smart manufacturing - a more connected industry

Manufacturing a more connected industry

Manufacturing

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Cellular technology is rapidly reshaping manufacturing. By 2030 there will be 4.7 billion wireless modules across smart manufacturing floors, with a value of over US$ 1 trillion. And it is this seamless connectivity that is ushering in a new era in manufacturing.

Ericsson’s cellular technology is
empowering manufacturers to:

Create agility

by operating with more flexible factory layouts

Advance operations

by allowing efficiency-boosting technologies like AR and Autonomous Mobile Robots

Unlock intelligence

by transforming data into actionable insights that raise productivity and sustainability

Digitalize your manufacturing process

Private cellular networks – and 5G in particular – will play a critical role in enabling smart manufacturing and allowing the industry to overcome key challenges. We have looked at what can drive payback quickly, whilst future proofing operations.

Read our 5 top use cases

How will humans and machines collaborate on the digital factory floor?

Ericsson IndustryLab research shows that 71% of manufacturing employees view their work as dull, dirty or dangerous work while 80% have been injured on the job.  Enter Industry 5.0 - the next chapter in manufacturing that will evolve Industry 4.0 towards a more human-centric approach.

To make Industry 5.0 come to life, enterprises will need to embrace limitless cellular connectivity to capture the demands from both humans and machines, including the capture of human voice, gestures, and user input, as well as data generated by smart machines and IoT sensors.  

Explore our perspectives

5G: How high performance private networks are transforming manufacturing

In this webinar brought to you by Ericsson, experts from Airbus and AtlasCopco will explain how the technology is transforming their processes and reshaping their future strategies.

Join the webinar

Connected manufacturing: A guide to Industry 4.0 transformation with private cellular technology

Ericsson and Hexagon examined five different smart manufacturing use cases that will enable manufacturers to conduct their operations more efficiently: autonomous mobile robots (AMR), collaborative robots, digital twins, augmented reality and asset condition monitoring. Based on the Connected Manufacturing report, the value calculator will show you the tangible cost savings of adopting cellular technology in your facility.

 

Value calculator
Enabling smarter warehouses for your smart factory

In this podcast, SME Media senior editor Steve Plumb talks with Per Treven, director of business development-manufacturing for Ericsson, about the importance of warehouse digitalization as part of your smart factory strategy.

Listen now

Create agility

Creating more flexible factories floors

There are many challenges facing the manufacturing industry. A major hurdle is that enacting design changes in the production line is often difficult and time consuming. Factory layouts need to be more flexible to meet customer expectations of faster delivery and more customized products.

With many factories having wired connectivity, these fixed assets make it difficult to reconfigure the facility, whether to make custom products or shift to a new product line.

But now, private wireless cellular networks are making the factory floor into much more agile environments.

Use cases

Getting flexible with layouts

Cellular-equipped factory layouts can be reconfigured instantly to adapt to changing requirements and products. That means manufacturers can meet customer demand of more customized products. This is vital, as a 2018 study from Protolabs revealed that 86% of consumers say customization appeals to them.

AMRs: workhorse of smart factories

Autonomous Mobile Robots offer many benefits, such as freeing up forklift operators to do other factory tasks, and improving worker safety since robots can easily maneuver through hazardous environments. Plus, they handle materials much more accurately, so can eliminate up to 30% of typical scrap.

Advance operations

The new building blocks of productivity

By automating operations, manufacturers can forge a more efficient production process that dramatically increases yields, improves product quality, and reduces waste.

This level of automation requires robust wireless connectivity. And private networks are supplying the reliability and security needed to realize connected manufacturing.

These smarter factories offer productivity-boosting technologies such as robotic assistance, rich visualization tools, and augmented reality.

In addition to the financial benefit, smarter manufacturing creates a substantial triple bottom line improvement - with an increase in safety for workers, plus a kinder environmental impact through reduced scrap and emissions.

Use cases

The digital twin is born

By creating a digital replica of physical assets, digital twins let manufacturers streamline the production environment without physically changing anything. Manufacturers can produce useable insights for both process and factory, letting them plan for future states with “what-if” scenarios, while giving them the full control to implement change.

Cobots rising, quality rising

Collaborative robots, or cobots, work side by side with operators to conduct both manufacturing tasks and quality inspections. Using cobots means factories can inspect every product part - not just samples - and in less time, so can help raise overall product quality.

Reality check: inspections with AR

Another benefit of augmented reality within a manufacturing environment is the impact on quality inspections. It provides human inspectors with visualizations that increase accuracy and reduce time spent checking, and uses real-time hazard and maintenance sensing to ensure product quality remains high.

Unlock intelligence

Data-driven means efficiency-driven

As operations become more digitalized and data-driven, manufacturers will be able to use this data to optimize production while decreasing their expenses.

Ericsson’s connectivity empowers manufacturers to capture, collect, and evaluate a mountain of data that can unlock actionable insights.

These insights can be used to make more informed decisions, make the workplace safer, train employees better, and increase sustainability.

Use case

Best asset for maintenance

Asset condition monitoring allows predictive maintenance, which uses data collected by sensors to reveal exactly when maintenance is needed. This intelligent tracking of machines reduces factory downtime and enables a more sustainable use of machinery by expanding their lifespan.

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Case | Smart manufacturing with CBRS

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Case | Production goes wireless for efficiency and sustainability

The key to smart manufacturing is wireless connectivity that enables mobility for connected devices, agility in operations, and an ever-increasing level of device density.

Ericsson USA 5G Smart Factory

At the Ericsson USA 5G smart factory, we assemble the equipment that will power 5G networks across the U.S. The factory is a full scale operation realizing the potential of 5G with Industry 4.0 to enable intelligent automation and leverage real time data across operations.

Report | The rise of the smarter, swifter, safer production employee

Automation and worker safety are top of mind for manufacturer’s driving digital transformation initiatives. Read our report to learn how production tools will contribute to the transformation of manufacturing.

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Report | How to improve ROI for Industry 4.0 use cases

No factory can risk being left behind in the transition to smart manufacturing. If a factory fails to innovate its product and production process, it risks incurring a Cost of Inaction (COI), which is the cost of the lost opportunity.

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