At the back of each issue of Electricity + Control, we regularly run our column on Engineering the future – a glimpse of the promise and potential of new technologies currently the focus of research and development, locally or globally. In this issue, we share the World Economic Forum’s Top 10 emerging technologies for 2024 – identified in collaboration with Frontiers and drawing on insights from scientists, researchers and futurists worldwide. It makes for intriguing reading.
Digitalisation, Industry 4.0 and the IIoT are changing the way we live, work and play – touching on almost every aspect of our lives, society and economies the world over. Industry in Africa can benefit from the well-directed implementation of these evolving technologies to advance productivity and economic growth. In our feature on Industry 4.0 and IIoT, Sabeer Sewpersad of ABB South Africa reports how ABB is working with businesses in various industries across the continent – from cement producers to mining houses, food and beverage and pulp and paper companies – assisting them in implementing digital solutions to improve operational efficiencies, performance, and sustainability.
In the changing energy landscape and against the background of radical climate change and its fierce impacts on our planet, energy management, energy efficiency and sustainability in industry demand greater attention. In Energy management + the industrial environment, Heskin Mzungu of Zutari opens up the complexities of the energy transition in South Africa and outlines how Zutari is assisting clients in recognising and pursuing the opportunities it presents.
Sensors are increasingly widely used in industry and are key to IIoT – monitoring operations, optimising productivity and informing predictive maintenance strategies. KELLER, represented locally by Instrotech, is a long-established leader in this field, and specifically in the production of pressure sensors. In the feature on Sensors + switches, it notes that the customisation of pressure sensors for specific applications can enhance their performance and service life and it sets out the various aspects that should be considered in each application.
Plant maintenance is critical to optimising plant performance, efficiencies and longevity – and preventing unnecessary, unplanned and always costly downtime. In this feature on Plant maintenance, test + measurement, Neels van der Walt of Iritron highlights the benefits that wireless vibration monitoring offers in mining applications, particularly in boosting efficiency and safety. And looking at field services management broadly, Raghav Gurumani of Zuper outlines how new technologies and field services management software, used selectively, can help maintenance technicians get their work done efficiently, support better customer service, and build company performance.
Returning to the back of this issue, the recently presented NSTF-South 32 Awards celebrate South Africa’s excellence in science, engineering and technology, the people making a difference in this arena, and their inspiring work!