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From manufacturing to logistics, supply chains are experiencing a seismic shift. Automation, with its promise of game-changing efficiency and productivity, is attracting substantial investment, but it comes with formidable risks.
As operations and IT executives steer their organizations into this new era, one important risk is often overlooked: the ability of their wireless infrastructure to support an onslaught of automation systems. But there are actionable steps that operations and IT leaders can take to protect their automation investments.
The Road to Automation
Every company’s automation journey is guided by a unique matrix of business goals, investment thresholds, and legacy technologies. Amid this complex balancing act, the importance of connectivity is often underestimated.
Automation is not merely about deploying advanced machinery, sensors, and robotics. It’s about connecting these elements to one another and integrating them with existing systems to drive real-time decisions, improve operational efficiency (OEE), and maximize worker productivity. As such, wireless networks are essential to ensuring that equipment operates as promised and workflows are not disrupted by network interruptions or downtime.
Whereas past automation upgrades were supported by wired ethernet technologies, today’s digitalization efforts require the flexibility and mobility of wireless solutions. Consider these examples:
1. Automated production and assembly
Modern production lines are replete with robots, cobots, cameras, and sensors—all relying on wireless connections to receive instructions and share information that operators use to address issues before they lead to costly downtime.
2. Robotics and automated vehicles
From factories to distribution centers, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) optimize the movement of materials and finished goods. Their safe and efficient operation depends on reliable wireless networks that enable real-time navigation and route optimization—even in the most challenging environments.
3. Inventory management and fulfillment
Wireless IoT devices and RFID technology enable real-time tracking of materials and inventory to optimize storage, streamline fulfillment processes, and provide end-to-end visibility of orders during transit.
4. Worker safety and productivity
Armed with wearables and surrounded by smart building sensors, today’s workers can use virtual schematics to repair equipment, beckon assistance from remote experts, and get instant alerts about hazardous situations.
All Wireless Is Not Equal
Supply chain executives don’t have time to keep up with the latest wireless developments, and IT leaders are often tasked with making the most of existing capital investments. So if Wi-Fi is good enough for a company’s enterprise resource planning and payroll systems, it’s good enough to run sophisticated robots and dozens of inventory scanners, right?
The truth is that Wi-Fi wasn’t built for the demands of industrial automation. Operations managers are no strangers to the costly impact of Wi-Fi downtime on productivity—an impact caused by challenging physical environments, insufficient network design, outdated equipment, or all of the above. Downtime can be expected to increase as Wi-Fi networks become overloaded with robotics, AI, machine vision, and other bandwidth-intensive capabilities.
Just as costly as downtime is the cybersecurity risk of notorious Wi-Fi vulnerabilities. According to an annual study the average cost of detecting, mitigating, and recovering from a data breach is more than$9 million for US companies. As cybercriminals continue to target the supply chain with more sophisticated attacks, many organizations are looking for more secure options to fortify their data and infrastructure.
The Dawn of Private 5G Networks
Recent advancements in 5G have made cellular technology a more resilient and cost-effective option for organizations of all sizes. Cellular networks are also inherently more secure than Wi-Fi, thanks to iron-clad device authentication and data encryption techniques.
But these aren’t the same 5G networks used for mobile phones. A new type of private 5G network can be custom-built in an organization’s facility for their exclusive use—eliminating the security risks and data charges incurred with public 5G airwaves. What’s more, these private networks can be cost-effectively designed, built, and monitored by a managed service provider with cellular expertise, which alleviates significant staffing burdens from IT teams that are already stretched thin.
Private 5G networks won’t replace an existing Wi-Fi infrastructure, but many manufacturing, logistics, and transportation organizations are deploying them in parallel to run critical applications that demand high-reliability, low-latency connectivity.
Next Steps for Supply Chain Executives
To ensure that your organization’s network infrastructure is fully prepared for its automation journey, you can take the following steps:
1. Assess your network
Start by conducting a comprehensive assessment of your existing infrastructure, identifying dead zones, performance constraints, or other weaknesses. Engage both operations and IT to quantify the impact of these issues on productivity to determine the opportunity cost of the status quo.
2. Understand automation requirements
Define the specific use cases you aim to solve and outline the connectivity needs of the systems you intend to implement, including data volume, latency sensitivity, and area to cover. Think about future requirements to ensure that your network can adapt as your automation initiatives evolve.
3. Explore private 5G
Evaluate the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of deploying a private 5G network to bolster reliability, security, and scalability. If you’re starting with a single use case, consider a pilot project to validate the capabilities and uncover future optimization opportunities.
4. Prioritize security
Collaborate with IT and security teams to analyze the risks of an expanding network footprint and outline a plan to either integrate or isolate your new systems from your existing infrastructure.
5. Continuous monitoring and maintenance
Establish a regular monitoring and maintenance routine or partner with a managed service provider to proactively address issues and maintain consistent performance.
The era of digitalization represents both a monumental change and a substantial opportunity for logistics and manufacturing companies. To achieve successful outcomes, it is important to understand the whole picture—including the impact of wireless connectivity on productivity, safety, cybersecurity, and ROI. By embracing new technology, such as private 5G networks, organizations can navigate this journey with confidence, harnessing the full potential of automation to secure their future success.
To learn more, visit betacom.com/industry.