OMRON starts 5G demonstration experiment in 2019

Collaborates with NTT DOCOMO and Nokia to bring 5G to manufacturing

On September 10, 2019, OMRON held a press conference in Tokyo to announce a collaboration with NTT DOCOMO and Nokia Group Japan, the Japanese arm of the Finnish telecommunications company. The three companies will work together to conduct a demonstration experiment aimed at introducing the next-generation communication standard 5G to manufacturing environments (photo).

The demonstration will take place at OMRON’s Kusatsu Plant in Shiga Prefecture, where the company manufactures industrial equipment. The experiment is scheduled to start within 2019. In this collaboration, NTT DOCOMO is responsible for 5G operations using compatible devices, while Nokia will supply the necessary hardware, including base stations.

Wireless communication to boost flexibility and productivity

5G offers advantages such as ultra-high speed, large capacity, low latency, and the ability to connect many devices simultaneously. Conventionally, production equipment relied on wired communication, but 5G makes wireless communication possible. This shift is expected to improve both productivity and operational efficiency.

Shinji Fukui, Executive Officer at OMRON, stated,

“With 5G, it becomes possible to build a production line capable of variable-quantity manufacturing.”

The goal is to create a layout-free production line, allowing flexible changes to factory layouts, and to realize real-time coaching using AI and large volumes of production data, enabling factories to compensate for the shortage of skilled workers.

This joint initiative by the three companies will also be featured at IIFES2019, held in November 2019.