will suff er if the hardware and skill set are not
upgraded. Organisations will have to invest
more into their production units to remain in
business as customer demand for faster and
better products will continue to grow. This also
means that understanding OT is more crucial
than ever, and both OT and IT will have to work
collaboratively to ensure that any data captured in
the industrial equipment, assets and its processes
is used eff ectively and promptly to ensure best
remedial response time and action.
A boost to productivity
For manufacturers, high productivity is equivalent
to cost savings, and with 5G this will be maximised.
The zero latency will provide operators with realtime
data that will only be a millisecond late as
compared to 4G networks, which have a latency
of 50 milliseconds. Uptime in a factory setting
is critical and with 99.9% availability this would
present an ideal scenario. All devices in factories
will not just be connected to one single network
but data capture and analysis with IoT products
will lead the way for optimised productivity.
What is more signifi cant is that these solutions
are not just for larger factory operators but
can be adapted for small and medium sized
manufacturers too. There is no limitation to
the scale of potential achievements if the right
investment is made in skill set and hardware at
plants. And as we talk of productivity, we cannot
ignore the fact that predictive maintenance will
get a further boost, saving plant operators on
down-time as breakdowns will be easily avoidable.
The key to all this is the zero latency and how
fast the information of a potential breakdown is
detected through the systems.
The quality of OT data, the ability to
employ its analytics and converging these two
technologies will impact how eff ectively data
will be used. It means these two vital functions
will need integration, information sharing and
understanding of each other’s roles to achieve
best results.
Planning, investment, integration and
scalability will all become commonplace with the
adoption of 5G networks in the industrial setting.
The data that comes from OT networks will
expand, and much more data will be available to
all stakeholders in the manufacturing life cycle.
It will also be extended to the supply chain
management, ultimately reaching end customers.
Safety fi rst
As we talk about the availability of faster and
so much more data, we cannot ignore cyber
security. 4G off ered incremental improvement
in speed and bandwidth but 5G off ers reliable
machine-to-machine and Industrial IoT systems
connections. The 5G network is designed with
security built into its fabric, and stringent tests
requirements and security obligations at national
and international levels have minimised the
vulnerability to risks in the equipment.
The features that make 5G highly promising for
JANUARY 2020 IT INFRASTRUCTURE
the industry, such as enhanced
mobile broadband (eMBB),
ultra-reliable low latency
communication (URLLC)
and massive machine-type
communication (eMTC)
usage can be maximised when
manufacturers are ready with
the skill set required to operate
in the new 5G environment.
And importantly the investment
made in the hardware should
match the 5G network; just
setting up the network and being
‘5G ready’ is not good enough.
The highly secure industrial
5G will revolutionise the
manufacturing industry and take
the Industry 4.0 movement to
new heights. In the next decade
the manufacturing landscape
in the UK will change for the
better. Uptake of technologies
like augmented and virtual
realities, even by sceptics, will
take traction due to real-time
simulations and predictive
maintenance capable of saving
millions in downtime. We
must realise that willingness to
upgrade and introduce new skills
and factory assets is essential,
as 5G is not a magic wand but
a complex technical reality
which needs careful planning
to bring about the productivity
revolution that the industry so
sorely needs.
What is certain is that data
will remain the vital link. How
both OT and IT teams use it
to extract best results will be
crucial to successful adoption
of 5G and its accompanying
technologies to the
manufacturing sector.
The industrial
capabilities of
5G are being
put to the test in
Worcestershire
(see box)
Putting 5G into action in Worcestershire
Worcestershire has been chosen
as a testbed for 5G technologies in
UK industry. Fiona Piercy (pictured
above) is CEO of the Worcestershire
5G Consortium, which consists of
a number of local manufacturers
(including Worcester Bosch and
Yamazaki Mazak) and leading
technology fi rms. She explains the
impact the trial has had: “The Made
Smarter Review identifi ed growth
opportunities of 1.5-3% per annum.
Early results from 5G trials underway
at the Worcestershire 5G Testbed show
this to be correct, with trials proving
a 2% increase in productivity for
manufacturing fi rms using 5G. When
considering that UK manufacturing
stood at £182 billion in 2018, then a
2% increase in output could deliver
an additional £3.6 billion per year
to the UK economy. This would be
an enormous boost to the British
economy, and proves that if new
technologies are adopted, it’s possible
to make a di erence to productivity.
“The manufacturing industry is in
the early stages of a period of dramatic
digital transformation. As technologies
like 5G become increasingly integrated
with traditional manufacturing systems
over the coming years, factories will
become intelligent and dynamic,
able to self-optimise performance
and operate automatically. Smart
factories represent a leap forward from
traditional automation to a fl exible,
fully connected and agile system.
“5G networks provide unparalleled
opportunities for manufacturers to
adopt Industry 4.0. The application
of Integrated Digital Technologies
drives transformational improvements
across the whole value chain,
bringing inclusive growth that
benefi ts business, individuals and
society as a whole.
“The introduction of 5G enables the
creation of smart factories, allowing
businesses to increase output by
streamlining operations to optimise
the manufacturing process, making
it faster and more cost e cient. The
level of automation permitted by
smart factories promises a host of
benefi ts, including real-time linkages
to customer demand forecasts,
reliable quality, predictable production
capacity and lower cost of production.
The heightened visibility, pace of
production and e ciency allowed
by smart factories are key drivers
that contribute to driving higher
productivity levels in manufacturing.”
www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk 31
yingyaipumi / stock.adobe.com
/www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk
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