Free-to-attend seminars at Electra Mining

Electra Mining Africa is taking place from September 10 to 14 at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, Nasrec. In addition to the exhibition, will be the opportunity to engage in free-to-attend seminars where the latest industry insight will be shared.

Hosted by the South African Institution of Mechanical Engineering (SAIMechE), the seminars will be presented by expert speakers. Information on latest industry trends and important industry issues will be addressed.

Charlene Hefer, event director for Electra Mining Africa, says: “Brand new at Electra Mining Africa this year is that each day will be themed differently, the content presented at the daily seminars will be aligned to the show’s ‘five days, five themes’ topics.”

Day one – the future of skills development
Aubrey Doogan, general manager at the SAJ Competency & Training Institute, will speak about reducing unemployment. She explains how SAJ aims to address this by providing quality training relevant to the priorities of the National Skills Authority, private and public sector business needs.

An introductory overview of Industry 4.0 in the automation industry and how to make existing plants Industry 4.0 capable will be presented by Rob Burns, area sales manager Sub-Saharan Africa, at Pepperl+Fuchs.

Talking about the new Mandela Mining Precinct and the revitalising and modernising of South Africa’s mining sector will be Navin Singh, co-director of the Mandela Mining Precinct and manager for Mining R&D at the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research, together with Freddy Muguri, board chair at Mining Equipment Manufacturers of South Africa.

Day two – new product innovation
Marc van Pelt, who is Pepperl+Fuchs MD and sales director for Africa, as well as regional manager in Africa for the FieldComm Group, is one of many speakers on the day.

He is also the task manager on the Industry 4.0 Workgroup for the Society for Automation, Instrumentation Measurement and Control (SAIMC) and the chairman of the Industrial Instrumentation Group (IIG).

He will be speaking about SAIMC being at the forefront of the digital industrial revolution in South Africa and will explain how Industry 4.0 will profoundly shape efforts to promote industrial development.

Gokhan Guler, programme manager for Mechanised Drill and Blast Non-Explosive Rock Breaking and Mechanised Drill and Blast programmes, at Mandela Mining Precinct, will present a paper that outlines global and local developments in mineral extraction with relevance to mining companies, equipment manufacturers and state institutions.

Unlocking the culture of next-generation mining, and talking about how technology and innovation is critical to further development, will be Andrew Lane. He is a senior partner at Deloitte Africa, where he leads the Energy and Resources practice, the Monitor Deloitte corporate and business unit strategy capability, and the CEO programme at the Deloitte Executive Institute.

He will be providing insight into how companies seeking efficiencies and cost improvement will look at technological advancements to drive success, and he will also explore latest insights driving new product development in mining.

Day three – local is lekker
Edwin Ritchken, coordinator of Mining Phakisa, an industry-wide collaborative initiative between government, the mining industry, labour and other stakeholders to galvanise growth and technology development in the mining sector, will be presenting insights to South Africa’s Mineral Revolution.

The Mineral Revolution is a term used by historians to refer to the rapid industrialisation and economic changes that occurred in South Africa from the 1870s onward. This talk explores how these discoveries formed and facilitated SA’s economic and social frameworks.

“The importance of local manufacturing in Southern Africa” will be presented by Eric Bruggeman, CEO of the South African Capital Equipment Export Council (SACEEC). This presentation will address where we are today, the impact of foreign influences and what needs to be done. It will also highlight aspects of exporting, training, education, and supply chain management.

Day four – occupational health and safety
Amongst those speaking on day four include Philip Fourie, executive head of Safety and Sustainable Development for Anglo American Kumba Iron ore.

His topic is “Eradicating fatal injuries in mining”, and he will talk about how, over the past few years, the mining industry as a whole has been heavily criticised for its apparent inability to avoid fatalities. Yet in some cases, enormous strides have been made.

Talking about selecting the correct workwear protection will be Bruce Glenday, Workwear sales manager at Dromex. His talk will stress that when evaluating the qualities of a workwear suit, industrial safety is the most important criterion.

Day five – diversity day
As one of the seminar speakers on the Friday, Gerhard Kuhn, senior economist at the Research and Information Department of the Industrial Development Corporation, will be talking about the interface between mining and manufacturing. He explains how a greater interface between the two individual sectors would benefit not only them but the economy at large.

“Expanding SA’s energy sector: The pathway to energy efficiency” will be presented by Pierre Marie Maurice, mining and cement industrial lubricants field and application engineer at Total. Total is the world’s fourth-ranked oil and gas company and the second-largest solar-energy operator with affiliate SunPower – and this presentation will outline Total’s commitment to better energy and their energy efficiency campaign.

Conferences alongside Electra Mining Africa
More knowledge and industry insights will be available to delegates as they listen to top industry speakers who will be presenting at the conferences hosted by leading industry associations including the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM), the Lifting Equipment Engineering Association of South Africa (LEEASA), and Women in Mining South Africa (WIMSA), which will be taking place alongside Electra Mining Africa.

Bookings for these conferences are essential.

For further information and online visitor registration, visit www.electramining.co.za.