Manufacturers across a range of sectors are facing challenges including keeping pace with technology innovations, digitalising operations and the supply chain, and delivering on heightened expectations around speed and accuracy.

 

A customer in Germany recently said one of the reasons they are moving away from some real-time tracking and location solutions (RTLS) and Wi-Fi standards is that they are moving toward 5G and, with 5G, different types of RTLS can be considered. 

 

5G can save some organisations in the automotive industry a lot of money by reducing the amount of access points for the different technologies they are trying to deploy, including RTLS, machine vision, robotics automation and more. 

 

This particular customer said: “If I have to wire one meter of network cable, it's more than one thousand dollars per meter. But, with 5G, I have a lot less infrastructure, and it still gives me the same result most of the time.”

 

In fact, 35% of OEMs who participated in Zebra’s Automotive Ecosystem Vision Study believe radio frequency identification (RFID) is one of the technologies that will help improve supply chain management. And nearly one-third of all surveyed decision-makers say they will prioritise connecting real-time data systems to enable a holistic view of operations and increase visibility across production and throughout the supply chain over the next five years. 

 

It’s more about figuring out which RTLS is best based on multiple factors, to include the connectivity and accompanying infrastructure requirements.

 

The good news is that, when attending events where auto leaders are discussing their challenges in factories, I hear a lot of them talking about how they’re starting to implement 5G technology. So, while there wasn’t a gold standard for RTLS before, I think with 5G, there will be several technologies combined to change the game throughout the automotive ecosystem. 

 

You now have ultra-low latency networks that you can use for programmable logic controller (PLC)-controlled environments, like on manufacturing lines. You have ultra-high bandwidth, which can be used for machine vision and video-based applications. And you have guaranteed response times, which is also very important when you work with PLC-controlled environment, as you can have a lot more clients per access point, to include those needed for RTLS.

 

Plus, we’re seeing more service providers offer standalone/private 5G networks, which is very valuable in the automotive industry because of the security and reliability they offer. We know consistent network connectivity is key to extracting value from RTLS.

 

Boost Operations bandwidth with the Right Approach 

The initial design and implementation efforts to unlock the possibilities of RTLS for your factory or plant must not be underestimated, even though they are a lot simpler than they were in the past. You need to make sure that you scope and design the project based on hard and clearly defined requirements. 

 

This may seem like the obvious first step. However, we have been asked to support many projects in which the customer has an initial idea about how they want to use location technology, but then the scope starts to change slowly for whatever reasons, and the project gets messy and very expensive. 

 

It also makes it more difficult to get stakeholders to buy in when the system design and implementation approach aren’t well defined. So, it is important that when you start the design phase, you really make sure that the technology you’re planning to use is going to work within your environment and for your specific use case.

 

Just as important, make sure the pilot is done in a controlled manner and, preferably, in a specific plant. Once you confirm the technology fits the targeted process or addresses the issue that has been challenging operations, then it becomes easier to scale across all other plants. 

 

Then again, if you realise that the technology isn’t working as you want or might be difficult to scale, then you only have to adjust your system or strategy in one place. It’s less risky. To succeed, projects must be well-thought through in terms of scaling into other areas of the business or into other plants, even when it was essentially the same process that was being replicated. 

 

It’s important to work with a trusted team of solution engineers and technology integrators who can guide you through the discovery, design, deployment, refinement and scaling processes. - TradeArabia News Service

* Stephan Pottel is Practice Lead, Manufacturing, Zebra Technologies