Today, many manufacturers leverage telecommunications services to manage the business side, while few use the technology to run the core part of their business – the factory floor. But with growing competition and changing economic conditions, there is an increasing need for an end-to-end platform that integrates networks, applications, and cloud services to enable companies to seamlessly and quickly connect assets and systems on 5G networks. Leveraging a single, end-to-end solution can accelerate the implementation of multiple services for connected, intelligent manufacturing.

Built on open standards, Wipro’s 5G Def-i platform provides a cloud-native environment, network APIs, and third-party integrations necessary for manufacturers to onboard existing devices and infrastructure in their factory, incubate new apps and services, and keep up with changes in technology.

Actions Required to Leverage 5G Across Industrial Processes

Organizations with in-depth digital experiences can benefit from effective cross-leveraged digitization to accelerate 5G deployment for industrial processes. These organizations must address a few key actions to leverage 5G across the factory floor:

• Core process digitalization: Industry processes should be digitized into component tasks and carried out as a “logical unit.” Industrial digitization is leveraging digital technologies for front-end interactions and converting traditional monolithic, siloed processes into dynamically orchestrated tasks. Digitization should enable integration with external tasks as well. 
• Intervention point identification: Identify the point in different process flows where logical digitization is possible. Look at points in the flow where digitization can produce data that helps management understand asset status. Similarly, finding intervention points that allow seamless amalgamation of cross-factory processes for next-generation heterogeneity (i.e., M2M communication).
  
• External interface standardization: Opening intervention points in a process or at a meta-level in the “orchestrator” creates dynamic processes that leverage external efforts and innovation (suppliers, shippers, etc.). Standardizing the same will facilitate a multiplicative effect – integration leveraged across the factory floor.
  
• Address security concerns: When it comes to integration with external parties, one of the biggest concerns is security. And each industry has its own need and perception of what is required. An integration that involves a third party, like a communication service provider, further escalates security concerns. Understand specific security requirements and map them to the communication service. Use communication services to strengthen security.
  
• Translation of communication needs: Integration between industry units will require communication media. The communication can differ based on the type of industry and the nature of integration. Apart from the requirements regarding the quality of service (QoS), bandwidth, etc., consider the cost of service. Industries should understand the exact communication needs for a specific situation and map them to suitable communication specifications. 
  
• Innovation ecosystems: Organizations with multi-domain digital expertise can develop a platform for innovation wherein services from multiple industry segments create transformational solutions. Real-time end-to-end communication services with the guaranteed quality that 5G promises can radically change how industries run today and help create an ecosystem that enables continuous revitalization.
  

Four Strategies to Deploy 5G Benefits Across Industrial Processes

Bringing 5G benefits to the industry floor is a multi-pronged and highly coordinated effort across the enterprise. Manufacturers should consider four approaches to maximize the benefit of 5G, including increasing efficiency and velocity, repurposing current processes bundling 5G communication and leveraging cross-department solutions.

1. Manufacturers should look at existing processes and systems of different departments and leverage 5G communication services to increase efficiency and velocity in the system. This approach typically does not disrupt standard ways of working. Information is collected through IoT devices and transmitted on a secure and real-time communication channel, followed by transmission of controlling actions. 5G Network Slice, with end-to-end QoS guarantees, can significantly increase the possibility of more processes. By leveraging 5G, companies can expand their reach, enable customer convenience, and facilitate “just in time” decisions for greater efficiency.  
2. Repurposing current processes is another practical approach. Manufacturers have existing processes designed with older constraints, like required human intervention or the need for physical proximity. Technology advancements in digitization, automation, and communication (5G) provide a unique opportunity. Companies can incorporate more flexibility, enable external control, and create highly customized products and solutions.
3. Many businesses and mission-critical solutions omit communication services as the core of their offerings because mobile communications technologies failed to provide differentiated services. Bundling solutions with 5G communication helps companies achieve cross-enterprise communications. The Network Slice concept of 5G allows for opportunities where communication can play a part in the core of a manufacturing process. For example, the healthcare industry can dramatically change by bundling 5G as a core service for remote diagnosis and treatment, remote-assisted surgery, etc.  
4. Ideally, solutions for one department can benefit another. But silos have made joint solutions unattainable. Identify opportunities to create new cross-department solutions by enabling real-time and secure communication between departments. These solutions can bring down silos and create a lean and highly flexible enterprise.

Unleash 5G Potential Across Verticals

Many organizations never maximized their return on connectivity investments due to the challenge of bringing 5G services close to the enterprise edge. Wipro’s 5G Def-i platform bundles network connectivity tools and enablers on a cloud-native foundation to reduce complexities and seamlessly integrate key systems. The integrated platform enables speedy deployment of new applications, brings visibility to endpoint devices and data insights, and transforms manufacturers into Smart facilities that are more competitive in today’s global marketplace.