The X-Change User Conference, hosted by Wonderware and Schneider Electric, has established itself over the past two decades as the longest-running, best-attended and most informative mining and manufacturing conference in Southern Africa. The annual event draws industry professionals and system integrator providers who are leading the way in the industrial automation and manufacturing IT sectors.

“This is the premier event for solution vendors who assist these industries to showcase their innovative products and successful implementations,” says Jaco Moolman, Managing Executive of Industrial Solutions within the Business Solutions division at Business Connexion.

Business Connexion was thrilled to be acknowledged for the third consecutive year as a runner-up for the Wonderware Top System Integrator Award at the 2015 X-Change User Conference. The conference, themed ‘Game Changer’ this year, was held on 21 and 22 April at the Champagne Sports Resort in the Drakensberg. It was attended by over 300 delegates representing top tier organisations such as Aspen Pharmacare, AngloGold Ashanti, and South African Breweries.

“We have an incredibly strong position in the Food & Beverage, Mining and Chemical industries. While the X-Change Awards are given to SIs that have the highest software sales figures, we are also proud to provide full solutions that include engineering and hardware. It is an honour to be included in the awards.”

Moolman contends that Business Connexion is striving to be a leading enabler of the ‘Internet of Everything’. He adds, “We are seeing a major paradigm shift in the market toward machine-to-machine communication. Over the next couple of years, machine-to-machine will become paramount to manufacturing and mining.”

“Business Connexion is exploring new opportunities and harnessing this shift in a way that enables companies to improve their workspace. It is critical that we work with our clients, onsite at their plants, to address their specific challenges.”

He explains that their role in the SI field is to help manufacturers optimise scarce resources – their products, machines and people. Packaging their solutions and presenting them on a Wonderware platform in an accessible and user-friendly format is critical to helping senior management make informed decisions.

Bridging the gap between top floor and shop floor is equally important, and the conference presented the perfect opportunity for Business Connexion to showcase its collaboration with Samsung in this regard. Samsung’s recently-released ruggedized tablet is a prime example of using technology to make the shop floor more efficient and more effective.

Director for Samsung Enterprise Mobility, Paulo Ferreira, says, “Our progressive collaboration with Business Connexion has already proven to companies in South Africa that mobility enablement is critical in taking operational management to the next level. Samsung’s combination of exceptional and innovative enterprise-specific products, together with our ecosystem and extensive support services, provides an unrivalled experience for business users. From a strategic perspective, our joint efforts drive directly towards facilitating crucial improvements to some of the largest businesses in South Africa and on the continent.”