5G adoption to accelerate drive to digital factories

With machine-to-machine communication becoming faster on private 5G networks, the latest connectivity technology is set to give a fillip to smart manufacturing, writes Mayank Dhingra.

- Mayank Dhingra.

On December 15, 2022, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) announced that its Chakan plant has become India's first 5G-enabled automobile manufacturing facility by latching on a private network provided by Bharti Airtel.

The home-grownmaker of popular SUVs like the Mahindra Thar, Scorpio and XUV700 said that it will leverage this high-speed connectivity to speed up critical processes such as undertaking multiple software flashing sessions on cars simultaneously at the assembly line before they are rolled off and deploying computerised vision-based quality inspection systems inside the paint shop.

The above two use cases are just some of the examples of how the latest high-speed connectivity technology from the telecom industry is set to benefit the automotive ecosystem - its machines, supply chain, quality-oriented processes, as well as autonomous driving.

According to Dr Rishi Bhatnagar, president, Aeris Communications, "For the first time, the government of India has allowed setting up a private network with 5G connectivity and this will enable enterprises to independently establish their own networks for machine-to-machine communication within a factory environment."

"Within the factory, companies can create their own 5G networks and this will give a strong push to digital factories or future factories," he said.

Dr Bhatnagar, who heads the Indian arm of the US-based Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity solutions company, further explained that more than humans, 5G is going to be relevant for machines, as it offers more accuracy, reliability as well as higher speeds to enable machines stationed in critical operations in manufacturing and healthcare industries to offer high-quality output.

"5G will be required when you have remote operations and the accuracy of connectivity is a must. So far, there have been various high-on-robotics automotive plants in India but they are more of a showcase," he mentioned.