As 5G becomes reality, join our webinar on ‘Smart Wireless Manufacturing’, Thursday 16 April 2020, to discover how today’s wireless networks can transform manufacturing. Secure, reliable connectivity is the foundation of every successful digitalisation programme. By embracing cellular wireless connectivity, manufacturers add the flexibility they need to drive the sustained change that increases productivity and efficiency. 4G and evolution towards 5G together promise to enable Industry 4.0 to achieve its full potential with reliable wireless connectivity.
Business drivers for cellular connectivity in the factory
ABI Research forecasts that the smart manufacturing market will grow to US$1 trillion with 4.3 billion wireless connections by 2030. There are 5 top business drivers behind this growth:
- Product customisation: Customer demand for more variety of products – or product customisation – leads to a need for flexible production on the factory floor.
- Speed to market: Customer demand for faster time to market for new products means factories must get from design to production more quickly.
- Cost savings: Global competition driving prices down means factories must reduce costs and increase efficiency wherever they can.
- Human-machine integration: Labor shortages in many markets means that manufacturers must make their human workers more efficient and integrate seamlessly with automation.
- Importance of safety, security, sustainability: There is a growing need to improve worker safety, increase data and asset security, and apply sustainable business practices and processes.
The power of 4G/5G cellular connectivity
Technology shifts that are enabling these business outcomes include industrial IoT (IIoT), artificial intelligence, cloud computing and 5G. 5G will provide the reliable connectivity that will make it possible to gather and analyse the data that will drive IIoT, AI, and other technologies that rely on massive amounts of data. But there is no need to wait for 5G. Many of the Industry 4.0 use cases in a factory can be implemented today with 4G. By starting with a 5G-ready solution, starting with 4G today will set you on a path for 5G when the time is right. To capture the full value of Industry 4.0, manufacturers have to embrace secure wireless connectivity.
Better connectivity, more manufacturing intelligence
Manufacturing intelligence is about gathering data and making sense of it. Cellular connectivity provides the reliable, secure, wireless foundation to bring real-world data into the digital domain. Today Ericsson works with Hexagon on several use cases to boost productivity in the factory. For instance, we have introduced Ericsson Industry Connect, a 5G-ready private cellular network for industrial environments. This dedicated network provides reliable, secure, wireless connectivity throughout the factory. Ericsson and Hexagon use this dedicated cellular network to help make Hexagon laser trackers mobile so that factory workers can scan more efficiently. This connectivity also makes it possible to deliver the spatial data from these scans into the cloud, where machine learning is used to analyse the data and make 3D models from anywhere, boosting productivity.
Find out more about building a secure, efficient and future-proof wireless communications platform for smarter manufacturing. Register now for our webinar, Smart Wireless Manufacturing: How 5G will enable the industry of the future on Thursday 16 April 2020 at a time that works for you.
