BI-WEEKLY MAGAZINE
WEEK 30 OF 2025
ISSUE NO. 01
Digital Twin
The Black Box: Hype or Hope?
You probably know the Nokia brand from the early mobile phones market, don’t you (Nokia 3310)? Well, the company has evolved, focusing on bigger things in industrial digitisation.
A Smart Fix for South Africa’s Water Woes
Digital twins offer powerful tools to improve the maintenance of South Africa’s water treatment plants. However, their success depends on skilled human expertise to interpret and act on the data, experts from Stellenbosch University point out.
Digital Twin
The Black Box: Hype or Hope?
You probably know the Nokia brand from the early mobile phones market, don’t you (Nokia 3310)? Well, the company has evolved, focusing on bigger things in industrial digitisation.
Maintenance Scheduling
Moving from Breakdowns to Peace of Mind
In mining operations, a key cause of unplanned maintenance is the lack of collaboration between operations and maintenance teams when managing equipment throughout its lifespan.
Digital Twin
The Black Box: Hype or Hope?
You probably know the Nokia brand from the early mobile phones market, don’t you (Nokia 3310)? Well, the company has evolved, focusing on bigger things in industrial digitisation.
Power Quality
Tackling the Hidden Threat of Poor Power Quality
In Africa’s heavy industry — mining being no exception — the effects of power quality challenges are often benign and go unnoticed. Typically, plant managers focus on visible problems, which are merely symptoms rather than the root cause.
Transition Disharmony
On the African continent, industries are converting their DOL machinery to speed-controlled systems. Unfortunately, this transition is triggering unintended spikes in harmonic distortions
Voice Communication
Seamless Communication, Smarter Maintenance
RideOnTrack’s interoperable and customisable platform unifies voice communications across legacy and modern systems. After witnessing the efficiency the solution has brought to the rail transport sector, the company sees machinery maintenance teams in Africa’s heavy industry also benefiting.
The Integrated Edge for Maintenance Teams
In the Distributed Control System (DCS), ABB Process Automation has unlocked the perfect solution to address the challenge of the non-interoperability of equipment in process industries, a common headache for plant managers.
Machine Learning in Predictive Maintenance
Proactive Maintenance, Powered by AI
Just when we thought remote equipment monitoring on its own was the pinnacle of innovation in predictive machinery maintenance, a layer of machine learning is added to it. Ramjack’s Katrina Wertheim touts machine learning to have a profound impact in simplifying complicated machinery maintenance tasks in African industries — of course, if embraced and applied properly
Lubrication
Tempted to Cut Corners on Lubricants? Don’t.
Using cheaper alternatives, mixing products, or applying one type across multiple applications may appear attractive at face value. But the Southern African Institute of Tribology (SAIT) warns that such decisions come with a high price to pay.
Don’t Ignore Friction, It Costs More
Friction-related downtime is a persistent occurrence in machinery. The Southern African Institute of Tribology (SAIT) suggests it is high time for industry to include tribology in their maintenance budgets.
Go Back to Basics!
There may be advances in lubrication technologies, but basic practices in the application of grease remain as relevant as ever — in fact, more relevant than ever with escalating operating costs.
Why Oil Analysis Should Not Be Overlooked
Regular oil analysis should be an integral part of any maintenance programme.
Shaft Alignment
Wait Too Long and Pay Too Much
Addressing rotating equipment shaft misalignment early can prevent costly downtime and equipment failure, saving industrial operations significant long-term costs.
