In this October 2024 issue of Electricity + Control we report on some of the interactions we had with exhibitors at this year’s Electra Mining Africa. The show was, according to the organisers, the biggest yet in the event’s 52-year history, with more exhibitors and exhibits stretching over a greater area than before, and the highest number of visitors attending.
In his Comment upfront, Editorial Technical Director Professor Ian Jandrell notes how pervasive Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things have become – and this was evident among a broad spectrum of the exhibitors at Electra Mining Africa, reflecting how digital transformation is occurring across industry sectors, to a greater or lesser degree, enabling new ways of operating, maintaining and improving plants, processes and production.
At the show, ABB highlighted how current trends – from growing environmental, social and governance considerations to sustainability, the Just Energy Transition and energy efficiency – are driving the move towards digitisation and automation as companies look to become more responsible and resilient. Speaking to Leigh Darroll of Electricity + Control, Martin van Zyl of ABB Process Automation explained how integrated solutions drive efficiencies in mining and other industries.
In another article in our feature on Industry 4.0 + IIoT, Gerhard Greeff and Neels van der Walt of Iritron describe the various aspects of data analytics, outlining a continuum from the simplest to the more complex, and demystifying the technology, and terminology, of AI, ML and data analytics now so widely used.
In Energy management + the industrial environment we see how battery energy storage systems are taking their place alongside renewable energy generation plants as essential elements of a more stable and sustainable electricity supply system. Here too, digitisation and automation play an important role in managing distributed energy resources to optimise efficiencies.
Also at ElectraMining Africa this year, Leigh Darroll had the opportunity to speak to Pervin Gurie and Ricardo Estefano Rosa of WEG about WEG’s battery energy storage systems (BESS) and the expertise it offers in this as well as in renewable energy and allied technologies.
Richard von Moltke of ACTOM also notes the importance of BESS in the energy transition. He highlights the distinction to be made between ‘behind the meter’ and ‘in front of the meter’ systems – the different roles they play in electricity distribution and how they interface (or don’t) with the transmission grid.
In Measurement + instrumentation we see how wireless technologies and network connectivity make it easier to integrate measurement devices into automation systems and to monitor and make sense of the data they provide.
And in Safety of plant, equipment + people we look at safety in the workplace from various perspectives – in terms of hardware and soft skills. We see how digital operations management systems can support efficient alarm management, and we learn about tools for safer testing of HV equipment. We are reminded that people are central to ensuring safety, even where technologies are used to provide safety insights, and we learn about the importance of suitable safety wear, and the value of counselling to support safe work practices.
And there’s always more of interest in our regular columns on Reskillling, upskilling + training, Engineering the future, and Write @ the back.
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