Through the following use cases within the operational Terafactory, the performance and resilience of the campus network solution are thoroughly assessed. These use cases encompass scenarios involving various load conditions and stress situations, allowing for a comprehensive understanding of the network’s capabilities and limitations. The insights gained from these analyses will be instrumental in defining the necessary requirements for future 6G networks, ensuring their suitability for the evolving demands of industrial environments.
1. Real-time goods tracking
Currently, internal plant logistics heavily rely on manual tracking and monitoring processes, resulting in limited visibility and efficiency. While some data is stored within the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, it provides only a generalized overview of goods within the physical space. The lack of detailed, real-time information makes it challenging to identify and implement optimization strategies for goods movement effectively.
To address these limitations, the introduction of electronic labels and transponders on goods is proposed. This technological upgrade aims to revolutionize the tracking process by enabling real-time monitoring of goods’ locations through mobile data devices. By leveraging this technology, plant managers can analyze the movement of goods in real-time, facilitating swift decision-making and optimization efforts.
The anticipated benefits of this system include a significant increase in efficiency, with estimates suggesting improvements of 20-30% or more. By optimizing the flow of goods within the plant, productivity is expected to soar, leading to enhanced overall operational performance. Furthermore, the integration of this tracking technology with the ERP system promises to streamline data management processes, ensuring a more seamless connection between logistical operations and enterprise resource planning.
2. Autonomous driving machines / industrial trucks
Currently, the movement of goods within logistics buildings and across factory premises relies heavily on manual methods involving boxes, carts, or machinery. This manual handling extends to various stations such as goods receipt, production, dispatch areas, and inter-building transfers. However, to enhance efficiency and streamline these processes, there is a pressing need for the integration of autonomous vehicles.
These autonomous vehicles must possess the capability to transport various types of charge carriers or adhere to specific permitted load carrier specifications. Given the dynamic nature of the working environment, there is a possibility of interaction between human workers and automated vehicles on the driving surface, necessitating careful consideration of occupational safety measures.
Moreover, the routes for these vehicles are not rigidly defined, necessitating adaptive navigation capabilities. The autonomous vehicles must be equipped to identify and traverse the most optimal paths independently, taking into account factors such as congestion, obstacles, and real-time operational requirements.
Additionally, seamless integration with the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is essential. The controller governing the autonomous vehicles must be able to access data from the ERP system to inform decision-making and route planning. Likewise, it should be capable of updating relevant information back into the ERP system to ensure data coherence and facilitate holistic process management. This integration enables real-time synchronization between logistical operations and overall enterprise resource planning objectives, fostering greater efficiency and agility in the supply chain.
3. Extended Reality (XR) to support employees
Currently, the warehouse employs mobile devices to guide employees efficiently, but the lack of hands-free functionality poses a challenge to optimal performance. The aim is to address this limitation, enhance employee experience, and increase flexibility by introducing advanced technology in the form of data glasses. These specialized glasses serve as a solution to the hands-free issue, allowing employees to receive guidance and information without the constraints of holding a device.
The functionality of these data glasses extends beyond mere guidance – they are equipped to display a diverse range of information, scan barcodes, and automatically compare the gathered data with the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. This integration streamlines and automates processes, improving the overall efficiency of warehouse operations.
Moreover, the application of data glasses extends into the production environment, where they are intended to provide employees with crucial contextual information. This includes real-time data, instructions, and updates relevant to their tasks, all without hindering their manual work. The overarching goal is to seamlessly integrate technology into the workflow, empowering employees with the information they need while allowing them to focus on their hands-on responsibilities. This approach not only enhances efficiency but also contributes to a more flexible and streamlined operational environment.
4. Fully Automated Product Delivery (Integrated Workflow)
Presently, products are delivered individually packaged and undergo a series of processes before reaching the customer’s hands. Initially, they are unpacked, supplemented with additional modules, and electrically connected. Following this, automatic software programming and customization according to customer specifications take place. Once these steps are completed, the product is disconnected from temporary wiring, repackaged, and readied for delivery.
In a pioneering initiative, the first phase of a project aims to streamline this process by introducing autonomous robots. After the initial unpacking stage, these robots will autonomously collect the product and transfer it to a staging compartment, effectively communicating with the production line. Upon reporting free capacities, the next product in line is promptly delivered. Subsequently, robots take charge of further assembly and cabling tasks. Once completed, the product undergoes software installation and configuration settings within the test management system. Successful completion of these procedures triggers the transmission of results to the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, marking the product’s readiness for shipping.
To facilitate the shipping process, the autonomously driving robot transports the product from the production line to designated packaging tables. Here, human employees prepare the product for shipping, ensuring that it is properly packaged and labeled for transportation to its final destination. This integrated approach blends human expertise with automated efficiency, optimizing the entire production and delivery workflow to meet customer demands swiftly and accurately.
The 6G-Terafactory project stands out with its dedicated emphasis on open-RAN-based private campus networks tailored for industrial real-time applications. Diverging from the multitude of Open RAN initiatives primarily targeting the service provider market, and distinct from closed, proprietary solutions favored in traditional campus network projects, our approach is unique. What sets us apart is our commitment to testing and optimizing the campus network within an actual factory setting, driven by application scenarios defined by production and logistics teams.
While 6G-Terafactory does not develop new radio technologies explicitly, it serves as a practical laboratory for testing such innovations in active operation. Unlike many other projects that merely demonstrate concepts, our endeavor focuses on the holistic automation of integration, installation, operation, and lifecycle management. We aim to deliver a solution that is not only flexible and adaptable but also readily deployable and operable by IT departments, sans specialized mobile expertise. This streamlined approach, tailored for industrial campus networks, promises a leaner and more efficient deployment compared to Open RAN-based service provider networks.