Design, programme and stimulate

Mariselle Stofberg

Thinking outside the box, being creative, yet practical, and using logistics to turn an idea into reality, are some of the key aspects of being an automation engineer, which are all traits that Johann Mouton excels at.

Mouton is an automation engineer at Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL), who is dedicated and motivated. Automation is the technology by which a process or procedure is performed with minimal human assistance.

“Within this field you need to have a sound understanding of software development and computer programming. Troubleshooting and logical thinking are key, as sometimes the easiest solution is right in front of you.

“Of course there are a few technical skills to be learned, such as instrumentation and control-loop calibration, but really understanding the process you want to automate is key,” Mouton said.

His interest in the field has its roots in the subjects he had in high school.

“I attended Windhoek Technical High School and had electronics as a subject, which made me realise that I wanted to pursue a career in the field of engineering.

“After I matriculated, I took a gap year and worked as a river guide at Felix Unite on the Orange River. From there I went to Cape Town, where I completed my diploma in electronic engineering at Cape Technikon.”

While working as a junior automation engineer at NBL, Mouton enrolled at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust) to finish his degree in electronic engineering.

“I first learned about automation when I was still studying in Cape Town and attended a short programme called Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) during one of my holidays. When I first started working it was in a completely different field, which included CCTV and access control.”

After three years in Cape Town, Mouton moved to Namibia with the aim of working in a technical field and was employed at Namibia Diaries, a subsidiary of the O&L Group, in logistics.

Shortly thereafter he applied for a position at NBL, where he was responsible for projects and document administration.

“This is when I became more acquainted with the automation world and instantly knew that this is what I wanted to do. The junior automation engineering position became available, for which I was the successful candidate, and only then my journey into the automation world started.

“Since then, automation time and time again, gave me a real eye-opener of what opportunities exist in this field,” he added.

Within the field of automation, it is essential that one stays up-to-date with all the latest developments and available training.

“A big part of the training involves on-the-job training, as the automation environment changes and improves daily. I also attended a few additional courses, including in programming at the Siemens head office in South Africa,” Mouton said.

“I try and stay up-to-date with the newest technology articles, trends and latest developments, and also regularly attend automation fairs. The one thing I realised is that you never know enough, and by constantly keeping up-to-date, this has a significant advantage in my line of work.”

Mouton describes the biggest challenge he faced in this field as the struggle to find relevant training and study opportunities.

“In Namibia and South Africa there aren’t dedicated fields of study for automation and you are left with registering for online courses, which can be quite expensive. You also can’t register at the Engineering Council of Namibia as an automation engineer, because it is not a recognised field of engineering yet, but in South Africa it is changing, and will probably change here as well.”

Mouton added that with all the advances in the automation field and also the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is about big data and smart sensors, the future of automation is exciting.

With the challenges faced and the shortcomings identified, Mouton is planning to get more involved with the Namibia Training Authority (NTA) to explore the possibly of assisting in creating dedicated instrumentation and automation fields of study.

He is also a member of the Society for Automation, Instrumentation, Measurement and Control (SAIMC), which is trying to do the same in South Africa.

“I’ve realised that with automation rapidly advancing and changing work environments, it is of so much more importance that students are given opportunities to advance in automation.”

He aspires to one day climb Kilimanjaro and continue his development and growth within this exciting and continuously changing field.