Private 5G: Industry 4.

0 use cases
This article illustrates key use cases and applications that will be relevant for
industrial companies looking to transform their operations through private 5G.

Introduction

Private 5G technology builds the foundation for more effective industrial operations in the future
through IoT and AI/ML applications.
In this article we look at private 5G use cases that can be deployed throughout industry, including
manufacturing, logistics, and oil and gas.
We are already seeing early deployments of private 5G networks

− In April 2021, Verizon announced its first European Private 5G deployment with Nokia for Associated
British Ports (ABP) at the Port of Southampton, one of the UK’s busiest ports that exports £40 billion
worth of manufactured goods from the UK every year.

− Spanish transport infrastructure company Ferrovial launched one of the world’s first private 5G
standalone (SA) networks in October 2021, to support a number of use cases at a site constructing a
tunnel under the River Thames.
Besides the technical capabilities of private 5G over other alternatives, one of the primary benefits of
private 5G is to help consolidate number of communication solutions or interfaces deployed on an
industrial site. This is about being able to support multiple use cases on a single network, rather than
having to manage and operate multiple different solutions, each often tied to a single use case, which
results in higher complexity and overall total cost of ownership.
Furthermore, the advanced capabilities of private 5G, specifically its reliability, throughput, security, and
ultra-low latency can enable new use cases and applications such as real-time command and control,
analytics, mass-scale IoT, and machine intelligence. These capabilities can in turn prepare industrial
sites for new 5G-enabled applications that can digitally transform their operations in the future, such as
predictive maintenance, autonomous mobile robots, and asset tracking. Privacy - Terms
 This article looks at key use cases that will be relevant for industrial companies looking to transform
their operations through private 5G.

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1. Advanced predictive maintenance

How it works

Unplanned downtime in manufacturing costs money (lower production yield), but so does planned
downtime carried out on a “just in case” basis, which is inefficient and halts functioning machines.
This is about the shift from “preventative” to “predictive” maintenance, and being able to conduct
maintenance tasks when needed rather than on a fixed schedule, therefore potentially reducing planned
downtime and preventing future breakdowns.
Advanced predictive maintenance uses machine intelligence on IoT sensor data to determine whether
equipment is likely to fail, and services only machines that need intervention.
According to a 2018 study, predictive maintenance could drive $140B value globally through
productivity increases and cost savings across the manufacturing sector.

Why private 5G?

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 Predictive maintenance requires large volumes of sensor data to be collected reliably and quickly,
analysed, and responded to within milliseconds to prevent incipient failure.
5G allows predictive control algorithms to be centralised onto edge cloud rather than in dedicated, co-
located hardware.
Predictive maintenance is a solution that has been run in manufacturing settings prior to private 5G,
initially on private LTE. As more and more machines and assets get connected, private 5G can support
the device density at lower latency at scale, more so than private LTE.

Case in point

Telefónica Tech (digital services arm of Telefónica) recently signed a deal with Grupo Álava, an
engineering services company in Spain, to launch a predictive maintenance solution for industry 4.0
that runs on private 5G.

2. Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs)

How it works

Improves efficiency, reliability and accuracy of transportation and haulage of parts and materials;
reduces labour costs, increases workplace safety and flexibility of the shop floor
More flexible than AGVs in moving from fixed routes, i.e. pre-planned routes or tracks that are tapped to
the shopfloor, or those that use Wi-Fi, to more intelligent navigation for obstacle avoidance
Better suited to more agile production, where you can easily redeploy AMRs in the case of any
modifications to products or production line

Why private 5G?

AMRs require high bandwidth that private 5G possesses to leverage built-in sensors and navigation
tools (e.g. cameras, scanners) to navigate around the facility using the most efficient route it
determines.
They also require its lower latency to react to obstacles or hazards on their route
When you have AMRs moving over large spaces in a site, or perhaps from indoors to outdoors across
buildings for example, private 5G has the advantage over Wi-Fi given the advantages from a mobility
and coverage perspective (fewer access points, better coverage both indoors and outdoors)

Case in point

There have been a number of trials of AMRs on private 5G networks, including Nokia who have tested
an AMR solution to improve material flow automation at their “factory of the future” in Oulu, Finland
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 A recent deployment is at a manufacturing plant in Thailand owned by Yawata Eloctrode, where AMRs
are being run on AIS’s private 5G private network platform.

3. Real-time inventory management

How it works

Tracks and monitors the position and usage of assets in real-time, increase visibility with greater
accuracy in order to better manage assets over their lifecycle
Automates inventory management to prevent any potential delays with parts or materials required for
production

Why private 5G?

In manufacturing sites there are a lot of items that need to be monitored, each of which requires a
sensor. Such a large number of sensors being tracked in real time takes up a lot of bandwidth that
private 5G can handle
The higher reliability afforded by private 5G is also important to ensure that items do not get misplaced
In larger sites when items are moving relatively large distances the extended coverage is also an
advantage over Wi-Fi as items will not get lost when moving from one router to another

Case in point

ADLINK have a smart warehouse solution which can monitor the position and status of pallets, their
edge hardware is highly compatible with 5G

4. AR/MR for lone worker and MRO

How it works

 Supports on-site workers to safely conduct maintenance, repair or and operations supplies (MRO), in
place of or supervised by a remote specialist
AR enables critical parameters, information and instant hazard warnings to be displayed as an overlay
for real-time interactions

Why private 5G?

AR/MR requires ultra-low latency to enable users to work effectively, if latency drops below 33ms then
the experience becomes impractical – private 5G can enable this
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High bandwidth for streaming the live feed along with any overlays also requires private 5G
 High reliability is another requirement as often engineers will be doing repairs on dangerous and
expensive

equipment in real time

Case in point

There have been a number of successful trials for this use case, including:

− Lufthansa teamed up with Vodafone and Nokia in 2 separate projects which look to allow remote
support to access airline engineers using private 5G

− The Worcestershire 5G consortium also worked with Yamazaki Mazak to deploy a 5G enabled AR
remote expert support solution

− In Schneider Electric’s Le Vaudreuil Factory they tested an AR application that enables operators to
superimpose real-time data and virtual objects onto cabinets, machines, or an entire plant, run on
Orange’s 5G network

5. Drone for site inspection and asset tracking

How it works

Performs real-time industrial inspections via drones at remote, difficult environments or hard to reach
locations such as pipelines, rigs, mines
Improves safety, setup, operating time and cost compared to manual inspections. Drones or other UAVs
can create a digital twin of existing assets (video, 3D visualization, accurate aerial data)

Why private 5G?

Drones require high bandwidth to transmit high definition video to operators and enable them to identify
issues with assets
There is also a need for high security so that drones or the data they are collecting cannot be stolen by
competitors/other parties
The outdoor coverage is another aspect where WiFi can be problematic and has lower reliability which
could mean that control of the drone is lost

Case in point

Bentley Systems, an infrastructure engineering software company, has used drones to automate the
inspection of 5G towers in place of human crews, which cost approximately $2000 to $5000 per
inspection.
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 Telia and Ericsson have also partnered to livestream industrial inspections using drones, which they aim
to run on 5G

Author: Matt Bamforth is a Consultant at STL Partners, specialising in 5G, edge computing, and private
networks.

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