Chemical Technology August 2015

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Chemical Technology • August 2015 24
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 z
Festo opens innovative applications centre