Two decades of achievement

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IBG - SA Instrumentation & Control Buyers' Guide

August 2008 News

Founded in 1988 by Claudio Agostinetto, Graham Bishop and Thomas Fischer, Systems Automation & Management (SAM) recently celebrated its 20th year of business. The milestone was toasted last month at a banquet at the Sandton Sun hotel, attended by over 140 customers, suppliers and staff.

Based on a vision of providing quality solutions at affordable rates the fledgling company tackled projects ranging from rebuilding Siemens UPSs to repairing the security systems at some of South Africa’s leading banks. The formula was successful and a period of rapid growth ensued which led to the opening of the Durban branch in 1998. “It was around this time that we realised the need for specialisation and focus,” says Claudio Agostinetto, SAM’s managing director. “And the Durban branch has subsequently been very successful in acquiring specialised skills in motion control and machine manufacturing.”

The company honed the vision further by recognising the need to refine its product knowledge in order to best place its resources at the disposal of an emergent Blue Chip customer base. System platforms and instrumentation from leading suppliers including Siemens, Schneider, GE, Adroit, Endress+Hauser and Wonderware form the basis of the companies' current market offerings to index leaders like Anglo American, BMW, Eskom and Toyota.

With the business solidly established the directors identified an unmet need in the local market and decided to take the company to the next level. “We recognised the design constraints we were facing through a lack of custom interfaces to complement our OEM catalogues,” explains Claudio. In response the engineers at SAM developed cards and drivers that addressed the need and allowed the company to forge closer links with its clients. “The flexibility that we now have to link multiple process computers, DCSs and global positioning systems gives us a real advantage,” he adds.

Today, SAM conducts its multimillion dollar operation from the head office in Bryanston, supported by regional offices in KwaZulu-Natal and the Northern Province. Claudio says that since its inception the company has remained committed to its principle of value addition through quality and that this will still be the case at its 30th anniversary in 2018.

For more information contact Claudio Agostinetto, Systems Automation & Management, +27 (0)11 803 0570, [email protected], www.sam.co.za

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