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CONTRACTORS’
CORNER
8
SPARKS
ELECTRICAL NEWS
AUGUST 2017
THE CONSULTING ENGINEERS SOUTH
AFRICA (CESA)
Aon Engineering Excel-
lence Awards dubbed the ‘Oscars of the
engineering world’ will be held on the
16
th
August 2017 at Vodacom World, in
Midrand. The event organised by CESA
and sponsored by Aon South Africa is
one of the highlights in the engineering
and construction industry calendar. This
year over 47 submissions were received.
The awards function is widely attended
by the engineering who’s who of South
Africa including, consultants, contrac-
tors, suppliers, academics, related insti-
tutions as well as client bodies from the
public and private sectors.
The awards provide CESA an
opportunity to showcase the extent
to which local built-environment
professionals provide the best in
engineering expertise. “The occasion is
about recognising and thanking all the
participants for their role played in the
country’s infrastructure development, a
key requirement for economic growth of
our country,” says Chris Campbell, CEO
of CESA.
An enormous responsibility rests on
the shoulders of consulting engineers in
delivering cost effective and appropriate
engineering solutions. This challenge is
often compounded by clients expecting
unreasonable discounts on professional
service fees, whilst the risks related to
overly aggressive bidding remain that
of the service provider. “Competition is
good and always encouraged but surely
there is a tipping point where quality is
compromised and risks unduly increase.
Such practice is unsustainable for our
industry and clients need some level
of education on the real value of such
services,” Campbell added.
“It’s our role at Aon South Africa
to support a healthy consulting
engineering industry whilst ensuring
that the most professional and qualified
teams are used to provide such services
to minimise the risk exposure to both the
consultant and the client every step of
the way,” says Terence Williams, CEO of
Aon South Africa.
The Engineering Excellence Awards
honour outstanding performance in
a wide range of categories, including
large and small, as well as local and
international projects. They
also
acknowledge visionary clients as well
as future leaders in the industry through
the Young Engineer of the Year Award.
CESA AON –
CELEBRATING
ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE
THE MODERN COMMERCIAL FACILITY
BUILDS ON STANDARDS
“
A
s various solutions used by facilities (CCTV, HVAC, access control) continue to advance rapidly and begin to
converge with IT and other external systems, the key to optimised facility and security management is having
a standards-based building management system (BMS) platform in place. With the ability to integrate multiple
systems comes greater control, and better management of risk.” So says Neil of Johnson Controls.
The choice of BMS platform is key as it forms the foundation of, and is the command centre for facility
management. It needs to be able to access data from disparate systems, facilitate the analytics needed to make
smarter decisions, and provide a central communication hub for systems. What is critical is that organisations
select a world class solution that is continuously evolving.
While there are pros and cons to the selection of all specialised systems, putting the right framework in place
is half the battle. By making use of a platform that keeps pace with new developments and constantly integrates
new standards and technologies, organisations will be able to utilise new technologies as they emerge, while
ensuring the orchestration of the entire system.
To ensure they have the range of features and functionality they need, as well as a future-proof platform that
enables them to scale and grow, organisations would do well to seek out BMS providers that have a large client
base and industries, and a strong track record with ongoing investment in R&D.
Security should also be a factor to consider. With open systems, standards-based platforms make integration
easier. However, organisations should select integrators that are also aware of security issues. Use of more
digitally-based technology and the increased integration of IoT devices and data provide new entry points for
threats and these need to be well managed.
To optimise security, the commercial business environment needs a BMS with an intelligent platform that
incorporates world-class standards – those that all modern systems, from CCTV to access control and HVAC
management systems, are built on.
Enquiries: +27 (0)11 921 7141
DESIGN ANY LABEL
WITH BRADY
WORKSTATION APPS
BRADY CORPORATION
has created a digital platform that offers professional, intuitive apps to design quality product
and cable labels and safety signs. Label designs are easier, faster and quickly adaptable to new label norms owing to
centralised updates.
Brady Workstation offers practical label design for a wide range of professionals. Simply select the apps you
need, download the 30-day trial and purchase when satisfied. Available apps enable users to automate label
creation, including data imports and complex sequences, and to design custom labels and signs for cables
and products, protected label templates, text-only cable labels, CLP chemical labels, safety and facility signs,
lockout procedures and pipe markers.
The workstation works with a range of Brady desktop and portable printers. Connect a Brady printer to an
internet connected computer to access and print the label templates and functionalities. The label printers
also offer bi-directional communication with the workstation and will inform users if they have to switch label
materials to print specific label designs.
Every Brady Workstation app can be downloaded,
tested and purchased separately. Additionally, it also
includes several label design suites that combine
apps frequently used by specific professionals.
Suites for wire identification, product identification,
safety and facility identification, data automation
and protected label templates are all available with
considerable app bundle advantages.
Enquiries: +27 (0)11 704 3295
MAKITA’S DHP481ZK –
ALL THE POWER
YOU NEED
THE DHP481ZK
18 V Lithium-Ion cordless impact
drill driver, which has the latest innovative technology
including a brushless motor and is Makita’s most
powerful drill/driver to date, provides a hard torque of
up to 115 Nm.
Its compact body style means that the machine
measures 205 mm from the front of the chuck to the
back of the body and weighs in at 2,4 kg – which is
a useful advantage when working in confined spaces.
The dual LED lights on the front of the tool provide
good illumination even in dark places.
The variable speed model is capable of drilling
16 mm in masonry, 76 mm in wood and 13 mm
in steel. The tool offers up to 31 500 impacts per
minute, an electric brake and features all-metal
gear construction that ensures high transmission
durability. There are also 21 torque settings to choose
from, the DHP481ZK is capable of drilling larger
holes with ease.
As has become expected from Makita, the model
has an ergonomically designed handle with a
rubberised soft grip and now has the added feature of
a battery gauge on the tool, which indicates at a glance
the amount of charge the battery has left.
The DHP481ZK is supplied with a belt clip, large
side handle, depth gauge and the space for bit holder
storage on the tool. Everything fits neatly into the carry
case provided.
The model is compatible with the Makita 6.0 Ah
(55 min. charge time), 5.0 Ah (45 min. charge time),
4.0 Ah (36 minutes charge time), 3.0 Ah (22 minutes
charge time) and 1.5 Ah (15 min charge time) batteries.
The batteries and the charger are sold separately.
Enquiries: +27 (0)11 878 2600