As part of the UK’s new Industrial Strategy, launched in June this year, the manufacturing industry is set to get a boost of investment to help fuel growth and innovation. This represents a huge opportunity for the UK to transform a sector that has always been a cornerstone of the UK economy. But one which, like many other sectors, is ripe for modernisation.
Fast, reliable, available connectivity lies at the heart of that modernisation. It underpins all the technology that will shape the future of this industry and allow the UK to compete on the global stage.
In fact, making the most of advanced connectivity solutions could add £6.3 billion of value to the UK’s manufacturing industry by 2030, according to Vodafone.
So how do we get there?
In this blog we’ll look to answer that question and explore the exciting future of this increasingly digital sector.
How and where can 5G improve things?
If we were to name every potential use case for 5G in manufacturing in this blog, it would take you all week to read it.
But here are some of the most common and exciting ones we’ve seen so far.
- Design and planning. Companies can’t always rely on having experts on hand to deploy operations in person, while manufacturing equipment is becoming more complex. 5G networks offer a massive increase in available bandwidth, enabling factories to install wireless sensors at sufficient density to create ‘digital twins’. This enables teams to virtually ‘test run’ operations, speeding up and de-risking the planning and design process.
- Production. 5G could boost machine and worker output by 42% and 41% respectively, according to a survey by The Manufacturing Institute, helping UK firms meet customer expectations and compete with offshore companies. And the ability to monitor assembly in detail, in real time, helps boost production quality too.
- Operations. Manufacturing has an ageing workforce and a growing skills gap, but the pressure of shrinking margins makes it hard to take workers off the factory floor for training. Automation and digitisation, powered by 5G, can help close the gaps without damaging the bottom line, paving the way for real-time digital support on the job through tech like virtual or augmented reality.
- Maintenance and support. Downtime can add up to days of lost production time every year. The old approach of fixing things when they’re broken or carrying our maintenance every six months won’t cut it. 5G enables condition-based maintenance, where repairs are made at the point they’re needed, and predictive maintenance, which identifies defects earlier.
- Supply chain. A lot of manufacturers rely on logistics firms to control their supply chains, which hinders end-to-end visibility of products. Advanced connectivity enables automation and enhanced track and trace capabilities, ensuring everything runs smoothly and giving manufacturers real-time insights – without relying on outsourcing.
What are the benefits to manufacturing businesses?
We’ve talked about the different areas of manufacturing that advanced 5G connectivity can improve. But what about the bigger picture? What business outcomes can manufacturers achieve?
Here are some of the key ways 5G can benefit companies in this sector.
- Boost efficiency. With higher bandwidth and lower latency, 5G helps reduce downtime and boost productivity, allowing factories to get more done in less time and with fewer resources.
- Reduce risk. The speed and reliability of 5G enables the creation of digital twins: these virtual replicas of manufacturing environments enable rapid and risk-free testing that can then be applied in the real world.
- Improve resilience. A dropped connection can jeopardise worker safety, hold up production or even impact product quality. 5G has greater resilience built in as standard, providing a more stable and secure connection.
- Power innovation. 5G network slicing, where a single physical 5G network can be divided into multiple virtual ones, means businesses can create a flexible network across multiple sites, making data-sharing and collaboration easier.
- Future-proof factories. 5G enables virtual training and remote support to happen in real-time using tech like mixed reality and dynamic data visualisation, helping to address the sector’s growing skills gap.
Test, deploy, seize this opportunity
Within our ECH projects we work with businesses to test and develop new use cases for advanced 5G that can then be applied in real-world settings.
We’re already uncovering some interesting ways of applying 5G at our Harwell Science and Innovation Campus project, which is helping us raise awareness and generate demand for private 5G networks in advanced manufacturing.
For both manufacturers and connectivity suppliers, the possibilities for 5G in this sector are enormous. It’s an incredibly exciting time for the industry and now is the moment to capitalise on those opportunities.
And the best way to do that is to start by testing in a safe, controlled, risk-free environment that gives you the data you need to invest with confidence.
Want more insights on advanced 5G in manufacturing?