T-Mobile and Ericsson have deployed a private 5G SA network for Czech manufacturing company, Tawesco, part of local industrial conglomerate Promet Group. The new 5G setup by T-Mobile and Ericsson is at the company’s main plant in Kopřivnice, in the Moravian-Silesian region of Czechia. The plant spans approximately 5,000 square metres, and is described as a live ‘proof-of-concept’. Also, the plan is to expand the project across the entire plant and sister companies.
To date, Tawesco says it has connected “dozens of devices” to the private 5G network, including mobile devices, production machines, and material handling equipment. The latter covers a broad group of machinery that includes conveyors, forklifts, jacks, cranes, hoists, stackers, and sorting systems. It also covers automated guided vehicles (AGVs), which is a classic application for private 5G, scheduled to go live on the new network also.
The deployment is in the 3400-3800 MHz band, using spectrum annexed by permission from T-Mobile. Also, it has been seen that the Czech government ruled that the local operators T-Mobile, Vodafone, and O2 must have their spectrum holdings at 3.4-3.8 GHz available to deploy private 5G networks for the enterprises with agreement from the Czech telecoms office (TCU).
The Czech Technical University in Prague (ČVUT) has a private 5G network with T-Mobile. Volkswagen-owned car maker Škoda Auto has a private 5G network in the country with Vodafone. The Temelín Nuclear Power Plant has also deployed with Vodafone. As per the wider model, there are more standalone 5G (5G SA) networks in private mode in the country than in (mostly 5G NSA) public infrastructure, which is operated by the operators.
Tawesco has at least three manufacturing sites, located in the towns of Úvaly, in the Bohemia region, near Prague, and in Nový Jičín, also in the Moravian-Silesian region. The manufacturing plant is of 50,000 square metres that produces engineering componentry (press tools, stampings, weldments) for equipment manufacturers, particularly in the automotive industry, but also in the agricultural, forestry, and logistics sectors.
Ostrava-based Promet Group owns more than 40 companies operating in machinery, metallurgy, and engineering. The plan is that the project in Kopřivnice will expand significantly across the whole group. This would, in turn, represent a major win for its providers. At the time of initial launch of T-Mobile, the company handled the design and implementation and recruited Ericsson for the radio and core networks.
A statement said: “Tawesco is one of the first industrial companies in Czechia to embark on a project of this type. It is one of the key suppliers to leading European car manufacturers, agricultural machinery manufacturers, and forestry, and handling-equipment manufacturers, supplying pressing tools, moldings, and weldments. Thanks to its size, complexity, and technological openness, it is an ideal environment for the smart factory of the future.”
Jaroslav Smrž, IT director at Promet Group, said: “We have already connected several dozen machines and mobile devices to the network, and we are currently testing handling equipment and the possibilities of connecting AGVs. We will gradually expand the number of individual devices and, in particular, develop an application superstructure that can connect and control machines in real time based on AI. The goal is to create a living digital ecosystem that will enable, for example, fully autonomous control of forklifts or cranes in the future.”
Radim Matera, in charge of innovation on the Promet Group board of directors, said: “[This] proof of concept will allow us to verify the applicability of the technical solution in a real production environment. The intention is to extend it to the entire plant and to other companies in the Promet Group. The 5G network [is like] the nervous system… [which] perceives stimuli from individual components and enables their coordinated control.”
He added: “The future of industrial production is a symbiotic ecosystem of people and technology. The entire Czech industry must follow this path to remain competitive in the face of global pressure. Modern technology will enable us to produce faster, more efficiently, and also in a more environmentally friendly manner. I am glad that our colleagues at Tawesco have enthusiastically embarked on this fascinating and challenging journey of transformation. They are a model for other companies in the Promet Group.”
Lubos Lukasik, director of T-Mobile’s corporate customer division, said: “The private 5G network mode that we have deployed at Tawescu ensures not only fast response times but also a high level of security. This project clearly shows that modern technology and innovation have a firm place in Czech industry.”