On August 15, the 5G+ Smart Factory project, jointly developed by Furukawa Electric Xi‘an Optical Communication Co., Ltd. and China Mobile Shaanxi Company, was officially launched. Project team members including Si Zhengzhong （General Manager）， Sun Guoqing （Deputy General Manager）， Chen Jin （Equipment Director） and Wang Tian （Director of the System Integration Business Department） from Furukawa, together with Mao Qiang, General Manager of the Key Customer Center of Shaanxi Mobile, were present at the launch ceremony.
Leveraging Shaanxi Mobile's 5G Network and Core Product Capabilities, this Project harnesses cutting-edge digital technologies including 5G, edge computing, the Internet of Things, AI, digital twins and machine vision. It enables comprehensive lifecycle management and control over every facet of optical fiber and cable production and manufacturing. This initiative accelerates the digital and intelligent transformation of Furukawa's production management processes, spurs the growth of new quality productive forces, and thus opens a new chapter of "intelligent" manufacturing for optical fibers and cables.
Furukawa stands as one of the major R&D, manufacturing and testing hubs for optical fibers and cables in the northwestern China. Since its founding in 1986, it has been dedicated to bolstering the network infrastructure construction of crucial sectors of China, such as communications, transportation, radio and television, and electricity, with remarkable achievements. In a bid to drive its digital upgrading, Furukawa has been comprehensively constructing its “Three Modernizations” （i.e. production streamlining, factory intelligence and management digitization） for long. The establishment of a 5G + Smart Factory represents the latest endeavor and a significant part of Furukawa’s “Three Modernizations” Initiative.
5G technology, renowned for its large bandwidth, low latency, high reliability and extensive coverage, assumes a crucial role in the journey of enterprise digital transformation. In recent times, a new wave of information technologies, spearheaded by 5G, big data, cloud computing and AI, has witnessed accelerated breakthroughs and extensive adoption. These technologies have deeply integrated within the manufacturing industry, which contributes nearly 30% to China’s GDP, propelling product manufacturing towards the era of "intelligent" manufacturing. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, along with other national ministries and commissions, has rolled out a raft of supportive policies to fuel the in-depth application of 5G within the industrial domain.
Against the backdrop, following in-depth research and continuous deliberations with partners like Shaanxi Mobile, Furukawa has ultimately devised a 5G + Smart Factory solution that caters to its digital transformation. This entails constructing an enterprise 5G private network to fulfill the application demands of extensive data collection, AI video safety surveillance, intelligent warehousing, etc. Moreover, an intelligent cockpit is established to furnish a foundation for decision-making in the enterprise's production and operation. In addition, data remain within the industrial park, ensuring enhanced security and reliability.
Mao Qiang, General Manager of Shaanxi Mobile's Key Customer Center, noted that the 5G Smart Factory collaboration between the two parties represents not only a significant opportunity to enhance cooperation and pursue common growth but also a chance to comprehensively implement the national innovation-driven development strategy. It aims to drive the profound integration of new-generation information technologies with the intelligent manufacturing sector, unleash strategic synergy, and foster industrial convergence and innovation. The two sides will continuously reinforce business coordination, transform the 5G + Smart Factory into an industry-leading benchmark, and hasten the in-depth integration and application promotion of new-generation information technologies such as AI +, Redcap, 5G - A in intelligent manufacturing, thereby constructing a mutually beneficial and supplementary industrial ecological cooperation framework.
At present, Furukawa and Shaanxi Mobile have set up a project management committee and several project teams, defining both the phased and overall objectives for the 5G + Smart Factory construction. The 5G + Smart Factory will be officially completed and operational by the end of this year, infusing digital intelligence into the "intelligent" manufacturing of diverse optical fiber and cable products.
Over the past 38 years since its inception, Furukawa has thrived and consistently led the way in China's optical fiber and cable industry, ceaselessly contributing to the overarching strategy of constructing Digital China. With the official commencement of the 5G + Smart Factory project, Furukawa demonstrates the courage to embrace change and relentlessly drives its own transformation. It will offer more competitive products and solutions to operators and customers across diverse industries, serving as a dependable partner for customers in establishing new network and computing power infrastructure.
