Fujitsu, Ericsson Accelerate Wireless Connectivity for Industry 4.0

News facts:

• New global agreement focuses on driving faster payback from Industry 4.0 projects.

• Co-operation brings together Fujitsu’s unrivalled systems integrations know-how with Ericsson’s leadership in wireless network solutions.

• Focus on boosting wireless connectivity to enable the full potential of Industry 4.0, accelerating digital transformation.

Fujitsu and Ericsson1 are joining forces to help realise the full value of Industry 4.0, with a major new initiative to create and accelerate wireless cellular connectivity solutions for the manufacturing sector.

The two companies have signed a global memorandum of understanding (MOU) to leverage Ericsson’s wireless connectivity expertise in combination with Fujitsu’s expertise in system integration, digitalised services and digitalisation of manufacturing production processes.2 The co-operation will begin in Scandinavia, Germany and the USA, focusing on Ericsson Industry Connect and Ericsson Private Networks.

The agreement is focused on driving faster payback from Industry 4.0 projects, through creating smart factories with edge devices – of any type and on any scale. The solution combines Fujitsu’s unrivalled expertise in integrating complex, diverse infrastructures and Ericsson Industry Connect, a turnkey solution that provides a dedicated and private wireless cellular network, controlled and managed by enterprise. The system is based on proven 4G cellular technology supported by a large ecosystem of players, and is upgradable to 5G.

Erik Josefsson, Vice-President and Head of Advanced Industries at Ericsson, says: “Only wireless connectivity can help unlock the full potential of industrial digitalisation. By combining our cellular technologies with system integration knowledge from Fujitsu, we can start to cut the cables in factories and realise the full value of Industry 4.0.”

Jonas Brandén, Managing Director Fujitsu Sweden, comments: “IOT and 5G are the vital technological underpinnings of hyper-connected factories and supply chains. By linking every aspect of manufacturing to the end-user – and back again – these technologies reveal insights within global ecosystems and provide the ability to act on that intelligence, across entire value chains. This is how Fujitsu believes new value and new market opportunities can be created for manufacturers. Leveraging Ericsson’s unparalleled experience in the creation of wireless networks, Fujitsu’s unique co-creation methodology will help manufacturing customers to find, scope, plan and implement digital transformation.”

1 Ericsson enables communications service providers to capture the full value of connectivity. The company’s portfolio spans networks, digital services, managed services and emerging business and is designed to help our customers go digital, increase efficiency and find new revenue streams. Ericsson’s investments in innovation have delivered the benefits of telephony and mobile broadband to billions of people around the world. The Ericsson stock is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and on Nasdaq New York. www.ericsson.com

2 The MOU is the latest development in the strategic partnership agreed in October 2018 between Fujitsu and Ericsson to deliver end-to-end 5G network solutions and related services, extending the geographical focus beyond Japan.

Source: www.itweb.co.za