Schneider Electric, Capgemini, and Qualcomm Collaborate to Accelerate 5G Industrial Automation

Author photo: Craig Resnick
ByCraig Resnick
Category:
Acquisition or Partnership

Schneider Electric, Capgemini, and Qualcomm Technologies announced their collaboration on a 5G-enabled automated hoisting solution. The companies have joined Wireless, automated hoistingefforts on the design and installation of a solution at Schneider Electric’s hoisting lab in Grenoble, France. Replacing wired connections with wireless and unifying existing wireless connections from Schneider Electric’s industrial automation systems, the 5G Private Network solution demonstrates how it can help to simplify and better optimize digital technology deployments at scale across industrial sites that can range from steel plants to ports.

Wireless, automated hoisting

Automated hoisting systems can help to increase productivity, safety, and operational performance but require fast reaction times, high precision and reliability, 24/7 availability, and both manual and autonomous capabilities. Furthermore, several systems need to coexist on the same network with video cameras for monitoring and remote operations, such as PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) and PACs (Programmable Automation Controllers) for various control functions, including automation, remote control, and safety functions. 5G’s native low latency characteristics help to enable the system to replace fiber cables in remote-control operations, addressing the need to help further simplify network complexity, reduce wiring, and provide long-term, more reliable connectivity.

Capgemini has worked closely with Schneider Electric to design a more optimized end-to-end 5G solution and identify targeted business outcomes on Schneider Electric’s industrial hoisting use case. It has also provided the systems integration support based on Qualcomm Technologies latest innovations and assisted Schneider Electric to integrate the 5G network with their hoisting use case to better characterize and optimize the system. Schneider Electric’s expertise in industrial automation, combined with Qualcomm Technologies’ heritage in wireless technologies, compute and AI innovations, plus Capgemini’s hands-on experience of network deployment and systems integration, come together to further improve performance while helping to eliminate complexities, which can result in faster time to market and improved KPIs for automated hoisting customers.

The 5G private network hoisting solution:

  • Replaces wired and other wireless connections for several critical PLC and PAC control flows and time sensitive video flows powering numerous hoisting use cases
  • Operates in 3.8GHz radio frequency band, with an enterprise-grade Athonet core network and Airspan Small Cells using the Qualcomm FSM100 5G RAN Platform, which helps to significantly improve connectivity performance and enable new hoisting use cases

Beyond its core industrial functions, the Private 5G automated hoisting system can now be leveraged to deliver additional hoisting use cases, such as augmented operators enabled by XR (eXtended Reality) and wearable devices.

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