Remote monitoring specialist Omniflex is celebrating its 60th anniversary, having been founded as Control Logic (Conlog for short) by John Moshal and Alan Murray in 1965 in Durban, South Africa. The duo were inspired by the potential of the newly-invented transistor.
Throughout its history, the company has delivered technologically innovative solutions for key industries, including mining, nuclear, petrochemical, and oil and gas, for notable clients like Sasol, Sellafield, New South Wales Ports and Port of Melbourne.
In 1965, Moshal and Murray founded Conlog leading the way in replacing bulky wiring intensive, power-hungry mechanical relays with small, elegant, electronic modules. Their secret weapon was an octal-based transistor logic module that slashed complexity and boosted maintenance performance in industrial systems. This is what caught the eye of renowned Anglo American chairman Harry Oppenheimer in the early 1970s and inspired him to provide the funding that kickstarted the company’s growth in South Africa.
“Since its inception, Omniflex has been about listening, designing, tweaking and delivering exactly our customers need, even when it means pushing the boundaries of technological capabilities or going against the industry consensus,” explains David Celine, MD of Omniflex.
Flexibility and reliability became Conlog’s core principles and remain an integral part of Omniflex’s culture today. This saw the company earn the respect of engineers across key industry sectors and helped to establish the firm as the leading experts for complex, high-stakes industrial automation.