Electricity + Control February 2016

LIGHT + CURRENT

PneuDrive Challenge… taking a break The engineering design competition started as an initiative to find engineering talent in SouthAfrican universities. In 2008, SEWEURODRIVE’s Ute Schoeman and Rene Rose (both currently ‘mediapositive’) introduced the challenge concept. Over many years the competition (co- sponsored initially by SEW EURODRIVE and Festo; in 2015 by SEW EURODRIVE and SMC Pneumatics SA) has offered a unique learning experience… combining academic competency with the need to identify, design and propose innovative engineering solutions for real- world business problems. At the PneuDrive Challenge Prizegiving, held at the head office of SMC Pneumatics (South Africa) in Midrand on 21 January 2016, Adrian Buddingh, the company’s General Manager, said that current sponsors of the initiative, SEW EURODRIVE and SMC, have decided to take a break from PneuDrive, to pause and reflect on the best way forward.They intend refuelling their resources, funding and planning to reassess the industry’s needs. In so doing, they plan devising a more comprehensive and valuable programme, not only for universities, but for the industry as a whole. Enquiries: Lindy Ndaba. Email lndaba@sew.co.za or Riaan van Eck. Email jbester@smcpneumatics.co.za

First place: Stellenbosch University ‒ Josua Blom, Madeli du Toit, Johannes Leuvennink, Jean Swart, Reghardt Pretorious.

Second place: University of the Witwatersrand ‒ Craig Daniels,

Richard Grieves, Micha Dedekind.

Third place: University of the Witwatersrand ‒ Portia Sibambo,

Tiisetso Ramolobe, Vuledzani Madala.

Electricity+Control February ‘16

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