Nine global manufacturers using 5G

Manufacturers around the world are beginning to adopt 5G to improve production processes. 5G technology provides manufacturers with the opportunity to build smart factories and truly leverage technologies such as automation, artificial intelligence, augmented reality for troubleshooting, and the Internet of Things (IoT). 5G technology provides the network characteristics necessary for manufacturing - which requires low latency and high reliability to support critical applications in the manufacturing field. Several top manufacturers are already leveraging 5G to improve operations in different industrial environments. Here we briefly introduce some 5G implementations by large manufacturers around the world.

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Volkswagen

Automotive giant Volkswagen has deployed a proprietary 5G network at its main plant in Wolfsburg, Germany. Nokia provided the network equipment for the project, which is being demonstrated as a pilot and uses Germany's dedicated 3.7-3.8 GHz industrial frequency band. The network mainly covers the "Production Development Center" and the "Pilot Hall"; in the long term, it will be expanded to cover most of the 6.5 square kilometer plant area. The Wolfsburg plant has about 5,000 industrial robots and other machines and systems;

Ericsson

Swedish telecoms provider Ericsson has demonstrated the potential benefits of deploying 5G in an industrial setting at its own factory in Estonia. In a project with Nordic operator Telia, Ericsson deployed automated guided vehicles (AGVs), AR technology and environmental sensors across its 25,000 square meter industrial facility in Tallinn.

Ericsson explained that automated guided vehicles are being used to transport parts from warehouses to production lines. The Swedish supplier pointed out that the automated guided vehicles use cellular networks to transmit data and video in real time, thus reducing the time required to deliver parts and the risk of damage. AR glasses and terminal devices are being used for troubleshooting, providing interactive testing of component quality control processes. Meanwhile, Ericsson also emphasized that environmental monitoring sensors monitor humidity, temperature, noise, light and carbon dioxide levels with the aim of improving working conditions for workers.

Haier

Last year, GSMA, China Mobile, Huawei and Haier completed a proof of concept that included deploying edge computing, 5G and machine vision into Haier’s manufacturing environment.

Refrigerators are one of the main products produced by Haier, and defects may occur during the production process due to scratches and dents. Therefore, Haier manually checks each refrigerator on the production line for defects, which can be a time-consuming task. The use of edge computing and 5G means that near real-time analysis can be carried out, so defective refrigerators can be returned to the production line almost immediately.

Huawei and China Mobile implemented a 5G interconnected MEC architecture inside the Haier factory to achieve large-capacity image processing with minimal latency, ensuring delays on the production line.

The Haier factory has a 500W industrial camera installed on a robotic arm with high-intensity lighting to scan refrigerators as they come off the line. A 5G network is needed to transmit the large images produced by the industrial camera while maintaining low latency.

John Deere

John Deere, a global agricultural machinery manufacturer headquartered in Moline, Illinois, believes that 5G will initially be deployed in non-standalone mode and plans to transition to standalone 5G when the terminal technology is available, which can provide more functions than Wi-Fi by switching from wired connections to low-latency wireless connections, as well as the ability to gain production line flexibility.

John Deere spent nearly $546,000 on five CBRS priority access licenses in Rock Island, Illinois; Scott County, Iowa; Dubuque, Iowa; Polk County, Iowa; and Black Hawk County, Iowa. The work done using CBRS spectrum in the U.S. will “demonstrate the value proposition of 5G” and inform future investments in other regions. “The work we’re doing now is to understand the pros and cons of leasing spectrum or participating in some public spectrum,” Kiel Ronning, the company’s director of Industry 4.0, recently told Enterprise IoT Insights. “A lot of it depends on how you get some level of control and how the network is built.”

Ford

Earlier this year, Ford Motor Company said its engine plant in Valencia, Spain, will benefit from Ericsson 5G connectivity as part of a new initiative supported by the European Commission and the European ICT industry to advance Industry 4.0. Automated guided vehicle (AGV) fleet management, smart AGV operation based on human gesture recognition, and virtual reality (VR) applications are the main next-generation capabilities that will be tested at the facility.

Audi

German automaker Audi and Ericsson have been testing the use of 5G wireless and network technology for car production since 2018. In 2020, the two companies further demonstrated an example of how 5G can be used in car production: an industrial robot installed an airbag module into an Audi steering wheel.

The robot cell is protected by safety sensors. As soon as a human hand breaks through the cell's light curtain, the robot stops automatically. The extremely low latency times (i.e. end-to-end latency of around one millisecond) facilitate the high-frequency (fieldbus) communication required for this. Thanks to 5G technology, human-robot interaction can now also be achieved wirelessly. "5G connects all the points in our production environment. This will greatly increase flexibility and connectivity and show how humans and robots can work together safely," says Arjen Kreis, head of automation technology for the planning body shop at Audi Neckarsulm.

General Electric

In April 2021, GE Research, the technology development arm of General Electric (GE), announced a collaboration with Verizon Business to create a cross-industry testbed powered by Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband. By leveraging these 5G capabilities, the team at GE Research can realize their vision of creating next-generation healthcare, energy, and aviation applications.

“The superior network speed and capacity of 5G networks will enable us to fully leverage multiple digital technologies to transform industrial assets and operations,” said SM Hasan, 5G mission lead at GE Research. “From artificial intelligence and machine learning to digital twins and autonomous technologies, from self-driving cars and digital health to more resilient, reliable grids powered by more carbon-free energy assets like smart wind farms, 5G can accelerate everything.”

Bosch

In November 2020, Bosch announced the deployment and operation of a 5G campus network. At its leading Industry 4.0 factory in Feuerbach, Stuttgart, the company said it expects to produce under previously unheard-of conditions, with extremely reliable and ultra-fast data transmission and machines reacting almost immediately. The German company said that wireless technology will be used for the first time in critical applications that require absolute precision and safety.

“The campus network allows us to control what happens inside the factory and how data is transferred inside and outside the factory,” said Michael Bolle, member of the Bosch management board and CTO. Bosch built the network together with Nokia.

“We will gradually roll out 5G to around 250 factories around the world,” Bolle added. Among the locations where Bosch will set up a 5G network in the coming months is its research campus in Renningen, Germany. The company is also developing 5G-enabled products and launching its first solutions for industrial applications.

Arçelik Global

Arelik Global, the home appliances and electronics manufacturer that owns the Beko and Grundig brands, recently announced the deployment of the first private cellular network in Turkey, an LTE-based setup with a 5G upgrade option. The company has partnered with Nokia and Turk Telekom to install “industrial-grade 5G-ready” dedicated equipment at a washing machine manufacturing plant in Çayırova.

Arçelik will use Nokia’s Digital Automation Cloud (DAC) solution, which combines radio and core networks, as well as edge computing components and a number of analytics modules. Nokia will also provide solution design, deployment and ongoing management services.

The network scope of Arçelik’s new project covers the entire Çayırova plant to connect and coordinate automated guided vehicles (AGVs) used for component logistics within the shop floor. The network will support high-precision indoor positioning for real-time asset tracking, as well as new applications based on video analytics for plant safety and security.

Nokia and Arcelik will develop additional use cases: augmented and virtual reality, digital twins, inventory control, security and facility management, quality control, high-resolution video for remote inspections, and voice and video communications throughout a facility,” they said.