Industrial Automation Magazine India

Ericsson USA 5G Smart Factory recognised as Global Lighthouse by WEF

Published on : Tuesday 16-03-2021

Integrated environmental systems designed to reduce energy consumption by 24 per cent and indoor water usage by 75 per cent.

Stockholm, March 15, 2021 – Ericsson's USA 5G Smart Factory in Lewisville, Texas, has been recognized by the World Economic Forum as a global front runner in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). The Forum has awarded the site with its prestigious "*Global Lighthouse" designation in recognition of Ericsson's deployment of next-generation technology at the site and its subsequent impact – including an impressive 2.2 times improved output per employee when compared to a similar site without the automation and 4IR improvements.

The site is the first Ericsson factory to receive this recognition by the Forum for adoption of 4IR technologies at scale with demonstrated benefits to date. Since commencing operations in early 2020, the USA 5G Smart Factory team has developed 25 different use cases, to be deployed at scale in less than 12 months.

When compared to a similar site without its automation and 4IR improvements, the 5G automated factory with connected robots has delivered 120 per cent improved output per employee and 65 per cent reduction in manual material handling.

Integrated environmental systems have been designed to reduce energy consumption by 24 percent, indoor water usage by 75 percent when compared to a similar building and the factory is powered by 100 percent renewable electricity. Ericsson is also pursuing LEED Gold and LEED Zero Carbon certifications for the smart factory, which will make it the first Ericsson factory globally to achieve this distinction.

Ericsson has invested in the next generation of supply chains to create a customized, sustainable, and end-to-end connected supply chain across the globe. In the US, Ericsson has invested more than USD 100million in its first 5G Smart Factory. The factory primarily serves Ericsson 5G customers in North America.

Ericsson is also fast-tracking next-generation smart manufacturing through a modular and flexible production setup in its factories in Estonia, China, and Brazil. This will ensure close working with customers through Ericsson's European, Asian and American operations.