LUKHANYO MADIKANE
Vredenburg
Summary
Detail-oriented Electrical Engineer with experience in electrical and instrumentation within steel and mining sectors. Holds a National Diploma in Electrical Engineering and B-Tech in Electrical Engineering, specialising in process instrumentation. Supports operations through troubleshooting, maintenance, and hardware installation. Analyses faults, prepares service reports, and implements corrective actions to enhance asset performance and reliability, while ensuring safe working practices.
Overview
3
3
Languages
10
10
years of professional experience
Work History
Field service Engineer
Flanders Electric
Kolomela
07.2023 - Current
- Assisting in complex troubleshooting scenarios and resolving critical issues. Level 1
- Performing troubleshooting activities to identify the root cause of equipment malfunctions.
- Conducting initial assessments and gathering relevant information about reported issues.
- Responding promptly to site support requests.
- Collaborating with site personnel to understand and address their concerns.
- Complete and submit daily FSRs (Field Service Reports)
- Compiled and submitted HPH reports, enabling effective tracking of project progress.
- Managed operations at ARDVARC sites, ensuring alignment with project objectives.
- Conducted routine maintenance according to established procedures.
- Install and commission of hardware.
- Verify key parameters during maintenance routines.
- Modified software settings to improve operational efficiency.
- Analyse daily fault/alarm/trips on machines, set up actions to rectify & notify one level up.
- Analyze daily breakdowns to identify trends, set up actions to rectify & notify one level up (At sites where FE has a Snr Field Engineer present, that will be the level up, for Dragline department it will be the Field service manager)
- Analyse daily cycle time on machines, set up actions to rectify & notify Snr Field Engineer.
- Implementation of divisional improvement / technical notes with support from Snr field engineer.
- Scaling of field instruments when OEM replace hydraulic pump or power head and on a 1000 hr service schedule.
- Software backups not exceeding 6 weeks
- Prepared and submitted weekly drill survey reports, facilitating performance assessment.
Field service Technician
Flanders Electric
Kolomela
11.2023 - 07.2025
- PLC RSlogix 5000 installation, maintenance, PLC program, troubleshooting on Drill rigs.
- Troubleshot electrical issues on drill rigs to maintain operational efficiency.
- Reducing downtime on the drill rigs to provide availability.
- Inspected drill rigs daily, ensuring compliance with safety standards and operational functionality.
- Delivered technical service for routine and moderately complex maintenance of control systems.
- Responded promptly to customer callouts and field dispatches, consistently achieving team performance targets.
- Assessed customer needs during site visits, recommending tailored solutions to improve operational efficiency.
- Worked on Flanders Navigation system called DrillWise and installed it to EPIROC D65 drills and commissioned the system.
- GPS receivers installation and commissioning for drills to establish RTK correction for moving base (Novatel and Trimble).
- ARDVARC systems installation to monitor drill in the pit for Autonomous drilling.
- Collaborated with team members on complex installations or repairs, fostering a cooperative work environment.
- Inspected and troubleshot equipment failures, finding swift resolutions by repairing or replacing parts.
- Used diagnostic tools to locate faulty components.
- Conducted safety inspections and tests of electrical equipment.
- Hazardous cameras installation for detection of objects to check any interruption around the machine.
- Configured bridgeway for optimal performance.
- Configuring inclinometer and IFM2050 using IFM maintenance tool.
- Attended RCA investigation of equipment damage.
- Provided follow-up support for excellent customer service.
- Troubleshot and resolved technical issues with laboratory equipment, minimising downtime and maintaining productivity.
- Using flash magic to program DeviceNet modules.
- Upgraded electrical panels and circuit breakers, enhancing system capacity and safety in residential and commercial buildings.
- Project Support and Implementation of project
- Upgraded electrical panels and circuit breakers, enhancing system capacity and safety in residential and commercial buildings.
Line Technician
DSP
Saldanha
03.2018 - 10.2023
- Install, replace, maintain and repair electrical systems and related electrical/electronic equipment.
- Conducted fault finding on machinery to identify and rectify operational issues.
- Use electrical and electronic testing devices to inspect and test instrument equipment and system operation and diagnose faults.
- Fault finding machinery making use of PLC and MMI software which includes Siemens Simatic S5 and S7 PLC software, S7 TIA Portal software, and InTouch Wonderware MMI software.
- Replaced outdated electrical starters with modern alternatives to enhance operational efficiency. Star/Delta and D.O.L Starters to Schneider electric soft starters (55KW to 220KW).
- Appointed to perform 11KV to 44KV switching in the medium voltage substation at Dufersco steel process under the SAQA act.
- Investigated issues identified by Plant Maintenance Teams and resolved through specialised fixes, redesigns, equipment replacements, and targeted training.
- Installed electrical systems and components to ensure proper functionality and compliance with standards.ed PID controller upgrade on the burnout in the batch anneal, since the old one gave problems.
- Installed NIDEC low voltage drives at Cold Reversing Mill.
- Calibrate and maintain components and instruments according to manufacturer's specifications.
- Trained new hires and junior staff on electronic equipment installation, repair and maintenance, equipping apprentices with excellent skills for high-quality work.
- Upgraded communication modules to enhance system integration and performance. ET200B from Profibus to ET200SP which uses Profinet. The S7-1500 TIA portal us as a gateway between the S5-115U CPU948 through the IM308 card that reads/writes information to the extended I/Os through Profibus DP coupler between two CPU.
- Upgraded Wago interface module from Profibus to Profinet.
- Implemented a method of to test spray bars.
- Design a cooling tower graphic on InTouch Wonderware.
- Interpreted error messages and reports from electronic equipment to diagnose faults and implement permanent solutions to recurring issues.
- Supported project implementation and completion, contributing to overall project success.
- Appointed as a safety rep under the health and safety representative OHSA Act Section 17.1.
In-service Trainee
DSP
Saldanha
03.2017 - 03.2018
- Utilised pneumatic, electrical and electronic testing devices to inspect, test instrument systems and diagnose faults, ensuring operational reliability.
- Calibrate and maintain components and instruments according to manufacturer's specifications.
- Install and maintain instruments on new or existing plant equipment and processes.
- Install, replace, maintain and repair electrical systems and related electrical equipment.
- Conducted inspections and tests on electronic equipment, components and assemblies using multimeters, circuit testers, oscilloscopes and logic probes to ensure compliance with specifications.
- Diagnose and locate circuit, component and equipment faults.
- Follow equipment manuals and drawings to adjust, align, replace or repair parts.
- Defined job responsibilities for team members to clarify roles and expectations.
- Electrical and Process Instrumentation
Education
University of South Africa
Parow, Cape Town10-2026
Bachelor of Electrical Engineering Technology - Process Instrumentation
University of South Africa
Parow01-2020
National Diploma - Electrical Engineering (S4 – (Industrial Electronics))
Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Bellville, Cape Town01-2017
Electrical infrastructure and construction (Level 2 to Level 4)
College of cape town
Pinelands, Cape Town01-2013
Grade 10 -
Rocklands High School
Mitchell plain, Cape Town01-2010
Skills
- S7-1500 TIA Portal & S7 PLC
- Step 5 (Simatic 5 PLC)
- Fault diagnosis
- On-Site troubleshooting
- On-site support
- Equipment servicing
- PID control
- Technical assessment
- Com Profibus
- Mitsubishi & Siemens Drives
- SVGN and Low voltage Drives
- Design problem solving
- ISAGRAF
- AVEVA System Platform
- EPLAN P8 Version 28
- Proneta
- Artics DVM Tool Nedic
- KICAD Version 70
LANGUAGES
ISIXHOSA
ENGLISH
AFRIKAANS
REFERENCE
- AUBREY THABO, KEAKGWILE, HMI SPECIALIST AND AUTOMATION ELECTRICAL TECHNICIAN (MY MENTOR DUFERCO STEEL PROCESS), +27 72 020 3394, DUFERCO STEEL PROCESS (Pty) Ltd
- ASHLEY, PAULSEN, ELECTRICAL INSTRUMENTATION TECHNICIAN AT GALVANIZING, SLITTING, PICKLE, INSPECTION LINE, INLINE SCALES AND CRANES (MY COLLEGE DUFERCO STEEL PROCESS), +27 73 310 8859, DUFERCO STEEL PROCESS (Pty) Ltd
- JOHANNES, COETZEE, SENIOR ELECTRICAL TECHNICIAN AT CRM, CRANES, 11KV, TRANSFORMERS AND CRTM (MY SUPERVISOR DUFERCO STEEL PROCESS), +27 73 147 8894, DUFERCO STEEL PROCESS (Pty) Ltd
- OWEN, MADZINGA, TEAM LEAD IT SPECIALIST IN NETWORKING ON DRILLS AND CURRENTLY AT FLANDERS ELECTRIC IS SITE MANAGE, +27 72 524 1975, FLANDERS ELECTRIC SA
HOBBIE
JOGGING, WATCHING MOVIES, TRAVELING, STUDYING & READING
PROJECT COST AND COMMISSIONING OF SOFT STARTER
- Responsible for investigating, designing wiring diagram, panels wiring, installing, commissioning and finding quotations of the bill of material required for the capex project. The ATS22 family of soft starter that was suited for our plant operation e.g. hydraulics, servo-hydraulics and emulsion pumps was recommendation to management, reason it was cheap and advantages for prolonging life span on centrifugal, and piston pumps etc. I gave proposal to management on the advantage and disadvantages of removing ten DOL (direct online) and eight Star/Delta starters and installing ATS22 soft starter into pumps. The smoothness in starting. It reduced bumps and knocks in the mechanical system increasing the life span of pump which leads to the company saving money instead of changing 5 pumps in average a year the number was reduced drastically.
- The capex project was to upgrade cold reversing mill S5 945U CPU Line and S7-400 auxiliary PLC to a S7-1500 PLC including the TCS to Automation PC 910 and SIMOVERT master and SIMADYN drives (Siemens) to 10MVA SVGN and low voltage drives (NIDEC)to done by NIDEC. The engineer recommended to the Engineering manager that since the plant is being upgraded that we also upgrade our ET200B to ET200SP, which was project I was tasked to identify how the upgrade was going to take place and to plan the plant Profinet layout and spares needed to complete the project. Get contractors to assist with the building phase of the Proto-type build by me and engineer. The drawing of the extended station is still being develop due to the magnitude of the project by myself and are planned to be finished end of 2023. We used DP coupler to talk between S5 to S7-1500 PLC, reason being the S5-945U CPU doesn't support Profinet. I need to ensure that hardware was in place and that the wiring was correct. During this time, I also three soft starters for fan and two pumps for the newly installed cooling tower and design to cool the medium voltage SVGN drives.
- DrillWise is a navigation system that is installed in original equipment manufacture drills. The drill is still controlled by the operator according to the OEM specification the only thing that makes it unique it is equipped with a touch screen HMI which is incorporated with a high precision global navigation system and real time sensor data. DrillWise enable high precision depth calculation which matches the design plan and allow operates to drill holes using east and north navigation at accuracy of 100mm. I had opportunity of configuring all the IFM I/O, GPS, Body inclinometer, roll inclinometer and encoder components which are the main components for the navigation system. I commission the system and installed it into a 2-platform drill and D65 EPIROC drill both smart roc and a FLEXI. The main challenge with the project was conducting a survey style for the Trimble GPS receiver to obtain RTKs from a Novatel base station. The issue was when the GPS receiver was getting RTKs from the Novatel base station it had a shift in GEOIDs of elevation of about 30 meters.
ABBREVIATION
- DSP – Dufersco Steel Process (Pty) Ltd
- PLC – Programmable logic control
- D.O.L – Direct-on-line
- VSD – Variable Speed Drives
- VWF – Variable Voltage variable frequency drives
- ET – Extended station
- MMI – Man Machine Interface
- HMI – Human machine Interface
- SCADA – Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
- IM – Interface module
- I/O’s – Digital/Analog Input and outputs
- CPU – Central Processing Unit
- DP – Decentralized Peripheral
- NC - Northern Cape
- PMG – Postmasburg
- HME – Heavy Mining Equipment
- RTK’s Real Time Kinetics
- RCA – Root cause analysis
- PID – Proportional integral derivative controller
- SA – South Africa
- TCS - Control System
- ARDVARC – Advanced Rotary Drill Vector Automated Radio Control
- MV – Medium Voltage (Above 1KV to 44KV)
- LV – Low Voltage (0 – 1KV)
- OHSA – Occupational Health and Safety act
- PTO – Planned Task Observation
- FE – Field Engineers
- VFL – Visible, Felt, and Effective Leadership Style
- OEM – Original Equipment manufacture
ADDITIONAL COURSES
- Process Industry Principles (computer based) as part of training program at Dufersco Steel Process:
- Process Operations Troubleshooting
- Reading Diagrams
- Worked on shape meters and spray bars
- PTW - Permit to Work – Done at Dufersco Steel Processing
- PID Control – Installed PID on burnout burn at batch anneal
- Introduction to Variable Speed Drives – Off-site (at Simation JHB)
- Siemens S7 PLC Training (Pro 1-TIA Portal) – at Siemens
- Siemens S5 PLC Training (Intermediate) – at Simation JHB
- Siemens S5 PLC Training (Advance) – at Simation JHB
- Siemens S7 PLC Training (Introduction) at Simation JHB
- Siemens S7 PLC Training (Intermediate) at Simation JHB
- Siemens S7 PLC (Advance) at Simation JHB
- Medium Voltage Network Training) on Site by Vince Davies and Associates
- Theory Switching Procedure for MV Systems (1-44kV) on Site by Vince Davies and Associates
- CCP299 Control Logix/Studio 5000 Level 1: Designer level 1:
- ContolLogix System Fundamentals and Troubleshooting
- Practical Switching Procedure for MV Systems (1-44kV) on Site by Vince Davies and Associates
- Development training on AFC and PLC training (Cold Reversing Mill Upgrade) NIDEC Italy Genova
Timeline
Field service Technician
Flanders Electric
11.2023 - 07.2025
Field service Engineer
Flanders Electric
07.2023 - Current
Line Technician
DSP
03.2018 - 10.2023
In-service Trainee
DSP
03.2017 - 03.2018
University of South Africa
Bachelor of Electrical Engineering Technology - Process Instrumentation
University of South Africa
National Diploma - Electrical Engineering (S4 – (Industrial Electronics))
Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Electrical infrastructure and construction (Level 2 to Level 4)
College of cape town
Grade 10 -
Rocklands High School