Newsletter - 03 August 2006

Company News

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ADDRESSING THE CRITICAL SKILLS SHORTAGE

According to Grant Thornton's 2006 International Business Owners Survey (IBOS), Business owners in the engineering professions are feeling particularly threatened by administrative regulations and the lack of skilled workforce in the industry. 48% cited lack of skills as the major constraint to the growth of their businesses.

In the picture from left to right: Yvonne Beebee (Knowledge Base Recruitment), Johan van Schalkwyk (SAACE) and Luisa Bell (Immigration du Cap).

The forum seeks to faciliate the training and development of employees and also encompasses other HR issues such as BBBEE, employment equity and transformation. Knowledge Base is a member of the SAACE HR Forum and is participating in the drive to sustain engineers in the industry. In addition, our Bureau service has been introduced as an alternative to help with service delivery in the short term.

KNOWLEDGE BASE SUPPORTS MUNICIPALITY DRIVE

Knowledge Base, the developers and suppliers of interactive design software packages Civil Designer and AllyCAD, have kindly donated student copies of AllyCAD to assist with a large capacity development project in local government.

In this initiative, 83 students, 37 graduates and 39 retired engineers have been placed in 50 plus municipalities to address service delivery. Many municipalities have no technical software and limited records, which makes planning, design and decisions on operations and maintenance particularly difficult.

This will allow students and graduates to become CAD proficient while at the same time helping municipalities to improve their records. Knowledge Base's donation forms part of a broader initiative to try and address skills shortages in the Civil Engineering sector.

Product News & Information

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Sewer Network Analysis

The Sewer network analysis and design module allows comprehensive network analysis of an entire network, a portion of the network or a sub-network. Flows are attenuated according to the inflow method while internal culvert dimensions are used for flow calculations in order to ensure hydraulic accuracy. The Erf connection database can be analyzed to report results and warn the user where erf-connections are unable to drain to the main line. The sewer network can be altered graphically in the Vertical Alignment view while erf connections are displayed on the plan layout and Long section drawings.

Sewer calculates culvert size, slope inlet and outlet level, flow, capacity, velocity, flow depth and hydraulic grade in a matter of seconds. The program also models a network that consists of both existing and new culverts. Culverts that do not have a size, invert level and/or slope will automatically be designed according to the design parameters. In most cases, multiple inflows may be specified at each node and may be user-defined in the inflow parameters tables.

Sewer Design click to see full image

The complex system of flows and overflows that are often found in modern towns and cities can be effectively simulated. The design will take into account the hydraulic and geometric relationship between the different branches in the network. Once an analysis has been completed, a network may be displayed according to specific criteria with minimum effort. This powerful module is ideal for the data capture of foul water GIS models as data may be transferred between Sewer and MAP at any time.

The Sewer module combines interactive drawing functions with powerful design functionality allowing you to design and analyse a foul water network with maximum efficiency.

Support & Development

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ANNUAL UPGRADE AND SUPPORT AGREEMENTS

Support Contracts are charged at 13% of the product purchase price and guarantee cutting edge software functionality, the availability of our Support Centre and the provision of a free marketing and publicity service where your project success stories are showcased in top trade journals. Support agreements therefore give you more choice and best of all, you will have immediate access to our Civil Designer 6.4 version with the latest functionality.

LATEST UPDATES FROM THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM

SHIPPING NOW: CIVIL DESIGNER 6.4

Here are the latest downloads available on the updates page:

• Civil Designer v6.3
  Build 29 (11/07/2006)

• Civil Designer v6.3
  Help file Update (14/05/2004)

• Civil Designer v6.3
  Hasp Driver Update (18/08/2005)

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Training is often regarded as the cornerstone to achieving optimal results and enhanced productivity. The value of good quality training cannot be emphasized enough.

“Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” - Nelson Mandela

CURRENT VISITS & TRAINING ACTIVITIES

Our Customer Consultants will be involved in the following visits and training activities over the next couple of weeks. Please feel free to give us a call on (021) 701-1850. We would be happy to meet up with you to discuss your training or product needs.

Customer Showcase

Victor de Wet Arcus Gibb East London

GATEWAY TO BOOM TOWN

EAST London is literally buzzing with the latest activities in waste water treatment projects and Victor de Wet at Arcus Gibb is currently in high demand. With an Honours degree in water utilisation engineering, Victor is regarded as an expert in water treatment design and thrives on the challenge of providing his designs in an integrated system. read more

Click here to view Detailed Customer Showcases from our clients.

Recruitment Service

RECRUITMENT

Knowledge Base Recruitment has gained the support of civil engineering firms nationwide through its efforts to address the massive skills shortages affecting the industry and as a result of its integrity-centered conduct.


TOP CANDIDATES FOR EMPLOYMENT
We are currently looking to place a selection of highly competent civil engineers in a limited number of top contractual positions.

If you are interested in an exciting career move, then please e-mail yvonne@knowbase.co.za or call us on 021-701 1850 for further details.

This is a random selection of our candidates for permanent placement. Send an email to the above address quoting the relevant Candidate Number for further information:

Bureau Service

Bureau assists companies to complete specialised projects on time.

The Knowledge Base Bureau is fully operational with a dedicated team of professionals that clients can outsource at any time to complete specialised projects within clearly defined timelines. The division assists companies that have limited resources and who are in need of specific services.

Whatever the job spec, the Bureau team will take care of it. We are committed to helping you grow your business.

For more information contact Brett Pureveen on (021) 701 1850 or visit www.knowbase.co.za/bureau/.

Buy your Plotter from the People who know how to use & Install them

CIVIL DESIGNER - World Class Platform for Civil Engineers

Civil Designer Support INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT CENTRE support@knowbase.co.za 086 0101 999 (South Africa only) +27 21 7011850 (International Clients)

CIVIL DESIGNER is the leading civil engineering infrastructure design package with nine integrated modules that operate seamlessly on a single design platform. This places unequalled design functionality at your disposal without the inconvenience of transferring data between different design programs.
 

DESIGN CENTRE

CAD

SEWER

SURVEY & TERRAIN

MAP

STORM

ROADS

TURN

WATER

Knowledge Base Software
Developers of Professional Civil Engineering and CAD Design Solutions

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