Ericsson’s 5G network is being used in Ford Motor Company’s engine plant in Valencia, Spain, in a pilot project to drive Industry 4.0.
Called 5G-INDUCE, Ericsson’s radio access network (RAN) and Core solutions for 5G standalone new radio (NR) will be provided through a dedicated 5G network deployed at the plant.
The project is part of the Horizon 2020 5G Infrastructure Public-Private Partnership (5G-PPP), an initiative between the European Commission and the European ICT industry focused on using 5G for next generation infrastructures. 5G-INDUCE will focus specifically on Industry 4.0.
Technologies that will be tested during the pilot include autonomous guided vehicle (AGV) fleet management, smart AGV operations based on human gesture recognition and virtual reality (VR) applications. Edge computing, advanced robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) are the technologies that Ericsson will enable for the pilot with the goal to optimize logistics and distribution chains in the warehouse to improve efficiency including production line efficiency.
Other 5G-INDUCE partners include ASTI Mobile Robotics, Fivecomm, YBVR, Intel, Gestoos, University of Burgos and Universitat Politecnica de Valencia.
“New technologies can vastly improve production line efficiency, therefore increasing innovation capacity,” said Alejandro del Portillo, manufacturing engineering and new technologies department at Ford’s Valencia engine plant. “This is essential given today’s competitive environment, and 5G is an instrumental tool to help us achieve this objective.”
He adds: “The 5G-INDUCE project is a great example of this momentum — gathering world-class innovation in Industry 4.0, robotics, 5G, edge computing, virtual reality and artificial intelligence, and counting on the support of the EU 5G-PPP program. Ericsson is glad to contribute with our technology and expertise in 5G solutions to the success of this initiative.”
