Electricity and Control May 2020

FEATURES: · Control systems+ automation · Drives,motors+ switchgear · Sensors+ switches · Plantmaintenance, test+measurement

COMMENT

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Adapting to where we are… I wonder how many of you reading this have had the opportunity to return to your office, your plant, the site you were watching progress on before the shutdown. Or, for that matter, how many of you were locked down away from home.

energy + information in industry

ECMay 2020 cover.indd 1

5/4/2020 11:30:28AM

Editor: Leigh Darroll Design & Layout: Adél JvR Bothma Advertising Managers: Helen Couvaras, Heidi Jandrell Circulation: Karen Smith EditorialTechnical Director: Ian Jandrell Publisher: Karen Grant Deputy Publisher: Wilhelm du Plessis The OPTIMASS series of Coriolis mass flowmeters from KROHNE has been developed to conform to IEC 61508, with improvements in diagnostics, verification and functional safety. (Read more on page 3).

run your plant on a legacy system, fearing the change – until you have no option; then you find yourself wondering why it took you so long to make the change in the first place! The transition to an online economy has been remarkable. This company, and this particular magazine, are no exception. For instance, trawling the records of Electricity+Control – now in its 34 th year of publication – on January 1 st this year it had almost 1 000 online subscribers in the rest of Africa (which makes sense), and a slightly lower number than that in South Africa (where the magazine is normally posted to readers). As I write, Electricity+Control has close to 5 000 online subscribers – the largest growth in that number (over 3 000 additional subscribers) has been from within South Africa – people who are now receiving the e-Edition of the magazine. If you are not already an online subscriber, please do sign up. It will cost you nothing and can be done from wherever you are; the magazine will henceforth find its way to you! Go to: https://www.crown.co.za/electricity- control. At the bottom of the page you will see how to subscribe to Electricity+Control (or any of our nine publications). In conclusion, we recognise many of you are with companies that have continued to deliver essential products, goods and services during this very difficult period. Our commendations to you, and the efforts you are putting in. I wish you all well as, slowly, we move out of this lockdown, towards the next levels of managing this terrible, invisible enemy.

In general, the response to this disaster has been decisive and impressive. And to a large extent the issues were understood. But equally there has been some complete rubbish spoken, mind-numbingly bad advice given – in many cases by people who are in positions of trust (read: really should know better). By contrast, the response on the African continent has generally been very good indeed. It is worth reflecting on some of the good, and some of the changes emerging from our response to this pandemic. The first thing to be aware of, naturally, is that this little virus isn’t going anywhere any time soon. Until we have a vaccine to sort it out we will simply have to continue very much as we have up to now – perhaps for more than a year to come. I am sure a vaccine will be developed – but this is a process that is not based on luck or good fortune. It is a process following known methods, and until you can be sure of the results, you keep your mouth shut. Never confuse nice theories with actual proven performance. We must remain cautiously optimistic that those who can sort this out are doing so to the best of their abilities – quietly, and largely unrecognised at this time. Dare I say that things will never be the same again? For a moment, let’s consider some encouraging developments. I am sure many of you, like me, never knew how effective a virtual meeting could really be? (Or the dangers associated with leaving your video on when others would have preferred you to have turned it off (or maybe not…).) But the digital transformation this pandemic has spawned has been profound. Like a new software tool, the best way to get good at using it is to have to use it. You can

Circulation: Quarter 4 (Sep – Dec) 2019 Total print circulation: 4 857

Published monthly by: Crown Publications (Pty) Ltd Cnr Theunis and Sovereign Sts, Bedford Gardens, PO Box 140, Bedfordview 2008 Printed by: Tandym Print Telephone: +27 (0) 11 622 4770 E-mail: e-mail: ec@crown.co.za; admin@crown.co.za Website: www.crown.co.za www.electricityandcontrolmagazine.co.za

CROSS PLATFORM CONTENT INTEGRATION: * Electricity+Control Magazine * Online Edition * Bi-monthly Newsletter * Website

Publisher of the year 2018 (Trade Publications)

Electricity+Control is supported by

Ian Jandrell PrEng IntPE(SA), BSc(Eng) GDE PhD, FSAAE FSAIEE SMIEEE

Electricity + Control MAY 2020

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The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher, the editor, SAAEs, SAEE, CESA or the Copper Development Association Africa