Schneider Electric announced Monday it was joining Capgemini and Qualcomm Technologies to design and install a first-of-its-kind 5G-enabled automated hoisting solution.
The companies will collaborate in Schneider Electric’s hoisting lab in Grenoble, France, to replace wired connections with wireless ones. The companies said the 5G Private Network solution will demonstrate how it can simplify and optimize digital technology deployments across industrial sites.
“Digital transformation is helping Schneider Electric customers generate step-change advancements in productivity, efficiency, and sustainability, but not one company can do it alone,” said Marc Lafont, vice president of Innovation and Upstream Marketing at Schneider Electric. “This breakthrough end-to-end 5G private network hoisting solution is a perfect example of the power of working together as we pilot it at end-user sites this year. In addition, in the short term, we will validate more industrial 5G use cases in various discrete manufacturing, hybrid automation, and process automation applications. In the mid-term, we will experiment with deeper integration of 5G technology inside our automation equipment.”
The system has the ability to be deployed across diverse industrial and logistics sites, the companies said, and the customized end-to-end solution has the potential to transform industrial automation systems. Hoisting applications play a critical role in supply chain and manufacturing operations, the companies said. Automated hoisting systems increase productivity, safety, and operational performance but require fast reaction times, high precision, and reliability in manual and autonomous capabilities. The hoisting systems also need to account for several systems coexisting on the same network for various functions. 5G’s low latency characteristics allow the system to replace fiber cables in remote-control operations, address network simplicity, reduce wires, and provide long-term reliable connectivity.
“The 5G end-to-end solution customized for Schneider Electric’s hoisting system is a good example of the added value of 5G for industrial communication and really illustrates its potential to transform an industry segment,” said Fotis Karonis, Group Leader of 5G and Edge Computing at Capgemini. “Advanced connectivity, 5G, and edge computing technologies are strong enablers and accelerators for this move towards a digital economy and innovative use cases. They allow industrial clients to redesign systems and processes and make them more efficient, agile, and intelligent.”