Automakers achieve more agility in production using 5G

This week the operations of the 5G range in Brazil were auctioned. The forecast is that the new technology will only be available in mid-2022, but the auto industry is already beginning to benefit from it.

5G is being used, through a private network, in the pilot project of one of the largest automotive plants in the world, located in the state of Pernambuco.

The project may be able to revolutionize the future of the automotive industry in the country. The experimental phase was already able to optimize and make the process more dynamic.

”We prioritized and started with a case in this first moment, applied directly to the production process, where we validate the performance of the G5. What is 5G performance? It’s understanding how fast I can have this connection”, said André Souza, Stellantis CIO for South America.

Verification

To do this, they connected the technology to a camera that captures images during the vehicle’s transit on the production line through identification tags. The efficiency and speed of 5G is used to transmit the data to a program that will check, in real time, if the parts and devices meet the required quality.

When everything is on schedule, the operator can release the vehicle. Until then, all this inquiry is done by the human eye.

”The human being has the ability to identify that it is around 85%, and this process is over 95%. (…) In the case of the more automated process, I can do this with just one repetition”, said Souza.

Advantages of 5G

The promise of the 5G network is to be more powerful, faster and smarter than the network used today. The advantage of using technology in vehicle production is to make the project more interconnected.

The system is applied together with an artificial intelligence program. This way, the hosting of the most varied data and the connection between them is guaranteed.

“We were able to transmit an important volume of data to the internet, to process, to bring this information very quickly, for decision making.”

The team is already working on the possibility of expanding the use of 5G during other stages of vehicle manufacturing. However, the executive director of the Institute of Technology and Society, Fabro Steibel, explains why the change will not cause such rapid changes in the market.

“By having 5G, you will be able to benefit from these waves of innovation to come. The adoption and impact on the economy will be very gradual. It will start with the industry and, over time, we will start to see this economy really benefiting from greater speed and higher latency.”