Electricity and Control August 2025

Industry 4.0 + IIoT

A South African success story in industrial engineering Founded in South Africa and grown through its work at home, across the continent and abroad, Iritron this year celebrates its 25th year – an accomplishment which we report here in a tribute to the company and its achievements. Leigh Darroll, Editor of Electricity + Control , spoke to Alwyn Rautenbach, CEO, about where Iritron began and what he sees as the key factors that have contributed to its success.

M any readers will remember Y2K – when it was predicted that the transition from the 1990s into the 21st century would disrupt all computer-based systems around the world. Unless due steps were taken, computers would become dysfunctional, operating systems would collapse, and chaos would ensue. Rautenbach reminds us that, as it turned out, despite all the noise (and as was anticipated by some), nothing extraordinary happened. Time moved on. Computers and computerised systems still worked. From his seasoned perspective, he suggests that such imagined phenomena are orchestrated to create new marketing directions, to create the space for new things to happen. And they did. Iritron was formed in December 1999 by four individuals who, at the time, worked for a JSE-listed engineering company that provided broad engineering coverage – from electrical engineering to telecommunications, to utilities, defence, and industrial engineering. With the management changes happening when that company established an international base in Toronto, Canada, a core of individuals in the industrial engineering division chose to create a breakaway enterprise. Thus, Iritron began operating as an independently registered company, eˆectively, from 3 January 2000, coinciding with the

hoo-hah surrounding Y2K. It would focus on the design and engineering of electrical, control and instrumentation systems in the industrial arena. It handled design simulation and integration and, over time, developed its capabilities to provide turnkey systems integration. As industries evolved, and keeping pace with digital transformation, Iritron developed its own manufacturing execution system (MES). It also expanded its capabilities into

Alwyn Rautenbach at Iritron’s 25th year celebration.

manufacturing and assembling electrical control panels and motor control centres, bringing these skills in-house to overcome problems with long lead times and variable quality among external suppliers. So, Iritron grew to provide the full scope of electrical and instrumentation control systems. Industry focus Rautenbach says each of the four founding partners of the company had specialised in diˆerent industry sectors – and

A smart control centre supplied and installed by Iritron.

10 Electricity + Control AUGUST 2025