As we step into a new year, in this January edition of Electricity + Control we cover a range of topics – from the broader scope of automation systems, to key elements such as drives and motors, to the small measurement and monitoring instruments that play a fundamental role in industrial plants, and the considerations of safety which apply across all sectors of industry – to safeguard plant, equipment and people.
In Control systems + automation Rockwell Automation shares three megatrends seen to be shaping tomorrow’s process industries. These were identified through discussion among an eight-person panel in the opening session of the company’s Process Solutions User Group at its annual Automation Fair held towards the end of 2022– and they are changing the way industries operate at multiple levels.
In Drives, motors + switchgear we take a closer look at SEW-EURODRIVE South Africa’s new headquarters in Aeroton south of Johannesburg. Signalling a vote of confidence in South Africa and the growing African market, this investment establishes extended assembly and warehousing space as well as facilities for equipment repairs and the company’s training academy. The new complex will serve as a hub, enabling SEW-EURODRIVE to service its customers across Africa efficiently.
And in an overview of medium voltage motors, Floris Erasmus of Zest WEG outlines their benefits, highlighting how they help to mitigate operational risk in many critical applications in industry and offer a favourable total cost.
In Measurement + instrumentation we share two different case studies that demonstrate the value of sensors. Instrotech reports on the use of a Keller level sensor to monitor fluctuating water levels in a self-funding partnership project designed to prevent flooding of the Meuse River in the Netherlands. VEGA presents the case, also in the Netherlands, of its new compact radar sensors being used in a highly efficient system developed to manage the disposal of residual materials from wastewater treatment plants.
Turning to Safety of plant, equipment + people we look at a range of applications and equipment – from the tools best suited to ensure the safety of technicians involved in installing, monitoring and maintaining solar PV plants, to the possibility of standardising the health and safety induction process for mines, to important factors businesses should consider in deciding on rooftop solar installations, and more.
In our column on Reskilling, upskilling + training, Enel GP RSA shares some of the initiatives it is investing in to grow skills in the renewable energy sector.
And one of the most inspiring reads is in our column Engineering the future where we look at the engineering innovations emerging on the continent and shortlisted for the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation.
Here’s to an inspiring 2023!
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