BT has announced it is working with Worcester Bosch and W5G on the UK’s first live 5G smart factory.

The technology and telecoms firm has become the lead technology partner for the Worcestershire 5G Testbed (W5G) to accelerate its vision of smart manufacturing.

Building on its role in the development of the W5G Testbed over the last two years, BT is providing its expertise across 5G Private Networks, wearable devices, Internet of Things, data analytics and mobile edge computing.

BT will enable W5G to accelerate through the next phase of its development, moving it to a sustainable, scalable footing by expanding its scope to include new industry 4.0 (Fourth Industrial Revolution) enabled use cases.

These include enabling local engineering company Worcester Bosch to boost productivity by using autonomous robots to transport products and materials.

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The installation of collision detection sensors connected over the 5G Private Network will also help to ensure health and safety on the factory floor.

Carl Arntzen, CEO Worcester Bosch, said: “We have learnt an awful lot within the W5G Testbed, both about the 5G network itself, but most importantly about the skills and competencies we need in-house, and what data to stream in order to develop a real-time understanding of the behaviour of various machines.

“We are very eager to continue this learning and are confident we can travel much further on this journey, deliver the productivity gains we predicted, and go much further in developing the smart factory of the future. We intend to play a key role in making the fourth industrial revolution a reality.”

The testbed’s initial 5G Private Network installation has so far yielded positive results – increasing factory output by two per cent.

Councillor Ken Pollock, Worcestershire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Economy and Infrastructure, said: “If this productivity gain was applied across the whole of the UK’s manufacturing sector, it would make a significant contribution towards boosting national productivity, revitalising the manufacturing industry and stimulating the economy.

“This level of growth will be absolutely critical to the success of post-coronavirus Britain.”