Ralf Bißmeier of Phoenix Contact in his article ‘Demands on surge protective devices for use in cellular networks' addresses the continuous utilisability of transmitting and receiving systems and switching centres is of particular importance to mobile communications. The difference between class I and class II SPDs is emphasised as well as the fact that the best solutions require carefully coordinated class I and II devices.

With dramatically rising electricity costs set to have a significant impact on the energy budgets of most organisations, many companies are looking to reduce power consumption without compromising the availability of computer, security and other business-critical systems. Philip Hampton of Powermode illustrates that the most practical and immediate route to success is not the building of new power generating plants, but the use of less energy.

According to Langa Nxumalo of CBI-Electric: low voltage the best way to achieve energy saving is by focusing on induction motor control as induction motors generally consume up to 60% of the total energy bill.

Anthony Marks of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University discusses the role of the candidate, the revision facilitator and the board of examiners in improving pass-rates without dropping standards in becoming GCC (Government Certificate of Competency) certificated - relating in particular to the plant examination.

An article by John Alexander of Krohne on Clamp-on ultrasonic flowmeter trends in South Africa discusses the ongoing requirement in industry to verify flowmeter accuracy - relating in particular to clamp-on meters. Clamp-ons are being used more and more in industry as technology improves and understanding of the devices and their potential application spreads.

Alexander Bufalino, Telit Wireless Solutions in his article Telit like it is: M2M in 2015 shows that M2M technology is set to revolutionise our world and our everyday lives. The advantages - cost savings and increased efficiency - are obvious and there are countless potential applications for every industry and in all aspects of our day-to-day lives.

Schneider-Electric's Jean Jacques Marchais, in his article, ‘Unlocking energy efficiency: management and control are the keys writes that there is not a single person who can afford to ignore the potential for saving energy - particularly electrical energy. There is no option; if individuals, organisations and management do not act now, they will be forced to act with no control over timescales or requirements. Few people fully appreciate how much energy they use, how and where they use it and how much they actually need. This is possibly even truer of those in industry and commerce than for the general public. In many cases there is a lack of understanding about how energy can be managed and how energy efficiency can be achieved.