With 5G, Miele sets course for innovation to boost production

To remain competitive, the factory of the future is opening its doors to innovation. The aim: to meet the expectations of end customers and the demands of a constantly evolving market. In 2023, a multitude of innovations are available or about to become available. And many of them testify to the potential of digital technology in industry. Some industrial manufacturers have already embraced this revolution by equipping themselves with a high-performance, autonomous network. This is the case, for example, of Miele. The company has contacted the Orange 5G Lab in Warsaw to install a local 5G campus network at its plant in Ksawerów.

Miele: a leader in innovation

Miele is a world leader in the manufacture of high-end household appliances. Founded in 1899, this family-run business has evolved with the times thanks to its perpetual quest for innovation! In 2019, it opened a factory in Ksawerów where a total of 360 employees work every day. Their first task was to produce the first examples of a new-generation washing machine. A machine that reflects not only Miele’s expertise, but also its commitment to innovation. The company’s own factory is a testament to this innovative approach!

5G: a turning point in favor of performance

Thanks to 5G, Miele has become one of Europe’s most modern factories. Indeed, with the help of the Orange 5G Lab in Warsaw, it has succeeded in setting up a local 5G campus network. Fast and modern, it not only provides 5G coverage, but also LTE. It also enables data transfer at over 750 Mb/s. A stable, efficient network that enables Miele to meet the many challenges specific to the industrial sector: finding new development opportunities, increasing competitiveness and employee productivity, optimizing production and operational processes.

Digitization reduces waste and production costs

In practice, the product development process comprises several stages that are essential for bringing a product to market: design, construction, testing, production and distribution. At present, many of these stages are independent of each other. As a result, a product sometimes fails to meet all end-customer requirements. By transferring some of these steps into the digital world via its 5G campus network, Miele can ensure the suitability of its products even before they are manufactured. This saves time and money! In addition to minimizing losses, this also provides Miele with a reliable system guaranteeing secure processing of all data used by and for its machines.

5G technology enables Miele to accelerate the deployment of innovative Industry 4.0 solutions by:
– Ensuring reliable wireless communication
– Enabling extremely fast data transmission with very low latency
– Promoting the continuity of technological development
– Maintaining its leading position in the industry.

A tailor-made, turnkey 5G network

The Orange 5G Lab in Warsaw was responsible for implementing Miele’s entire 5G campus network project: design, delivery, installation, configuration and even maintenance. During the design and construction of the internal 5G network, particular attention was paid to its future applications. Right from the early stages of implementation, design guidelines were modified to better meet the needs of the production site.

A Local 5G Network that Meets Today’s and Tomorrow’s Needs

Currently, the network enables:

1. The digitization and automation of quality control processes for manufactured products.
2. The launch of large-scale training for employees using virtual reality (VR).

Training using virtual reality is increasingly utilized by clients in the manufacturing industry. The reproduction of a digital workplace offers numerous advantages to companies:

• Faster integration of new employees.
• No language barriers thanks to multilingual support.
• No need to halt the production or assembly line during the training of new employees.
• No risk of product damage due to incorrect task execution by trainees.
• Better employee engagement.
• The ability to conduct training anywhere without disrupting business activities.

Additional uses are already planned! The internal 5G network built by Orange for Miele will later enable:

1. The operation of autonomous vehicles on the factory site.
2. The management of a large number of IoT sensors.
3. Remote support from experts using augmented reality (AR).

All these use cases will allow Miele to continue its digital transformation of the factory and increase its operational efficiency without limits. Furthermore, thanks to this local 5G campus network, Miele has already been able to connect with startups. The company aims to implement their 5G solutions and test new ones to deploy some – including in other factories of the company.