The 2nd CESA Innovation and Technology Webinar, held on Thursday, 4 March, was a success and commemorated World Engineering Day in 2021. The webinar boasted insightful speakers including Rene Van Schalkwyk, Aon South Africa Business Unit Head for Claims; MPAMOT Technical Principal, Mike Aldous; CSIR Smart Mobility Research and Development Engineer, Imraan Akhalwaya; and Knight Piesold Southern Africa Engineer and CESA Technology and Engineering Innovation Forum chairperson, Neelam Parbhoo.

Our facilitator, Amanda Masondo-Mkhize, did a sterling job for the webinar and introduced speakers and welcomed attendees. Parbhoo, the first speaker to present, shared her insight on ‘The role of the engineer,’ where she stated the importance of a modern engineer needing to have a high EQ to better understand the needs of society. Further, she added that engineers are essential for resilience to climate change. “Engineers are needed to design and develop resilient infrastructure that will withstand the increasing weather-related events including floods, cyclones and bush fires especially in developing countries that are most exposed to these ricks,” stated Parbhoo.

Van Schalkwyk discussed digital transformation and highlighted that innovation is the unrelenting drive to break the status quo and develop anew where few have dared to go. "With regard to robotic process automation, we showed how a process that took about 10-11 minutes could be reduced to 10-11 seconds”. In her closing remarks, Van Schalkwyk emphasized the importance of business process automation, also known as business automation or digital transformation, which is the technology-enabled automation of complex business processes.

Akhalwaya’s presentation touched on the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR). He stated that technology could potentially help upgrade South Africa's roads at a reduced cost. He also stressed the importance of engagement, which is needed with the private sector and consulting engineering firms to pave the way for technological implementation.

The final speaker on the day was Aldous, who discussed 'Innovation Strategies - Adopting and Adapting technology in executing projects and the design process'. In his presentation, Aldous stated that the current industry dynamics have resulted in a complex and fragmented construction process.

The video of the webinar can be accessed using this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyosQ6ZYSK4