The private 5G network installed at JLR’s Solihull site as part of the 5G Innovation Regions (5GIR) Advanced Manufacturing programme has now been successfully deployed.
The project, which is being delivered by WM5G and is funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, will streamline JLR’s operations, allowing for seamless, real-time data transmission that will transform its manufacturing processes.
Jess Ellis, 5GIR programme director at WM5G, said: “This deployment is a key milestone in the project and I am proud of the way our delivery partners and the team at JLR have pulled together to achieve network deployment in record time.
“Smart manufacturing has long been heralded as a game changer for the industry. It has huge potential to improve productivity and unleash capacity across the manufacturing sector, be that by reducing production bottlenecks, predicting and reducing downtime, improving workflow, or ensuring and reviewing quality at every stage of the manufacturing process.
“A huge amount of work has gone into getting the project this far: from clarifying service requirements and developing suitable real-world use cases, to identifying and procuring service providers and co-ordinating the installation alongside ‘business as usual’. We are proud of the work the whole team has delivered to bring this complex project together.”
The project is the first in the UK to retrofit a private 5G network into a live manufacturing environment – finally turning digital theory into reality. It creates a unique facility in which JLR can test a variety of use cases, obtain the data needed to support business case development, and build a blueprint for wider adoption, not only within JLR but across the rest of the UK manufacturing industry.
Stephen, digital operations director at JLR, said: “5G availability in our manufacturing facilities in the Midlands is essential to JLR’s digital transformation as we enhance the performance of our industrial footprint. As we gear up to the production of our next generation electric vehicles and their new platforms, the adoption of advanced wireless technologies will improve the scalability, flexibility and resilience of our manufacturing sites.
Duncan Hawkins, vice president of private network sales, enterprise wireless solutions at Ericsson, whose 5G technology powers the private network, added: “Full 5G network deployment is a key milestone in our journey to realising the benefits of smart manufacturing. The network’s significantly increased speeds and bandwidth, lower latency and enhanced security, will all enable manufacturers like JLR to truly realise the potential of real-time, data-led shop-floor management.”
The private 5G network at JLR’s Solihull plant currently connects production machinery with a number of Dell edge computing devices and the Litmus Data Ops platform, creating a more agile and responsive manufacturing environment for JLR’s Range Rover vehicles that will help production managers turn real-time data insights and simulations into tangible, operational efficiencies.
An extension to the 5GIR Advanced Manufacturing programme was announced by the Rt Hon Peter Kyle MP, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology at TechUK last week.
Rhys Enfield, head of infrastructure acceleration at WM5G, concluded: “As a UK first for a retrofit private 5G network in a live manufacturing environment, the design and installation of the network has not been without its challenges but we are delighted that it is successfully deployed on time and ready to support JLR’s digital transformation.
“The lessons learned along the way will be almost as valuable as the innovation itself and it is these learnings – along with the evidence and data gathered from the next stage of the programme – that will inform our blueprint for wider industry adoption, accelerating roll out across the UK.”
To learn more, visit www.wm5g.org.uk.
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