Gorataone is a graduate from the Engineering Institute of Technology; he has an Advanced Diploma of Industrial Automation. He is also a married man with three children; we congratulate him for ably juggling full time work, a family and his studies!
His career in the engineering world began at the Debswana Diamond mine in Botswana. While at the mine he became a control and instrumentation technician and, within the coal-fired plants, he worked with a 33MW pulverized boiler and 600MW fluidized circulating air boiler. His daily responsibilities included the calibration, troubleshooting and maintenance of process equipment. Naturally he was also involved in the safety of the plant at all times too.
The qualification from EIT gave him the skills to progress in the mine: from working in the process control and instrumentation departments he has now moved to the access control and surveillance departments.
“The main reason I chose this course was to stay up to date with the ever-changing technology in this digital world,” Goratoane said.
He also noted that the convenience of studying after hours ensured he was able to cope with his busy and often conflicting schedule.
In his new role Goratoane’s duties include controlling the access to the various and colour-coded areas of the mine:
- White - the township area
- Green - the mine pit
- Red - recovery and sorting plants
Goratoane explained that these areas are under intense surveillance due to precious gemstones being mined. He also commented that the industry is seeing more and more integration with the Internet of Things and general automation.
“The most interesting development in the industry is the use of smart instruments which can be calibrated, diagnosed and operated remotely. The use of smart trucks at the mining pit is amazing as well - they even perform alcohol tests on the drivers, to check their fitness prior to driving; this protects the most valuable assets of the company.”
Gorataone mentions that he next wants to pursue qualifications in cyber security. The Engineering Institute of Technology has a Professional Certificate of Cybersecurity for Automation, Control, and SCADA Systems; a 6 week course. It equips students with the principles in digital security which can be applied to the infrastructure found in engineering industries.