Research from Vodafone indicates that the application of new digital technologies such as 5G and IoT in manufacturing could add £3.6bn to the sector’s GVA in 2025, rising to £6.3bn in 2030. Encouragingly, 74% of manufacturing decision-makers are considering upgrading their communications networks by 2022.
We have launched a second hub on our website, dedicated to those working in the manufacturing industry. It explains how 5G could benefit the incredibly varied sector, focusing on use-cases in design and planning (from the drawing board to the refinement of plant and process); production (including output and process quality); operations (ranging from training to efficiencies); supply chain (logistics from goods into factories, in warehouses and the flow of finished goods out); and maintenance (predictive maintenance and reduced downtime). Our supplier directory will help organisations find the right companies to ensure they achieve their 5G ambitions. What’s more, a dedicated event series will provide the opportunity to hear directly from those who have been there, done that, and learned the lessons that others can benefit from.
Throughout the week you’ll also hear from Slyvia Lu—a multi-award-winning engineer and the Co-Chair of the UK5G ManufacturingWorking Group—in an opinion piece exploring what to consider when implementing 5G. UK5G has also interviewed Ian Poullet, a Business Manager at Siemens, about his expectations of and experiences with 5G, in addition to Andy Ward from Ubisense.
We know from speaking to organisations that 5G can seem complex and intimidating; this work is looking to address that. Our work with the manufacturing industry will increase understanding, generate immediate demand, and facilitate commercial deployments. As ever, we’d like to invite our Members to share any other use cases or case studies that you’ve seen from the sector, that we can showcase in our new sector hub.
