Electro Mechanica PLC Courses Review: What to Expect and Alternatives
What Electro Mechanica (EM) in South Africa offers in its 1-day PLC, VFD and servo short courses, the CPD points, the hardware used, how booking and pricing work, and the alternatives to compare.
Short answer: Electro Mechanica, usually shortened to EM, is a South African electrical and automation distributor. It also runs short training courses at its facilities around the country or at your company's premises.
For PLCs it offers two 1-day courses, PLC Level 1 and PLC Level 2, each worth 1 CPD point. They're aimed at contractors, system integrators, OEMs and end users. EM doesn't publish course prices online; its training page only says prices exclude VAT. So ask EM for a quote.
These courses are a good, short, hands-on introduction for electricians and contractors, especially if you'll install the Delta equipment EM sells. They aren't enough on their own to become a PLC programmer.
Researched October 25, 2026 from EM's own website (em.co.za) and public listings (sources at the end). We did not attend an EM course, and we found no independent public reviews of the courses to report.
Ownership disclosure: PLC Programming and PLC Simulation Software are run by the same team. Our product appears in the alternatives section, with its prices and limits stated.
Who Electro Mechanica is
EM's homepage describes four decades in business and six branches across South Africa. It carries around 60 brands across 14 product categories, including Delta, Lovato, Finder, Hager, Socomec, Dehn, Wieland, Panasonic and VTScada. It also says Delta Electronics gave it an "Outstanding Performance in 2023" award.
The official website is em.co.za. Searches for "electromechanica.co.za" don't lead to a working site.
The short courses
| Course | Length | CPD points | Notes from EM's training page |
|---|---|---|---|
| PLC Level 1 | 1 day | 1 | For contractors, system integrators, OEMs and end users; own laptop required |
| PLC Level 2 | 1 day | 1 | Follows Level 1; own laptop required |
| Servo Level 1 & 2 | 2 days | 2 | ASDA2 servo drive; own laptop required |
| VFD Level 1 | 1 day | 1 | Variable-speed drives |
| VFD Level 2 | 1 day | 1 | Variable-speed drives |
Hardware. EM's training kit, the EM-Power Rig, is a desktop rig with an AS218 PLC, a DOP-103 HMI and an ME300 VFD. These are Delta Electronics model names, a brand EM distributes. So the courses teach on Delta hardware and software, not Siemens or Allen-Bradley. EM also offers "special pricing" on its PLC starter kits for registered candidates.
Booking and pricing.
- Prices exclude VAT.
- Payment received 5 days in advance secures your booking.
- Courses run at "any of our facilities nationwide or in-house at your company's premises."
- Class hours are listed as 09:00–15:00 in one place on the page and 09:00–16:00 in another, so confirm when you book.
We found no online or self-paced option on EM's training page.
Course content. A 2019 Mining Weekly article described PLC Level 1 as covering terminology, basic wiring and fault-finding. That's dated, so ask EM for the current outline.
Live mini-lab
Try it: press START, then STOP
A stop-dominant seal-in rung: START latches the motor output through its own contact, and STOP breaks the circuit.
Watch the output lamp: it stays on after START until you press STOP.
Free to start · runs in your browserOpens plcsimulationsoftware.com — same team
The Mechatronics Academy (a different thing)
EM's training page also describes a Mechatronics Academy. It's a full-time, 4-year, merSETA-accredited blended learnership run with PolytechAfrica Institute of Technology, leading to a Mechatronic Technician certificate at NQF 5.
That is a qualification route. The short courses are not: their stated recognition is CPD points. If you need a formal qualification for your career, the learnership is the relevant EM offering.
What EM's courses do well
- Short and practical. One day each, with a hands-on rig.
- CPD points. Useful for registered professionals who need to keep CPD current.
- Local and in-house. Branches around South Africa, plus training on your premises for teams.
- Matched to the equipment. If your site installs Delta PLCs, HMIs and drives, you learn on the exact kit.
Limits to plan around
- Two days in total for PLCs. Enough to start, not enough to program fluently. You'll need many more hours of practice.
- One brand. Many South African plants run Siemens or Allen-Bradley, and the concepts transfer but the software doesn't.
- No published price, so you can't compare costs without asking.
- No online option found for people outside a branch city.
Alternatives to compare
| If you need… | Consider | Price (as published) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily ladder practice between or before courses, from anywhere | PLC Simulation Software (our product) | Free tier with no expiry; Pro $29/month or $249/year, in US dollars (product facts) | Browser lessons in nine dialects, including Delta and Siemens SCL, plus graded scenarios and fault-finding. Not real hardware and no CPD points. |
| Siemens-specific official training | Siemens SITRAIN | Course-priced | See our SITRAIN review |
| Delta PLC basics for free first | Tutorials | $0 | See our Delta PLC programming tutorial |
| A formal qualification | merSETA learnerships, such as EM's Mechatronics Academy | Programme-based | Multi-year route |
Frequently asked questions
How much does an Electro Mechanica PLC course cost?
EM doesn't publish course prices online. Its training page says prices exclude VAT and that payment received 5 days in advance secures a booking. Contact your nearest EM branch for a current quote.
Are Electro Mechanica courses accredited?
The PLC, VFD and servo short courses each carry CPD points (1 point per day). EM's separate Mechatronics Academy is a merSETA-accredited learnership at NQF 5. The short courses are not described as a SAQA qualification.
Which PLC brand does Electro Mechanica teach?
EM's training rig uses an AS218 PLC, a DOP-103 HMI and an ME300 drive, which are Delta Electronics models. The ladder logic concepts transfer to other brands, but the software is Delta's.
What should I learn before an EM PLC course?
Basic electrical safety, reading a control circuit, and what contacts, coils and seal-in circuits do. Arriving with that foundation lets you spend the day on the hardware rather than the basics.
Sources
- Electro Mechanica: training and homepage
- Mining Weekly (2019): CPD-accredited industrial automation courses from EM
Related reading
Now run it · free to start
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Ownership disclosure: PLC Programming IO and PLC Simulation Software are operated by the same publisher.
