COMMENT
Maintenance, or the lack of maintenance, speaks volumes
W elcome to the new year! May it be a wonderful year for you, your families, and your colleagues. Let us never lose hope, nor the resilience that will continue to make our industry shine even when the days are dark. But some of those clouds are beginning to clear. And I do have a sense that we can make a real effort, in many ways, to continue to make those clouds clear! Again, we have a magazine jampacked with information that will keep you informed as you settle into a goal-oriented year of progress. And, in part, it is that commitment to progress – just progress – that will see things continue to improve. Having had the privilege to have spent quite some time travelling (and travelling many thousands of kilometres off the beaten track) in the past while, seeing this beautiful country, I am reminded how important it is to plan, schedule and actually execute maintenance. Of course there will be budgetary constraints, and, in some cases, other resourcing challenges – but it is evident that if you slip up on regular maintenance it becomes hideously costly (in so many ways) to try and address serious failures after the fact. One of the topics we address this month is plant maintenance, test and measurement. It is always a worry that when things become a bit tough, maintenance often suffers – we don’t have the budget to deal with this, that or the next thing. This leads to disaster. Compromising on maintenance simply cannot be contemplated. Having said that, it also seems evident that in some very unfortunate cases, even when budget resources are available, maintenance does not take place. The consequences are so dire – and worse still,
in the public space, are clear for all to see. What is the effect of this? Whether in public spaces or on your plant, folk seeing the lack of maintenance will form a very quick impression of how you operate. And that impression will not be a good one. There is another danger, and that is that people almost become accustomed to seeing your plant in a state of disrepair – and almost accept that as the norm. This cannot be allowed as standard practice. I have visited many sites in this part of the world and in other hemispheres – and the tone set by plant upkeep speaks volumes about the intention of the organisation. It is beyond my comprehension when I see an obvious lack of commitment to maintenance. The impression is appalling. In this regard I also find myself recognising that in so many cases it proves difficult to get the areas surrounding and even serving your plant to be properly maintained and cared for. But be assured – when you cross the boundary into your plant folk must say ‘now this is what we expect to see’! So – let’s make 2026 the year when we test, we measure, and we get the job done. Let it be the year when we inculcate an attitude of caring among all our staff. And a year where, no matter what we see around us, we ensure that in the spaces we control we are world class, we are competitive, and we provide the future that our staff deserve.
The new SU Puresonic flow meter from ifm has no moving parts inside the measuring tube and hence oers many advantages. (Read more on page 3.)
Editor: Leigh Darroll Design & Layout: Katlego Montsho Advertising Manager: Paul Engelbrecht Circulation: Karen Smith Technical Editorial Consultant: Ian Jandrell
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Electricity+Control is supported by
Ian Jandrell PrEng IntPE(SA), BSc(Eng) GDE PhD, FSAAE FSAIEE SMIEEE
The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher, the editor, SAAEs, SAEE, CESA or the Copper Development Association Africa
FEBRUARY 2026 Electricity + Control
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