• December 17, 2019

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5G promises super-fast connections, low latency, and better coverage. In the manufacturing realm, early adopter Whirlpool is deploying a private 5G network in one of its Ohio factories to solve a major problem: Driverless vehicles inside the plant rely on Wi-Fi to navigate, and they stop dead when the factory environment causes the signal to degrade. The sidelined vehicles create traffic jams, slow down production, and require hands-on attention before they can resume delivering parts.

The plant has full Wi-Fi coverage, but the wireless is half useless, no matter what you do with it, because the building’s construction isn’t suited to Wi-Fi. There is metal everywhere, conveyor belts on the ceiling, and radio-frequency interference from old equipment.

Whirlpool is working to convert vehicle connectivity from Wi-Fi to 5G, which is less susceptible to the interference, with the help of AT&T and Seegrid, the maker of the self-driving vehicles.

The first phase of the 5G rollout will cover 200,000 square feet in the center of the plant. AT&T will initially provide the 5G infrastructure and manage it, but, over time, management responsibility will migrate to Whirlpool.

According to Network World, there are about 100 vehicles on the factory floor, with only a few that are driverless. When 5G is in place, Whirlpool expects that to rise to 80%, and their success could expand the use of such vehicles in other roles throughout every plant for maintenance, delivery, and everything to support the manufacturing operations.

Once the plant project is completed, Whirlpool plans to deploy 5G in its warehouses to provide connectivity to the autonomous vehicles there.