How 5G advanced has the capability to increase workplace efficiency worldwide

VIEWPOINT

Huawei and China Unicom, one of China’s largest mobile operators, have recently entered into a partnership to deploy a 5G Advanced on production line at Exquisite Automotive Systems (EA), a Chinese car manufacturer, to help improve their workplace efficiency.

EA is a subsidiary of Great Wall Motors, and is responsible for the development of intelligent equipment and the design and integration of automated production lines for Great Wall Motors and other car companies. It has an annual turnover of around CNY 2 billion (£225 million).

At the Great Wall Motors factory 5G advanced equipment was set up on the car roof production line.

Normally, the line requires a wired network to connect and control the terminal equipment, such as the robotic arms, slide units and swivelling tables. Due to their intensive usage, these wires can often get worn down, which results in the interruption of production, with an average outage time of 60 hours per year.

The introduction of a 5G advanced network provides the line with a very low latency and highly reliable network that can combat issues that a traditionally wired production line faces, as the constraints of wires are eliminated.

“Digitalisation is a must for the transformation and upgrade of manufacturing enterprises. 5G-Advanced features ultra-high reliability, low latency, and easy deployment,” said, Yuan Zhanjiang, Deputy General Manager of the EA Industry Intelligence Department in a press conference.

“These features have been verified in EA’s 5G-Advanced industrial Internet lab, and will soon start supporting our commercial production lines.”

“We are working with all industry partners to build a 5G-powered industrial Internet that will help enterprises address pain points during their transformations, and ultimately facilitate upgrades to smart manufacturing,” said Fan Ji’an, Chief Big Data Scientist of China Unicom.

He also noted that more and more 5G advanced applications are implemented in these key scenarios, which is driving the manufacturing system further towards digitalisation. In turn, this creates a more efficient factory allowing for increases in productivity and potential profits. Fan added that together with Huawei China Unicom want to “begin a new chapter in China’s modernization journey.”

5G advanced is well on the way to be deployed globally, such that 2024 will mark the first year of 5G-Advanced’s commercial use. At the Mobile Broadband Forum held in Dubai last month, 13 global operators (including China Unicom) launched the first wave of 5G-Advanced networks, marking the transition of 5G-Advanced from technical verification to commercial deployment.