5G and Industry 4.0 form a very powerful combination. Together, they can lift and shift the manufacturing sector to a much higher level of digitization, by maximizing the mobility, flexibility, and versatility of production.
5G in the industrial manufacturing context offers opportunities beyond factory automation, as it also covers process automation, human/machine interfaces, logistics, warehousing, monitoring, and maintenance:
It's too early to get carried away with the hype regarding all potential 5G usage scenarios in the manufacturing sector. The biggest overall challenge for 5G in manufacturing will be to demonstrate a clear return on 5G investments. Existing wireless technologies satisfy most use cases in manufacturing today.
It is far from clear how many use cases that absolutely require 5G features will emerge and what the ROI of 5G will look like. The report "The CIO's Guide To 5G In The Manufacturing Sector" helps CIOs to evaluate and prepare for the real potential of 5G in the manufacturing sector.
For additional information on the dynamics of 5G, register for a series of Forrester webinars on the issues defining the emergence of 5G.
Principal Analyst Dan Bieler wrote this blog, and it originally appeared here.