FEATURE: MANUFACTURING
Ericsson Private 5G provides the robust, future-ready infrastructure needed to support more connected devices than ever before, ensuring the plant remains agile, efficient and capable of integrating new automation technologies.
What specific business-critical applications at JLR’ s Solihull plant are benefiting the most from the implementation of Private 5G?
Several business-critical applications at JLR’ s Solihull plant are benefiting from private 5G, including vision systems, IoT sensors and production tools. The network supports real-time data transmission, enabling seamless connectivity for quality inspection, equipment monitoring and connected production tools.
Currently, JLR is leveraging the private 5G network to leverage Litmus and Dell Native Edge, and extend to other applications, to help support conditionbased monitoring to support predictive maintenance, real-time alerting, energy monitoring and anomaly detection – all of which will enhance decision-making and operational efficiency as adoption expands. By collecting and standardising manufacturing data from previously unconnected or siloed endpoints, private 5G is laying the foundation for more proactive and intelligent factory management.
How does Private 5G contribute to greater efficiency in JLR’ s production workflows and what feedback have manufacturing teams provided so far?
Private 5G is driving greater workflow efficiency at JLR by enhancing connectivity and enabling data-driven optimisation. With improved real-time data collection and analysis, maintenance and production managers can use DataOps platforms like Litmus to gain insights and to allow the manager to optimise manufacturing processes themselves. By consolidating data that was previously uncollected, unstandardised, or siloed, JLR decision-makers can now act more effectively on realtime insights.
Manufacturing teams have provided positive feedback on the benefits of enhanced connectivity and the ability to quickly innovate on the factory floor. The private 5G network enables more efficient maintenance operations, reduces inefficiencies in production and improves overall operational agility.
Can you elaborate on how Private 5G enables JLR to reduce downtime and make quicker modifications to the production line?
JLR has historically faced unplanned downtime due to machine failures and a lack of actionable equipment data, forcing maintenance teams to operate reactively. With new data – driven insights, they are proactive measures are maximising production uptime.
The private 5G network also allows JLR to quickly swap and provision new or broken connected tools, eliminating the need for extensive rewiring and network reconfigurations. This has significantly reduced the time required to modify production lines, allowing for faster response to operational changes and minimised disruptions.
With the success of this deployment at Solihull, are there plans to expand Ericsson Private 5G to other JLR sites, and if so, what potential benefits do you anticipate?
The success of private 5G at Solihull has set the stage for potential expansion to other JLR manufacturing sites, particularly in areas where connectivity has been historically challenging. One such area is the paint shop, a complex environment where previous network solutions provided little to no reliable connectivity.
Expanding private 5G could provide a standardised, scalable and high-performance connectivity infrastructure across multiple sites. This would enable JLR to further advance automation, real-time data analytics and predictive maintenance capabilities while improving security and operational efficiency. Additionally, private 5G enhances cybersecurity by operating on a dedicated spectrum, offering greater control and protection for sensitive manufacturing data.
By leveraging the Solihull deployment as a model, JLR can explore broader applications of private 5G across its global production network, driving innovation and efficiency across all manufacturing sites. p
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