On July 20th, a demonstrative intelligent manufacturing factory, empowered by full 5G connection, was unveiled at Mideas division of kitchen appliance in Shunde, Foshan. The ground-breaking project came as a result of concerted efforts by Midea Group, China Unicom, and Huawei. It is also the first time that 5G integrated GPS technology has ever been incorporated in a global intelligent factory.

Full 5G connection to go "digital" in manufacturing

At Mideas division of kitchen appliance, there are three major industrial parks, which are home to digital factory of dishwashers, disinfection cabinets, stoves, water purifiers and water dispersers. Technically, 5G technology is best known for its large bandwidth, low latency, and wide connection. Guided by a corporate strategy that seeks "all-round digitalization and all-round intelligence", the factory was designed to breed a new 5G+ model that supports Industrial Internet intelligent manufacturing.

By grasping interconnection from 5G, the factory has been planned with 55 applications overall, including 19 in 2021. By now, there has been 11 applications used in 70 locations, as propelled by 10 new technologies. "As 5G technology permeates all parts of our value chain, we hope our factory could peak carbon dioxide emissions and achieve carbon neutrality in 2026."

5G GPS system commerialized for the first time

Inside one of the intelligent factories at Midea, 5G network is the key to productivity on production lines. Here, 5G technology has been permeated in every corner of the factory - a 5G CPE real-time monitoring system that keeps track of robot motors to ensure robots are running at their best capacity; AGV trolleys on set are ready to be dispatched to eliminate error; a 5G GPS system works with high precision to guarantee consistency in inventory; AI visuals replaced manual inspection to facilitate quality inspection; an AR remote inspection tool timely equipment maintenance from long distance despite the ongoing pandemic. All these application areas testify to the fact that Midea is on a fast track to creating more values for its industrial chain. It is estimated that this 5G-powered factory will cut down on annual costs by tens of millions of yuan.

For long, traditional warehousing and logistics model in industrial parks were plagued by a dislocation between personnel, machines and goods, unstable WiFi network and poor maintenance of multiple networks. High costs that ensued have been a headache for enterprises. Thankfully, the birth of 5G integrated GPS technology has solved the problems effectively, as more digital upgrading projects will be carried out in Guangdong Province and China as a whole.

Author | Jersey
Revisor | Ivy, Jessica
Photo | Nanfang Daily