BT has revealed it is working to develop the UK’s first live 5G smart factory in partnership with Worcester Bosch.
As part of the plans BT has become the lead technology partner for Worcestershire 5G Testbed (W5G) to enable the future of smart manufacturing and speed up the next phase of the ‘fourth industrial revolution’.
It is the first 5G factory installation in the UK and has been switched on through W5G.
Both parties will work together to deliver productivity through robotics, IoT, big data analytics and AR.
The telco will provide expertise across 5G private networks, wearable devices, IoT, data analytics and mobile edge computing to enable.
The move will help Worcester Bosch increase productivity with the help of autonomous robots. These robots will be used to transport products and materials, according to BT.
To ensure health and safety, collision sensors have been installed over the 5G private network.
BT Enterprise business CEO Gerry McQuade said the partnership will help to “optimise the production line.”
“Working with W5G and Worcester Bosch, we’re creating a smart factory where machines can learn and adapt to changes on the factory floor as they happen, and make instant, autonomous decisions to optimise the production line.
“BT’s role is in making these technologies work in perfect harmony to gather and interpret the vast volumes of data generated by connected machines and turning this into real-time and actionable insight.”
Worcester Bosch CEO Carl Arntzen added: “We have learnt an awful lot within the W5G Testbed, both about the 5G network itself, but most importantly about the skills and competencies we need in-house, and what data to stream in order to develop a real-time understanding of the behaviour of various machines. We intend to play a key role in making the fourth industrial revolution a reality.”
The initial installation of the 5G private network at the testbed has so far delivered an increase in factory output of up to two per cent.