Nokia-led consortium introduces “factory in a box” concept
A consortium led by the Finnish communications technology firm, Nokia, aims to manage demand through agile production.
The group, featuring 12 electronics companies, has announced its “factory in a box” concept to stay ahead of the modern demands of Industry 4.0.
The factory works on a single electronics manufacturing line, utilising cargo containers and minimal electricity.
The containers are portable, and can be moved to new locations whenever required.
“These factories are perfectly suited to meet regional and innovation startup requirements, and can be as large as needed to meet build requirements by simply adding additional containers to the location,” commented Head of Supply Network and Engineering at Nokia Operations, Grant Marshall.
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“This is a new business model Nokia would like to offer to its customers, and we are ready to experiment with this Proof of Concept with our first customers in 2018.”
Nokia’s idea originated in 2012 as it looked towards the supply chain of the future, with the introduction of robotics, IoT solutions, and the cloud.
The project was accelerated with the launch of Nokia’s Digital Creativity Lab in Munich, Germany, towards the end of 2017.
The project’s proof reached completion on 9 February 2018, when a robotic assembly was achieved using the factory in a box system.
Image: Nokia.