Medtronic

Mikayla Maxwell

Having proper connectivity or a private networking system is crucial in leading factories' success at the industrial edge.

As manufacturers move towards digital transformation efforts aiming to shift computing and machine learning technologies from cloud environments closer to the machines processing crucial data, lots of focus is given to the infrastructure like controllers, edge servers, and internet of things (IoT) devices. However, ensuring that data from those devices rightly reach the computing resources needs emphasis on accurate networking technologies, whether wired or wireless.

Connectivity is the most significant system factor. Companies should have an edge device that can amass data from the field and communicate with cloud systems. Next-generation technologies provide a new low latency level and ultra-reliable communication, delivering innovation in digital automation and an additional boost.

A recent discussion on connectivity, convergence, and computing unleashes intelligence at the industrial edge, sharing how connectivity and artificial intelligence (AI) would derive exponential value from the data created by billions of connected things. Traditional factories' infrastructures are moving to an edge approach involving collecting data from field equipment, machinery, and other locations and processing it locally on a private cloud rather than shifting to a centralised data cloud.

These systems reveal data that was not attainable in the past models. As data has to move to a place inside a factory, it must pass via a local automation cloud where more capacity is available to crunch the data and apply machine learning and AI scaling up and down. With data moving faster, the pivotal thing happening is the connectivity pillar becoming more significant. Emerging technologies such as AI, ML, and robotics require low latencies and high bandwidth, which is possible through new connectivity choices such as 5G wireless and Wi-Fi 6.

Companies should explore private 5G networks for their manufacturing facilities instead of relying on public 5G networks. Having a private network set up exactly where it is needed and getting the exact requirements needed from the network is inevitable and helpful. Factories need to bring wireless signals everywhere, even when there is a lot of metal around them. This will create a reliable network where there is a need to have low latencies.

Furthermore, the network architecture to serve the computing needs is also crucial. The network should ensure who is using the network. The network should also have enough radios to cover the factory to eliminate situations where an end device cluster connects to one radio while other radios remain non-operational.

While many new applications entering a factory, such as autonomous mobile robots or automated guided vehicles, depend on wireless connections, several stationary equipment pieces can be connected via wired technologies. Various new factory installations would embrace a wireless connectivity approach, and existing factories having wired connections could still benefit from an edge strategy for devices that are unable to connect.

Extracting data from the machinery and IoT devices deployed in a factory helps manufacturers become more efficient in their operations. Companies need to be open-minded to the possibilities of intelligent edge, align the operational strategy with the business approaches, and take initial steps in the process. Moreover, they should experiment and consider failures to learn from and reach out to people who have already experienced this journey to assist with processes.