E+C August 2018

COMMENT

ON THE COVER

FEATURES: · Electrical protection+ safety · Transformers+ substations · Cyber security · Power quality, standby+ back-up · Temperaturemeasurement+ instrumentation

There is energy and power in crisis ...

T he juxtaposition of the energy within our industry and the economic pro- gress of our country is nothing less than fascinating. Yes, there may be some re- markable people batting for the econo- my, but we need no reminder of emerg- ing head winds that, it often seems, we steadfastly continue to produce for our- selves. We worry about state-owned entities and their capacity to deliver while some companies announce ground-breaking developments sure to advance manufac- turing processes. Our world is advancing with or without us. Every day I am encouraged by the competency and commitment shown by younger members of the profession. Their hearts and heads remain committed to this special part of the planet. When engaging with the more mature members of our economy I get a sense of two rather distinct world views and I oftentimes find myself aligning with the latter. The frustration generally allies to per- ceiving a future which is in reach,―but only if we lay the required foundations. We speak glibly about Industry 4.0, yet few people have an actual grasp of its meaning. This was likely to happen whether we like it or not. We have observed organisations that ‘suddenly’ become proponents of Indus- try 4.0 because that is obviously what one has to do – as if that in itself is the solution to all woes. With all due respect to recent proponents of Industry 4.0, this is what the readers and advertisers of Electricity+Control have in fact been ad- vocating for decades – the integration of digital technologies into this analogue world of ours, and the conversion of data into information. This is what we do!

We have consistently argued the fact that energy and information are without doubt the two fundamental commodities of industry. What is intriguing to observe is how business and commerce now latch onto that; how simply appending the ‘4.0’ to any aspect of human endeavour implies progression. What is exciting to observe is how the language is becoming more common across a wider range of industry. This could be viewed as a crisis or an oppor- tunity. For many, 4.0 implies a threat or a risk and we cannot brush that aside. The waves of change now envelop so broad a band of human endeavour that we really do face a revolution. Although the change is quick and mer- ciless, the concept as a whole takes us back to a far more integrated global vil- lage, and the capacity to deploy people into more suitable roles. This is profoundly important, yet the reality is likely to be clouded by fear of change and the perception of crisis. I am of the opinion that one should never waste a crisis. Embrace change. Yes, change may hurt some. Is that not the nature of revolution? We need to ask how we can embrace change and the opportunities it presents while striving to reduce the number of casualties. This will only be achieved with decisive leadership.

ECAUG2018.indd 1 7/30/2018 2:11:22PM www.electricityandcontrolmagazine.co.za

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Magazine Team

Editor: Design & Layout: Advertising Managers:

Fiona Mosca Adél JvR Bothma Helen Couvaras Heidi Jandrell Karen Smith Karen Grant Wilhelm du Plessis Ian Jandrell

Circulation: Publisher: Deputy Publisher: Editorial Technical Director:

Circulation

Quarter 1 (Jan - Mar 2018) Total print circulation: 4 629

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