Chemical Technology August 2015

Festo opens innovative applications centre

Festo, a leading automation solutions pro- vider, unveiled its brand new applications centre at its Johannesburg headquarters on 29 July, 2015. The applications centre is the first of its kind in South Africa, boasting ‘state-of- the-art’ Electric Drive Handling and Vision Systems. Festo customers will be able to physically test any 4D electric drive applica- tions in a controlled environment to confirm details like maximum speed, accuracy and cycle time. With remote capabilities such as live video streaming, the applications centre is positioned to meet the needs of customers all across Southern, East and West Africa. Brett Wallace, MD of Festo South Africa, highlighted the value that the applications centre would be able to deliver to African manufacturers in a highly competitive global marketplace. The applications centre will work hand- in-hand with another recently unveiled Festo innovation, its Handling Guide Online (HGO). This intuitive online tool, another first in the South African market, allows users to quickly and easily design and order a handling system from scratch. The customer is prompted to enter parameters and information critical to the task on hand. The powerful software then makes use of Festo’s extensive data base of proven de- signs to provide possible solutions. “Integrated solutions like HGO and the applications centre represent the future of business,” said Thomas Hohls, Technical Support Engineer. “For customers in need of high speed machines to handle high volume production, they need sophisticated handling solutions, and these tools allow machines to be designed and built with confidence.” The opening of the centre is the lat- est example of Festo’s drive to evolve its ecosystem of automations solutions, which range from training and consulting to implementation. The Application Centre serves another purpose, in addition to pro-

viding real life simulations, it also serves as a training facility. Gift Thobejane, Systems Engineer, highlights the multifaceted way the centre marries people and systems to create unique value. FESTO supports the Sci-Bono Lab Festo donated R2-million worth of training equipment towards the Sci-Bono Lab New- town Johannesburg. The FESTO Sci-Bono Mechatronics lab is a Mechatronics Engi- neering Training System/Lab for secondary schools which will address manufacturing,

employability and STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). The hope is that this facility will improve the human resources needed to drive the indus- trial manufacturing core of the South African economy by closing the skills gap, improving employability and increasing productivity. This advanced facility launched on Au- gust 4th, during National Science Week, and is suitable for Grade 10 -12 learners.

For more information contact Festo on tel: +27 11 971 5500 or email info_za@festo.com z

24

Chemical Technology • August 2015