A primer for Industry 4.0 insight

The Ericsson-Verizon partner team intends to address this need in the broad industrial community. This blog series will avoid the “what it is” and “what is possible” questions to focus more on “why it matters” and “what you need to know.”

Between our large global customer and employee bases, we have the opportunity to see what many customers are doing and what use cases are leading the way. We also get to observe what is and isn’t working. Our goal is to share those successes and lessons learned. We will strive to provide you with relevant and timely information that will aid in your planning and execution of Industry 4.0 initiatives.

In this series, we plan to dive into a range of discussions around the questions you are likely to have on your digital transformation journey.  These include:

• With all the hype about 5G, what is real? When can we expect to have it available at or near plant locations?
• Is it possible to have an entirely wireless factory? What are the benefits? What are the risks?
• What, if any, benefit does cellular provide that cannot be achieved with wired and/or Wi-Fi connections? Is cellular needed if Wi-Fi is already installed on a plant floor?
• Does unlicensed spectrum make sense and if so, what are the risks?
• How should companies think about security and the possibility of introducing wireless systems in production areas that already have older OT systems without adding more risk? There are few 5G-enabled devices for factory environments, so why should businesses consider 5G now? Should they wait until the 5G ecosystem is more mature?

Business impact of private wireless:

• What have other organizations learned in their digital transformation journeys?
• What are the use cases that other industrial companies are actually implementing?
• What kind of business impact can we expect to see from an investment in private wireless?
• Where do organizations stand in the adoption curve relative to others? Are we at risk of being a late adopter?

What are the operational impacts of introducing a new wireless technology?

• How are organizations addressing the challenge of bringing their IT and OT groups together?
• How are industrial manufacturing companies progressing with Internet of Things (IoT) adoption and how are they connecting IoT devices in their environments?
• How can organizations move beyond proof-of-concept tests in limited environments and actually deploy these technologies in production areas?

We firmly believe that the manufacturing world is on the cusp of frame-breaking change, with massive opportunities available to timely adopters. Industry 4.0 is more than advanced automation or Industry 3.0 on steroids. The combinations of Artificial intelligence (AI), Machine learning (ML), hybrid computing, IoT and private wireless are enabling manufacturers to provide shop floor workers with information and new capabilities in ways never before possible. We will not be using automation to merely replace the physical skills of workers; rather, automation will enable organizations to tap more effectively into problem solving, creativity, collaboration and expertise. 

By weighing in on these issues, challenges and questions, we will contribute to the overall marketplace dialogue, improve practical knowledge, clarify innovation initiatives and accelerate Industry 4.0 success.

We are excited to take this journey with you.