Nokia wants to show the world what is possible with 5G networks and automated factories. Not only is the company now manufacturing mobile technologies with 5G embedded within their architecture, but they are also using it to automate their factories.
Based in the Finnish city of Oulu, Nokia has built a factor which they consider to be the future of modern industrial production and manufacturing. Whilst the plant has always belonged to Nokia, the company has now retrofitted the plant with new llot-powered technologies.
Nokia wanted to make a factory that was “conscious”, a self-thinking and always learning factory of the future. 5G, in general, will transform engineering industries; industries that have been trying to take the workforce out of harm's way by replacing repetitive tasks in industrial operations.
Source: Nokia
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Nokia Corporation, Rajeev Suri said:
“It possesses unique characteristics that make it socially and economically transformative: low latency (in other words, almost imperceptible lag when carrying out remote orders); fast speeds (around 10 times faster than today’s networks); connection capability (enabling up to 1 million linked devices per square kilometer); and unparalleled reliability (allowing new precision-based applications).”
To show how the lower latencies work with 5G, Nokia tested advanced real time quality control with their 5G system powered by Intel. The engineers intentionally made errors in a manufacturing process, which the 5G monitoring system with a camera attached to it flagged the error immediately, suggesting course corrections for the process. See it in action here:
Nokia is incorporating the characteristics of ‘flexibility, versatility and productivity’ into the factory. They are also processing all of the data generated by the factory in the cloud. Suri writes:
“The vast majority of the factory is now automated. Its temperature and humidity automatically change to keep machines in prime condition. Parts are delivered using autonomous vehicles. Equipment carries indoor GPS, allowing managers to see exactly where it is, what it’s doing and whether it could be used or positioned more efficiently.”
Nokia does not only believe that the adoption of 5G is good only for manufacturing plants, they believe it will transform all humans’ lives. The factory itself has worked well on their 4G network, proving that many companies can start with the technology already available to companies around the world. But 5G is the next frontier. Suri writes:
“This is only a first step. More are necessary. Governments in particular need to step on the gas and prioritize 5G adoptions. But if ever something was worth working for, it’s this. I firmly believe that the sooner governments, businesses and individuals have access to 5G, the sooner the Fourth Industrial Revolution can help people all over the world enjoy safer, happier, more productive lives.”
Works Cited
“Industry 4.0 Use Case over 5G at Nokia Oulu Factory.” Nokia, www.nokia.com/about-us/news/media-library/industry-40-use-case-over-5g-at-nokia-oulu-factory/#1.
Suri, Rajeev, and Nokia Corporation. “5G Will Redefine Entire Business Models. Here's How.” World Economic Forum, www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/01/5g-will-redefine-entire-business-models-here-s-how/.
