The world, as we know it, is changing. Everything is evolving and at a rapid pace at that. Industry too, is faced with these changes. We find ourselves at a crossroads where the old way of doing things is no longer working as optimally as before and in order to be ahead of the curve, industry needs to ‘up the ante’ while being more relevant than ever.

The KwaZulu-Natal Industrial Technology Exhibition (KITE), which took place recently at Durban’s Exhibition Centre, explored the path industry will be taking in the not too distant future as well as enlightening those in attendance what needed to be done in order to survive in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

According to Brian Andrew MD of RS Components South Africa, if businesses don’t embrace this disruption, they will not survive. “Automation, IoT and connected devices impact all industries, it could grow business and create jobs, and already, we in SA can see its plethora of benefits.

Furthermore, for South Africa to compete successfully in a 4th Industrial Revolution economy, stakeholders across all sectors must work together to drive progress in this country-Which is why we embrace opportunities to exhibit at events such as the KwaZulu-Natal Industrial Technology Exhibition as it allows us to show companies, emerging businesses and individuals the impact of technology and IoT in all aspects of our lives,” he said.

RS Components SA, a market leader in the electronic, electrical and industrial component space was one of the successful companies that exhibited at this year’s KITE event. “At RS, we promote technological thinking and this is further enhanced through our DesignSpark website for anyone of any age to share ideas, innovations, learn how to code or conceptualise designs with other users.

DesignSpark has grown in leaps and bounds with more than 750 000 members-all who understand the importance of the connected age where IoT is revolutionising the way we see our lives moving forward. We also support our customers to reduce overall cost of Maintenance Repair and Operations (MRO) Procurement through our web capabilities as well as our well-priced and quality private label brand-RS Pro.

KITE 2019 was a great platform for us to showcase our company as well as have face-to-face conversations with our many online customers. We look forward to the next one,” added Brian.

KITE Portfolio Director Nick Sarnadas, pointed out that the three main educational events at KITE 2019 included the SAIMechE Seminar Theatre, the MESA (Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association) special interest group, and the Lifting Equipment Association of South Africa (LEEASA) conference.

“Some of the topics under discussion at the SAIMechE Seminar Theatre included ‘Embracing Industry 4.0 – reshaping and redefining industrial manufacturing’, ‘Embedding compliance into business processes’, ‘The 5-year plan in terms of opportunities and challenges facing the SA manufacturing industry’, and ‘The top 5 industrial automation trends for 2019 and beyond’.

The speaker line-up included a number of well-known industry specialists who brought their own personal business experiences to the table,” he said.