dust during the grab discharge cycle. →

DUST CONTROL The grab discharge cycle includes transferring materials down the line using handling systems

Automation pivotal to steel industry’s future

By: Nica Schreuder 7th July 2017 Owing to its customers requiring cost-effective, faster and better solutions, capital equipment manufacturer First Cut MD Andrew Poole says automation coupled with innovation is pivotal to the future of companies in the local steel industry. The prospect of automation threatening the livelihood... →

Digitalisation evolution, not revolution

7th July 2017 Efficient plants, machinery and services solutions company SMS group has developed strategies to promote digitalisation in the steel industry, in light of Internet 4.0, digitalisation, Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing becoming dominant themes in the industry. According to the SMS... →

DIGITAL SALES Electronic spare parts catalogue in an eService module, which would be used by sales departments as digital tools to facilitate pricing and delivery transparency

Filter standard replacement to occur over 18-month transition period

7th July 2017 The new test standard for International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 16890, for filter testing and assessment, replaced European Standard (EN) 779 as of January this year, with a transition period of 18 months. →

SHIFTING PARADIGM This new method for the evaluation of air filter elements represents a paradigm shift

New-generation Sentient hand-held unit for gas detection

7th July 2017 The new generation Ingress Protection 68 rated Sentient handheld unit is widely regarded as the most cost effective, sophisticated and low maintenance gas detection device in the mining industry today. →

GAS DETECTION SYSTEMS This instrument was developed by Booyco Electronics, specifically to improve safety in any confined spaces

Particulate matter a national concern

By: Simone Liedtke 7th July 2017 Owing to government’s 2020 target that air quality in all low-income settlements should be in full compliance with ambient air quality standards, mineral processing company MIP Process Technologies (MIP) MD Philip Hoff says particulate matter is, therefore, a national concern. →

PHILIP HOFF MIP invests in young engineers and has, in the past, offered bursaries to chemical engineering students

Rustenburg scrubber upgrade project set for completion

By: Simone Liedtke 7th July 2017 Chemicals and process engineering company Lodestone Engineering is set to complete the supply of equipment as part of an upgrade to an existing large wet scrubber for a major platinum producer in Rustenburg by the end of this month. →

UPGRADED SCRUBBER Valued at about R10-million the overall project upgrades an existing 3.6-m-diameter scrubber

Thermometer designed and tested for industry use

7th July 2017 Handheld-products supplier Fluke - represented locally by distribution service provider Comtest - has launched the Fluke 64 MAX IR thermometer with internal memory, unattended monitoring, improved accuracy, increased battery life, as well as the precision needed to do the job accurately. →

THERMOMETER APPLICATIONS Applications include the industrial maintenance, the electrical as well as the heating, ventilation and air conditioning industries

Commissioning activities under way at pipeline

By: Simone Liedtke 7th July 2017 Packaging company Nampak Glass in May commissioned a 1-km-long, high-pressure underground gas pipeline that was constructed by multidisciplinary corporation Saiyl. →

NAMPAK STATION This underground pipeline ties into the newly constructed Nampak Pressure Reduction Station in Germiston

Manufacturing to be changed by digital systems, Endress+Hauser avers

By: Schalk Burger 7th July 2017 Digital technologies, the automation of processes and the changes to business models will be some of the main areas to be affected by digitalisation and connection of industrial systems, says industrial automation multinational Endress+Hauser VP supervisory board and German Electrical and... →

SA antenna technology used on Swiss Alps tunnel

By: Donna Slater 7th July 2017 Antennas from South African wireless technology company Poynting Antennas are being used in the world’s longest and deepest train tunnel – the Gotthard Base Tunnel – which runs through the Swiss Alps mountain range, in Switzerland. →

Need for accurate designs of dosing systems

By: Simone Liedtke 7th July 2017 The designs for dosing systems in the gas and fumes industries have to be accurate to ensure safety, says chemical dosing and pumping applications supplier Packaged Metering and Pumping Solutions (PMPS) technical director David O’Neill. →

Packaged Metering and Pumping Solutions’ David O’Neill talks about the company’s strategies with regards to the fracking process. Camerawork and Editing: Nicholas Boyd.

Firm reports growing demand for access control and video as a service

By: Schalk Burger 30th June 2017 Internet protocol-based security systems company Genetec is reporting growing interest in its Internet of Things (IoT) platform for access control and video as a service (ACaaS and VaaS) offerings in the sub-Saharan Africa region, says Genetec Africa regional sales manager Brent Cary. The... →

BRENT CARY Demand for cloud-based IoT platforms – owing to the cybersecurity protection – is starting to pick up across Africa

Revolution draws mixed reaction from industry

By: Nica Schreuder 23rd June 2017 Although the fourth industrial revolution is set to disrupt almost every industry globally by transforming production, management systems and governance, Department of Science and Technology advanced manufacturing technologies acting director Sechaba Tsubella says for the manufacturing industry,... →

Photo by Bloomberg
MANUAL SACRIFICE The fourth industrial revolution will disrupt labour practices in the manufacturing industry

Drive supplier remains committed to continent

By: Nadine James 23rd June 2017 German drive engineering group SEW Eurodrive remains committed to Africa despite political and economic instability in parts of the continent, says local subsidiary SEW Eurodrive South Africa (SA). SEW Eurodrive SA MD Raymond Obermeyer says while the political upheaval and economic uncertainty... →

Industrial IoT helping to streamline complex operations

By: Schalk Burger 16th June 2017 Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions are helping to reduce the complexity and management of industrial automation systems and making industrial operations more visible, controllable and resilient, says industrial systems availability firm Stratus Technologies Africa and Middle East... →

Defence-in-depth security model punted for protecting industrial assets

By: Schalk Burger 16th June 2017 Protecting industrial assets requires a defence-in-depth (DiD) security approach that addresses in-house and external security threats. The approach uses multiple layers of defence, including physical, electronic and procedural protection, and at separate instances by applying appropriate... →

CHRISTO BUYS Effective defence-in-depth leads to system security that is designed into the infrastructure and becomes a set of layers within the overall network security

Electronics supplier to launch latest tech

By: Marleny Arnoldi 2nd June 2017 Electronics supplier Actum Electronics will launch railway technology manufacturer Pentair’s three-dimensional (3D) configurator tool program to customise racks and front panels in railway infrastructure at the Africa Rail exhibition on June 13 and 14 at the Sandton Convention Centre, in... →

South African industries show interest in new flexible borescope

By: Schalk Burger 2nd June 2017 South African technical industries are showing interest in the new Gradient Lens Corporation’s Hawkeye V2 flexible borescope to conduct nondestructive testing and inspections of machines, products and components, says local reseller GP Agencies sales manager Lesley Scott. The flexible borescopes... →

FLEXIBLE BORESCOPE Flexible borescopes are used in the aerospace, automotive manufacturing, energy and wind-generation industries

Solutions specialist expands product range

By: Simone Liedtke 26th May 2017 Electrical solutions specialist Magnet Electrical – a subsidiary of Magnet Group – has extended its range of automation solutions with the addition of automation systems company Schneider Electric’s new Altivar ATV320 variable-speed drives (VSDs). →

ALTIVAR ATV320 This system has been developed to optimise design and engineering costs

Company offers process solutions for valve systems

19th May 2017 It is often the tiny inconspicuous details that determine human and environmental safety as well as the operating costs incurred and the process yield, says global valves, automation components and piping products manufacturer Gemü, which is why it offers customised process solutions which join... →

Photo by Bloomberg
VALVE SAFETY Several criteria are taken into consideration when choosing the best valve technology for a specific process

Huawei's SA OpenLab to focus on safe city, smart grid solutions

By: Schalk Burger 12th May 2017 Information and communication technology multinational Hauwei has launched an OpenLab in South Africa that will focus on safe city and smart grid technologies, says Huawei South Africa deputy CEO Alex Du. The research and development laboratory is one of seven Huawei OpenLabs that will be opened... →

Festo Didactic providing Industry 4.0 training for tertiary education

By: Schalk Burger 5th May 2017 Employees in industry as well as students at vocational colleges and universities will need to be specially trained to work with Industry 4.0 systems to develop their understanding of fully automated digital production technologies, and knowledge of the layout and programming of digital system... →

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