Optimising Manufacturing Processes In The Digital Age With 5G

Industry 4.0 is transforming the way that manufacturers operate. Digital transformation is paving the way for future technological innovation, allowing manufacturers to work smarter through the streamlining and simplifying of complex processes.

Set to improve manufacturing productivity by 30-35% by 2030, there is no doubt that the adoption of digital technologies (such as 5G) is key for manufacturers to remain competitive, productive, and efficient in the future. The impact this will have on traditional processes is profound.

What is Industry 4.0?

Industry 4.0 is the term that conceptualises the rapid change to technology, industries, and societal patterns and processes in the 21st century due to increasing interconnectivity and smart automation. It represents the fourth industrial revolution and describes the move to cyber physical systems and technology-led manufacturing environments.

However, an industrial revolution does not happen overnight; manufacturers must have an open mind to implementing new technologies and processes.

Many organisations will be wondering how the implementation of Industry 4.0 processes can impact their operations. Implementing digital technology in factory environments supports the transition from manual to automatic processes. Workers will adapt to working alongside new and better-connected machinery, as well as learning new skills to pursue digital-powered jobs in the future.

The reason why Industry 4.0 processes are so important is that they enable faster and smarter communication between devices in the factory, without any human interaction needed. This allows for a faster (or even automated) decision-making process and creates higher value for the manufacturer and customer as they benefit from highly skilled, knowledge-intensive manufacturing operations.

Optimising manufacturing processes via digitalisation

At West Midlands 5G (WM5G), we are trialling a variety of use cases to test how processes within manufacturing can be optimised through connection to a stand-alone private 5G network.

So, how exactly are digital technologies streamlining manufacturing processes, and what are the benefits?

Through the initial trials, we have found that improved efficiency and productivity can be achieved through various methods based around increased optimisation, predictive maintenance, and process improvements. All of which are enabled by 5G technology.

These processes include:

1. Real-time tracking of internal jobs
   – Data from the production cycle is continuously measured and tracked in real-time through the live analysis of large amounts of data collected from sensing devices, such as probes and sensors. – – — These capture vibrations, motion, sound, and other factors to provide actionable analytics.- Manufacturers have real-time visibility of production assets, allowing them to capture and understand the status and location of internal jobs and counteract errors more quickly and efficiently.
   
2. Predictive maintenance
   – Data-driven, proactive maintenance methods analyse the condition of equipment and help to predict when maintenance needs to be performed.
   – The chance of error and breaking down of equipment is reduced, significantly lowering maintenance costs, optimising the production process, and allowing manufacturers to plan maintenance around their production schedule.
   
3. Automated asset tracking
   – Automation of the asset tracking process allows manufacturers to know the exact location and utilisation of assets used in production at any given time.
   – This prevents asset losses and maximises the role and use of assets in the wider production process, benefitting the productivity of the whole production line.
   
4. Automated visual inspection
   – AI-based visual inspection utilises machine learning to automatically verify product quality by analysing unstructured image and video data, often in high-definition.
   – Manufacturers can automate product defect detection to ensure that any faults in the product are spotted during the production process, saving time and money whilst improving quality control.
   
5. Machine process monitoring
   – Machine data is extracted, stored, and displayed in the factory environment as real-time insights.
   – Manufacturers can use real-time insights – often through the use of Artificial Intelligence – to detect errors earlier in the production line, increasing efficiency and smoothening the production process.

The automation of current processes and introduction of new technology in manufacturing enables the minimisation of error and fault in the production process to ensure a smoother and more efficient overall process. Bringing 5G connectivity into factories will be pivotal for manufacturers, allowing them to work more quickly and efficiently, driving true productivity.

The impact of digitalisation on the manufacturing sector

Research from the University of Cambridge of over 100 manufacturing SMEs found that 86% ranked one of the top five manufacturing use cases as a key priority area for their business.

Optimising production processes and improving the quality of outputs is driving forward the interest in private 5G networks amongst manufacturers. New technologies are constantly being developed for implementation in factories.

Digitalisation is bringing about many changes to the manufacturing sector, most prominently to the way in which its processes work. With automation meaning there is a lesser need for manual labour in the production process, people’s skills and experience are required in different ways.

The skills needed to fulfil a typical role in manufacturing are now vastly different to twenty years ago. To prepare for the shift to a more digitally oriented future, manufacturers must educate employees with the knowledge needed to ensure they are comfortable and confident using the new technology.

Having the knowledge to use new technology allows employees to be more open to a digital future and understanding the wider benefit for the sector and customer. Upskilling will become a large part of the digital transformation, particularly in manufacturing and operations-aligned occupations such as maintenance, processing, and order picking.

The manufacturing sector is undergoing such change due to the predictable and repetitive nature of many operational tasks, which makes them suitable for automation or digitisation. While job responsibilities may evolve, there will remain a consistent and rising demand for jobs in the industry, with many new roles needed to support digital processes.

Combining old and new skills, new job roles for the factories of the future will be more analytical. For example, often the proactivity of a production planner is stinted by the need to reactively manage shop floor issues, but new technologies will enable these issues to be identified more quickly and efficiently through regular data analysis insights, management of expectations and identification of opportunities for improvement.

While digital technology will streamline processes and lead to better outcomes, SMEs remain time poor, and the cost and complexity of adopting innovative solutions remains a barrier to their deployment.

As innovation continues within the manufacturing sector, bringing with it new technologies and connected solutions, the sector must be ready to adapt and understand long-term benefits.

For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the benefits of implementing technological innovations can be significant. However, some SMEs may lack the strategic resources to compete with multinational firms.

By forming partnerships with specialist technological enterprises such as the work through the WM5G testbed, SMEs can embrace emerging technology like 5G to transform how they operate and stay ahead of the curve. Through combining technological expertise with their own expert knowledge to unlock connectivity solutions for the future, SMEs will demonstrate that technologies like 5G can benefit businesses at every level.