G factory refers to an advanced factory that widely applies digital technologies represented by 5G to the production site, forming a wide connection of production units, deep integration of information (IT) operations (OT), full utilization of data elements, and efficient empowerment of innovative applications. As the product of the deep integration of "5G+industrial Internet" in the industrial field, 5G factories have attracted much attention from the industry, promoting 5G from local to global in industrial production, from external applications to production core, accelerating the pace of enterprise digital transformation, and opening up a "new track" for the integration and development of 5G and industrial Internet.
What new highlights have 5G factories brought to the transformation and upgrading of traditional manufacturing industry, and what are the development trends in practice? Recently, the reporter interviewed Shen Bin, Deputy Director of the Industrial Internet Research Department of the Institute of Technology and Standards, China Academy of Information and Communications, on relevant issues. She pointed out that in the new development period, promoting the construction of 5G factories has become the key direction and key task of the in-depth development of "5G+Industrial Internet".
Under the continuous and powerful promotion of various policies, "5G+Industrial Internet" is accelerating its integration into vertical industries. In 2021, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Central Cyberspace Office, the National Development and Reform Commission and other ten departments jointly issued the Action Plan for "Sailing" 5G Applications (2021-2023), proposing to focus on "5G+Industrial Internet" to develop key industries, create typical application scenarios, and continue to carry out the pilot demonstration of "5G+Industrial Internet". In 2022, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the "Guidelines for the Construction of 5G Fully Connected Factories", guiding the construction of 5G factories in various regions and industries.
According to Shen Bin, with the joint efforts of government, industry, university, research and application, as of the first quarter of 2024, 20 typical application scenarios and 10 key industries of "5G+Industrial Internet" have been formed. The number of "5G+Industrial Internet" projects nationwide has exceeded 10000. The application of 5G in the industrial field has penetrated from logistics, monitoring and other peripheral auxiliary links to the core production links such as industrial control; Carry out the "Million and Ten Thousand" campaign for 5G factories nationwide, promoting the construction of more than 2000 5G factories, of which 300 have been built and included in the "2023 5G Factory List", creating 83 5G factory benchmarks; Promote the construction of "5G+Industrial Internet" integrated application pilot area in cities with conditions; The Chinese brand of "5G+Industrial Internet" and 5G factory has been established.
It can be seen that the development of "5G+Industrial Internet" has entered a new stage of high-quality development and large-scale application from the initial exploration. Shen Bin said that in the future, it is necessary to promote the application of 5G in the industrial field to develop in the direction of better use, more stability, more economy and more green, promote the expansion of "5G+industrial Internet", and continue to polish the Chinese brand of 5G factories.
In the direction of "better use", the "5G+Industrial Internet" casting chain plan was launched. On the basis of 5G AGV, 5G cameras, 5G industrial cameras and other equipment, industrial equipment integrating 5G capabilities was constantly enriched, so that equipment can be connected to 5G networks immediately after starting, improving the flexibility of equipment, further improving the utilization efficiency of enterprise production resources, and meeting the needs of flexible production.
In the direction of "more stability", we will launch experiments on the integration of 5G and industrial control systems, build a public experimental platform for the interconnection of 5G, TSN and other network technologies with industrial protocols such as Profinet, Ethernet/IP, and CC-Link, explore the formation of a baseline plan for the integration of 5G, computing power, artificial intelligence, and industrial control systems, and establish a more stable new industrial network to meet the industrial control needs of different scenarios.
In the direction of "more economy", carry out 5G factory certification work to promote construction through evaluation. While improving the quality of 5G factory construction, promote the widespread application of 5G in factories in various industries, release 5G application demand, improve 5G application efficiency, strengthen the supply capacity of 5G applications, innovate 5G service models, and further reduce the comprehensive cost of 5G construction and application in factories.
In the direction of "greenery", we will promote the green construction of 5G factories. On the one hand, we will use technologies such as 5G and artificial intelligence to strengthen the ability to collect, analyze, and make decisions on energy efficiency data within factories, effectively supporting energy conservation, emission reduction, and resource recycling in factory production; On the other hand, exploring the green and low-carbon construction and application of 5G networks in factories to meet the requirements of industrial green development.