Digital technology solutions provider Etion Digitise CE Koketso Seripe is set to deliver a presentation at the Africa Rail exhibition and conference, which will be held at the Sandton Convention Centre, in Gauteng, on June 19 and 20.

Seripe will deliver his presentation, titled ‘A seamless approach to integrating new technology systems’, on the second day of the event.

“The presentation will address how the industry approaches integrating different technologies in the Fourth Industrial Revolution by leveraging experiences gained from previous industry revolutions,” he tells Engineering News.

Seripe adds that the industry does not have the luxury of a long history in the digitalisation space from which it can extract norms and standards, hence, the often fragmented approach.

“A number of technologies can achieve more when combined or integrated, as opposed to standing alone. The presentation will explore how the industry can avoid fragmentation and extract value from integration.”

Technological Offering
Etion Digitise provides condition monitoring systems, as well as track and trace systems, and the data collected is transferred to central points from where users, such as train control centres, are able to analyse and extract insightful operational information.

An example of how Etion Digitise adds value to its clients was in April, when the company, through its thermal hot bearing detection system (THDS), identified that the temperatures of bearings in the rail vehicles of one of its clients were outside the defined range. This triggered alarms and the train was stopped to prevent derailment.

Derailments can result in significant losses, owing to damage to the rolling stock and infrastructure, and operational losses during cleanups.

Further, Etion Digitise is integrating the THDS with its vehicle identification system (VIS). Combined with trackside condition monitoring equipment, unsafe conditions can easily be traced back to the vehicle in question. The company has a significant number of VIS systems installed across South Africa.

“Once you combine the location data with the data from the hot bearing detector, you can pinpoint exactly where the issue is without having to spend an enormous amount of time trying to figure out where it is,” Seripe explains.

Further, Etion Digitise is developing an automatic train movement control system, which will be able to minimise the impacts of vandalism on the wayside infrastructure. The company expects to launch the system in eight to twelve months.

Meanwhile, Etion Digitise will also exhibit its capabilities at Africa Rail.

“We are a key player in rail and we are exhibiting at and attending Africa Rail to keep abreast of what is happening in the market, as well as to inform and update the market about what we are doing,” Seripe concludes.