Sparks Electrical News August 2019

INDUSTRY 4.0

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CPD-ACCREDITED INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION COURSES

HOPE FOR SA ECONOMY: THINKING AHEAD TO FOURTH INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGIES The training focuses on the Delta industrial automation product range, distributed exclusively by EM. Delta is one EM’s fastest-growing product ranges, as industry strives to contain costs and increase productivity. Key system automation products in the Delta range are programmable logic controllers (PLCs), AC motor drives (variable-frequency drives or VFDs), and servo and motion controllers. Delta has a PLC suitable for every application, from a simple A fter years of slow growth, South Africa may be over the worst, and could start seeing growth by 2021/22. This is according to leading economist Mike Schüssler, who addressed a VIP breakfast in Johan- nesburg ahead of the recent Africa Automation Fair and the Connected In- dustries Conference. Schüssler, owner of economic consultancy economists.co.za, said the 1 st quarter would likely be a disaster, with corruption and SOEs taking some time longer to sort out. Eskom’s challenges would remain a growth inhibitor too, he said. In industries such as mining, Schüssler expected a continuing drop in employment figures for the next two years – partly due to automation, but mainly due to the fact that commodities markets had changed and Eskom was not preforming well at all. He did not expect South Africa’s gold and platinum sectors to return to being the GDP contributor they were in the 1970s and 1980s. However, he was cautiously optimistic about South Africa’s growth prospects: “I think we can expect to start seeing growth after a few quarters. We’re probably over the worst, and by 2021/22 we could be back at 3% GDP growth,” he said. To help spur this growth, the country needed to be tougher on crime and labour protests, and ease tax and legislation that hampered small business growth. “A profit motive is what enables businesses to grow – if a business doesn’t make a profit it simply can’t create jobs. So the government needs to reduce the risks of business investment and reduce the red tape in the way of small business growth,” he said. For industry, the hope of a return to growth means this is the time to start thinking ahead to Fourth Industrial Automation technologies and the broader ecosystem, he said. Schüssler said the Fourth Industrial Revolution era extended far beyond technologies, and signalled a shift from commodities-based economies and manual labour, to services-driven economies. “The Fourth Industrial revolution is also mainly a services revolution,” he said. “It’s not just about industry, but also how you sell things, transport things and more – it’s a services thing.” Changes wrought by this revolution included a significant increase in the number of people working in services and a drop in the number of people working in manual labour intensive industries. “In the past 27 years alone, the number of people employed in agriculture has dropped from 44% to 28% globally, yet agricultural output has increased. Meanwhile, the number of service workers has increased from 31% to 49%.” “The Fourth Industrial Revolution is personalised, serviced-driven and even recycled, so the economic focus is no longer only on commodities,” he said. The Fourth Industrial Revolution and associated services revolution presented significant scope for innovation and new business growth,delegates heard. Marius Smit, General Manager: Technology & Business Events at Africa Automation Fair organiser Reed Exhibitions, noted that there were clear signs of new opportunities for manufacturers and a range of other sectors in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Africa Automation Fair 2019 showcased Industry 4.0 innovations to drive efciency, productivity and cost benefits, he said, with leading sponsors such as Honeywell and Rockwell Automation highlighting their solutions to fast- track industry into the Industry 4.0 era. P anel builders, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), and end users have access to industrial automation training offered by ElectroMechanica (EM) at its Ormonde, Cape Town, and Dur- ban branches. A major benefit is that the training is accredited in terms of Continuous Professional Development (CPD), with each course level carrying one CPD point. “Successful industrial facilities rely on personnel with the necessary technical understanding and capability to maintain smooth system operation,” EM Product Manager William Cameron comments. “At EM, we believe training and development is a critical success driver in any organisation. Training plays a key role in motivating employees to achieve higher standards, improve customer service, and develop group and team skills needed to achieve organisational goals.” In terms of industrial automation, EM offers CPD-accredited short courses recommended for any individual or group requiring more in-depth knowledge on the basic components, implementation, and management of various automation products.

G overnments and businesses in Africa are making siza- ble investments in smart buildings, precincts (airports, universities, etc.) and cities. However, ‘smart’ is not easy to do. To address the growing challenge of planning, integrat- ing and maintaining a multitude of different, highly connected systems, Johnson Controls is launching a new offering in the Africa region – Technology Contracting. “With technology advances and an explosion in cloud connectivity, a new approach is needed to construct and run smart buildings,” says Archibald Makatini, Regional General Manager at Johnson Controls in South Africa. “Johnson Controls’ Technology Contracting provides the needed expertise and oversight to plan and coordinate the implementation, then optimise the performance of the many different engineering, electrical, building and IT systems necessary to power a smart facility. “This offering has been available internationally for over a decade. Now, with a growing number of smart-facility and smart-city investments in Africa, Johnson Controls is committed to building the capacity and resources to power an African Technology Contracting team.” What technology contracting offers Technology contracting provides a single point of control and accountability from planning to running a facility. It reaches across design-assist (ensuring key players, such as architects, engineers and technology providers align to meet project in- tent) to installation, integration, commissioning and mainte- nance of complex building, business and specialty systems. Each of Johnson Controls’ Technology Contracting clients is assisted by a dedicated project team comprising technology, engineering, facility management and other experts with global experience. “Our goal is to build an Africa Technology Contracting team that not only draws on Johnson Controls global expertise but has a deep understanding of the challenges specific to the continent,” says Makatini. Tipping point for Africa Technology contracting is rapidly becoming essential in Africa as traditional approaches fail to deliver the expected benefits of smart construction. “Across Africa, with its large socio- economic burden, lack of smart infrastructure, and the need to drive economic growth, digital technology is opening up a wealth of new opportunities,” notes Marius Brits, Connected Technology BDM at Johnson Controls. “Mass urbanisation is making it a priority to put in place the fundamental infrastructure needed for smart buildings, facilities and cities. We are already seeing the first smart cities being planned and built in Zambia, Ghana, Mauritius and Kenya. We are also seeing smart airports, universities and hospitals being designed. However, it is becoming vital to invest in smart building capabilities for existing buildings to ensure security and cost efciencies can be achieved. The reality African investors, construction houses and design, engineering and technology suppliers are facing is that traditional approaches to construction are no longer feasible. Explains Brits: “Historically, every supplier or specialist provider is responsible for the installation of its equipment. logic sequence or bottle filling to high-speed processing and factory automation. Delta VFDs can be used to operatemany types of loads such as pumps, fans, compressors, elevators and machine tools, to name but a few. Delta VFDs also have an easy-to-implement closed-loop operation for constant pressure, temperature, and level control applications. PLC Level 1 is a one-day introductory terminology course aimed at contractors, system integrators, OEMs, and end users. It covers basic wiring, fault-finding techniques, and basic instructions. PLC Level 2 includesmore in-depth instructions,fromarithmetic to analogue scaling and high-speed functions. This one-day course is aimed specifically at system integrators and OEMs. ServoLevel 1 and2 is a two-day course introducing system integrators and OEMs to the ASDA2 servo drive, motor, and accessories. The first day covers all control modes for internal and external controllers, while the second day focuses on on-depth examples of the internal motion configuration, synchronised conveyor, ECAM, mark detection and compare, among others. VFD Level 1 introduces contractors and system integrators to VFD and motor basics, simple wiring, and parameter examples for everyday applications. VFD Level 2 is a one-day course for system integrators, OEMs, and end users to get to grips with closed-loop operations and various types of advanced control modes. EM recently collaborated with Polytech Africa to establish the first Mechatronics Academy to be accredited by the Manufacturing,

Delta motion control ASDA-A2 series servo motors from EM.

Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority (merSETA). Mechatronics is a combination of mechanics and electronics, which makes the Delta industrial automation range an ideal focus for the training.

Enquiries: +27 (0)11 249 5000

BECOMING SMART-FACILITY AND SMART-CITY READY

Construction managers are tasked with connecting systems as varied as HVAC, security, communications, IT and business management systems. However, with so many varied systems, technologies and subcontractors involved, there is duplication of product logic and infrastructure, integration is difcult, data is underutilised and the gaps in data security are growing. “Because everything is now digitally enabled and connected, building, plant and information systems cannot be implemented in isolation; to function optimally, they need to be integrated to each other and to back-ofce and external systems. Common platforms are needed to ensure integration and technology roadmaps are scrutinised for ongoing compatibility and evolution of functionality. “Planning needs to begin at the design phase and construction needs to be overseen by a provider with broad and deep capabilities that reach across smart connected equipment, building controls, fire and security, IT networks and systems, and specialty business applications. This approach allows the technology contractor to ensure the building is created not as a collection of systems, but as a functional whole, conceived, designed and delivered with the end in mind,” he concludes.

Enquiries: +27 (0)11 921 7129

Archibald Makatini.

Enquiries: www.africaautomationfair.co.za

SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS

AUGUST 2019