The two firms are helping the Baoding Automation Technology Branch of Exquisite Automotive Systems at the Great Wall Motor factory in Boarding Hebei.
Traditional industrial control relies on wired networks to realise the serial connection and control of terminal equipment, however, after a certain period of operations, wire abrasion in mobile application scenarios such as robot arms, slide units and swivelling tables often results in interruptions.
This causes an average of about 60 hours of downtime per year, China Unicom and Huawei said in a release.
5G-advanced networks provide ultra-reliability and ultra-low latency, allowing wireless industrial networks can eliminate the constraints of wires.
Fan Ji'an, Chief Big Data Scientist of China Unicom pointed out that China Unicom is accelerating the construction of digital infrastructure and deepening integrated innovation in digital technologies. "We are working with all industry partners to build a 5G-powered industrial Internet that will help enterprises address pain points during their transformations, and ultimately facilitate upgrades to smart manufacturing," Ji’an said.
"Powered by 5G-Advanced, industrial applications are moving from auxiliary production to core production systems. We are seeing more typical 5G-Advanced applications appear in key scenarios, further driving the manufacturing industry to go digital."
Compared to wired networks, the 5G-advanced solution facilitates easier network deployment and can better support flexible manufacturing.
The 5G-advanced network also boosts efficiency by integrating multiple functions, such as data collection and industrial control functions that are provided by two separate private lines in wired networks.
Located in Baoding, Hebei, EA is a subsidiary of Great Wall Motor (GWM) and has an annual turnover of more than CNY2 billion. EA is responsible for the development of intelligent equipment and the design and integration of automated production lines for GWM and other auto companies.
At the press conference for the development, Yuan Zhanjiang, deputy general manager of EA's Industry Intelligence Department said: "Digitalisation is a must for the transformation and upgrade of manufacturing enterprises. 5G-advanced features ultra-high reliability, low latency, and easy deployment. These features have been verified in EA's 5G-advanced industrial Internet lab, and will soon start supporting our commercial production lines.”
Ji'an added, "We are working with all industry partners to build a 5G-powered industrial Internet that will help enterprises address pain points during their transformations, and ultimately facilitate upgrades to smart manufacturing," The transition from auxiliary production to core production systems and the emergence of 5G-Advanced are driving the digital transformation of the manufacturing industry.
The global industry is actively driving the advancement of 5G-Advanced technology. The recent Global Mobile Broadband Forum witnessed the launch of the first wave of 5G-Advanced networks by 13 global operators including China Unicom, marking the transition from technical verification to commercial deployment and setting the stage for insightful discussions on the widespread adoption and impact of 5G-Advanced in various sectors.
