Ericsson: a new generation of smart manufacturing

Manufacturing Global takes a closer look at Ericsson’s three smart factories for next generation innovation for smart manufacturing.

“The fourth industrial revolution has arrived, and it will transform manufacturing as we know it” - Ericsson.

Enabled by advanced wireless communication and industrial internet of things (IoT), the manufacturing industry is merging its operations information and communication technology with the help of industry 4.0.

In order to achieve this the sector is working to harness 5G to deliver low latency, high bandwidth and reliable communication to optimise its smart factories. 

Ericsson is striving to accelerate the introduction of this next generation of smart manufacturing with its three factories in Sweden, Estonia and China, by developing and implementing the first 5G and industrial IoT systems within a real manufacturing environment for rapid maturity of these technologies.

The 5G factory 

Located in Sweden Ericsson’s ‘5G factory’ is described as the perfect place for engineers and innovators to shape the future of manufacturing. 

At this factory Ericsson not only produces test beds for 5G and ships them around the world, Ericsson’s 5G factory is also the ideal environment to trial new 5G and industrial IoT innovations in a real life production environment.

Within the factory, Ericsson has been trialing precise localisation technology, using low-power tags to transmit real-time location data to the cloud. This technology can enable true digital twins for traceability of inventory, reduction in loss of assets and improving end-to-end visibility.

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• Read the latest issue of Manufacturing Global here

The digital factory

In Estonia Ericsson’s digital factory is one of the region's largest employers. At the core of Estonia lies the spirit of technological innovation, which resonates within Ericsson’s digital factory.

As a result of an innovation driven workforce Ericsson’s production capabilities is empowered by a workforce looking to foster and introduce smart manufacturing technologies.

These technologies include cutting edge augmented reality troubleshooting solutions. By harnessing cellular connectivity almost every asset within the factory can be connected to manage and solve operational challenges. 

The IoT factory

Ericsson’s third factory in China, harnesses the generated data from connecting the entire warehousing system with industrial IoT and NB IoT, to improve efficiency by tracking the use of tools, dispatching services and maintenance.  

To find out more about Ericsson’s next generation smart manufacturing factories, click here!

For more information on manufacturing topics - please take a look at the latest edition of Manufacturing Global.

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