Harold Coetzee is the sole owner and managing member of X-Link Systems CC.

His career started in 1981 when he joined then ISCOR and started his degree in Electrical engineering and completed his degree in 1984. Continued with ISCOR and then completed his compulsory 2 year military service 1997. In 1988 he joined TEKLOGIC and was involved in numerous military projects that set a strong Systems Engineering Background. When the company was acquired by Tales (later African defence Systems) in 1996 he established X-Link Systems CC. He later completed his Masters in Project Management at the University of Pretoria 2005.

His first contract was with KEOPS ISIS in commissioning the HILLSIDE Aluminium Smelter SCADA Systems. The System was VMS based ran VXL SCADA. (Product was Nuclear certified) On completion of Commissioning X-Link System Negotiated and received the SCADA Maintenance support contract for HILLSIDE Aluminium. This contract ran for 12 years until HILLSIDE decided to upgrade their systems. He spent another 2 years in assisting with migration to the new SCADA system.

Even during his commitment to HILLSIDE he Co-Started Transponder Technologies a company specializing in RFID and was the Technical director of Transponder. He merged his work at HILLSIDE into the Transponder umbrella caring the hat for both Transponder and X-Link.

X-Link developed a four axis Laser measuring system for Quality control systems on Tyre Uniformity at then Firestone Brits Plant that was rolled out on all five of the TUO machines. The full machines were upgraded and ran on a Hybrid PLC and National instruments measuring system with a LabView user interface. Multiple of Firestone machines were upgraded some of these machines is still running and the support for the reporting system is still provided by X-Link Systems CC.

With release of cRio (Compact Rio Field Programmable FPGA) I was involved in a unique project that did measurements on landmine explosions on military vehicles, the cRio was the measuring platform linked to Crash Test dummies and recorded all measurements synchronized to high speed cameras. Had opportunity to interact with Dr T on my first visit to a NI conference as an Alliance partner of National Instruments.

Embedded systems design and manufacturing is done to client requirements, using any available platform or system required.

X-Link provides Onsite as well as remote support on all projects that he has been involved in.

Projects while at ISCOR (1980-1988)

·         Ore Handling Upgrade,

·         Replacing boot floppy on Blast furnace with EE-PROM System,

·         Hot strip mill speed control on line.

·         Blast furnace electrical distribution

Projects while at TEKLOGIC / SYNERTECH (1988-1996)

·         Anti-Aircraft system design and Experimental Prototype build,

·         Impala fighter jet procedural training simulator

·         VXL SCADA implementation for Firestone.

Projects X-Link Systems CC (1996-1998)

·         VXL  SCADA system development for Keops ISIS on HILLSIDE Aluminium

·         Quality Control Inspection Firestone

·         Six Axis Positioning Control System Firestone

·         Uniformity Test Machines re-build and new reporting system Implemented

Projects while at Transponder Technologies (1998-2001)

·         VXL SCADA system Support for HILLSIDE

·         RFID Swing Tray System for HILLSIDE Paste Plant

·         RFID Entry Exit systems at the weighbridge’s at SAB

Projects X-Link Systems CC (1996-Current)

·        An online vibration monitoring and reporting system was developed with National instruments for BHP Billiton and these were deployed to HILLSIDE,         BAYSIDE and MOZAL. System was done on Crio Platform and LabView.

·         A RFID system for the tracking of Swing-tray Anodes and tracking of Aluminium transport vehicles was done for HILLSIDE, BAYSIDE, and MOZAL.

·         A non-destructive autistic test for detecting cracks in fire prevention nozzles was then developed for High Pressure Di cast Systems. System is still run       on the original cRio and support is still provided to client

·         Seismic measurement calibration on low frequency vibration and acoustic calibration of seismic microphones used in ground detonation to determine         ground profile. System is run on NI hardware and LabView, and still supported for BLASTEK

·         Full automation of refurbished Die-cast press was done for( CSIR) research into Semi Solid metal casting .

·         A materials handling robotic system used in the research of Semi Solid Metal Di-Casting system with all supporting machinery was developed for the        CSIR on a combination of PXI frontend and CRio. System is still deployed and maintained.

·        Automation of full continuous Titanium production experimental plant was done for CSIR system was implemented on CRio and LabView. A unique             positive displacement Lithium pump was controlled from cRio to provide the correct amount of lithium during the Titanium formation process. Operating      temperature in titanium side was at 950 degrees C and lithium was supplied at 240 degrees C. unique freeze valves were used to control lithium Flow.

·         Brake testing for SAB, SAFELINE and ATE was done in LabView.

·        Alcohol dispensing systems for Spectre Int. and Agro-Chemical & Food Co. based in Kenya. It runs on a cRio with LabView User interface and is               currently still under support.

·        Machine integration device driver development for measuring machines of various makes, protocol reverse engineering, interfacing to Fabric                      Manufacturing machines from 1985 to extend service life

·         Support of old and obsolete machines, renewal rewiring and custom interfacing.

·         Tensile Testing for Rand York, ROCBOLT and DURASET.

·         A Torque Force measuring system was custom designed for Medical Manufacturer.

·         Packing weighing and data reporting system for Norcross.

·         Environmental monitoring of Laboratory clean rooms (PROTECNIK)

·         Instrument interfacing to Lab view user interface (PROTECNIK)

·         Design and manufacturing of Blood Splatter Test Machine (PROTECNIK)

·         Ionization and Measuring filter efficiency (PROTECNIK)

·         Simulated lung control machine (PROTECNIK)

·         Sampling unit for HAZMAT conditions.

·         Design and development of specialized mixing tanks. (PROTECNIK)

·         A Complete mixing control system for hand sanitizer all for (PROTECNIK).

·         Gas monitoring system for NMISA (National Meteorological Institute of South Africa) to automated data collection of their various gas analyses and             data reporting, as well as systems for their mixing and weighing moll fractions.

·         Rotating Furnace 1000 degrees C for UP

EXPOSURE

Over period from 1980 have had experience on:

PLC's like

·         MODICON

·         TELEMECANIQUE

·         SCHNEIDER

·         SQUARE-D

·         MITSUBISHI

·         OMRON

·         DELTA

·         ALLEN BRADLEY

·         INVT

Software

·         Assembler ASM

·         PLM,

·         FORTRON

·         Pascal,

·         ADA,

·         Delphi,

·         C, C++, C#,

·         Python,

·         LabView,

·         NODERED

SCADA Systems,

·          VXL

·         iFIX,

·         INTOUCH,

·         SIMANTIC,

·         LabView.

Contact Info

Harold@XLink.za.com

Cell 083 226 5505