Industry news

5G technology a key catalyst for Industry 4.0

Frost and Sullivan report finds that high bandwidth and low latency from 5G networks are driving process industries to partner with strategic 5G providers.

FROST & SULLIVAN'S RECENT ANALYSIS, 5G IN Process Industries, finds that the limitations of 4G networks are enabling 5G technology to become an important ally for Industry 4.0. The high bandwidth and low latency provided by 5G networks are driving process industries to partner with strategic 5G providers. In addition to the organizational and economic benefits of industrial digitization, falling prices of technologies such as machine learning and Big Data analytics push manufacturers toward technological solutions that improve their quality and efficiency. "Industry 4.0 and the industrial IoT (IIoT) are increasing the number of smart sensors at a manufacturing plant and enabling machineto-machine communications," said Marina Salaber, Research Analyst, Industrial Practice, Frost & Sullivan. "5G broadband's capabilities enable connections to numerous devices and simultaneously process large masses of data, addressing the concern about the increasing requirement of data traffic that modern factories need."

Salaber added: "High reliability allows businesses to incorporate automation processes that depend on the correct network operations. 5G, in this regard, surpasses the boundaries of digitization, allowing a dependency on network processes and protecting companies from high production costs and stoppages that connection dropouts cause."

Market participants should focus on: • The pandemic pushed traditional face-toface inspections toward virtual platforms. Advanced predictive maintenance is

transforming risk management in all industry verticals. • Manufacturers must partner with AI, 5G network, and data management software providers to achieve suitable energy management. They can also utilize cutting-edge software, such as

ML and deep data analytics, to process the information collected and provide an end-to-end solution. • A digital twin must ally with innovation in every operational process. It fosters

growth opportunities for manufacturers by reducing financial inputs, shortening learning curves, and minimizing manpower. • Autonomous and collaborative robots can increase the reliability and efficiency of production lines. Automated processes must produce higher-quality standards due to their higher standardization and precision levels.

5G high bandwidth and low latency is driving process industries to partner with strategic 5G providers.

News report by Frost & Sullivan.

The next steps in PROFINET security integration

Industry 4.0 applications live off of connectivity and the exchange of data between the IT and OT levels. This makes it possible to create new business models and increase productivity, with plant and data security naturally taking center stage. This is one reason why PROFIBUS & PROFINET International (PI) started addressing the topic of security early on. The development of this topic of ever-increasing importance has now taken several steps forward.

Following definition of the concept and coordination with users, where PROFINET Security is defined in three separate security classes and security class 1 has already been finalized in the most recent specification and in guidelines, two additional steps have been carried out.

Signing of the GSD is an important part of implementing class 1. With a signed GSD, it can be ensured that the GSDML – which describes the technical properties of a device in an XML file – has not been changed, either unintentionally or intentionally. For PROFINET users, this is crucial support for the secure operation of their plant. Corresponding infrastructure within PI and, if applicable, of the manufacturers, has to be set up for this. This setup and the subsequent operation of a corresponding security infrastructure for the signing of GSDs have begun.

The second step is comprehensive specification of security classes 2 and 3 as part of the PROFINET specification currently under PI review. Integrity, authentication and confidentiality are possible for both acyclical and cyclical PROFINET communication. At constructive discussions, experts from different companies and research institutes have developed a suitable security solution for the OT field from the extensive possibilities.

News by PROFIBUS & PROFINET International.