Sunderland is at the beating heart of Europe’s automotive industry and a world leader in advanced manufacturing capabilities. From our industrial roots in coal, glass and shipbuilding, we stand today as a prominent centre for advanced manufacturing and innovation, with Nissan being the UK’s biggest car plant, located here. Advanced manufacturers utilise cutting-edge wireless technologies such as 5G to connect machines and devices, as it provides faster speeds, lower latency, and greater reliability, enabling factories to run more efficiently and effectively than ever before. Our smart city advanced private 5G network is among the most advanced connectivity in the UK, and various use cases are being explored to accelerate the adoption of smart manufacturing techniques in the region.
5G is also a key enabler for automated logistics and a successful trial of the UK’s first 5G connected HGV pilot 5G CAL (Connected Automated Logistics), which proved the potential of next-generation technology in overcoming barriers for a more efficient future for last mile logistics. 5G CAL, delivered a working proof-of-concept (PoC) demonstration of the autonomous and teleoperation of a 40-tonne truck, with live loads delivered from Vantec to Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK (NMUK) fully autonomously without intervention by a safety driver. This PoC is now being extended, with project V-CAL. The trail-blazing project will scale the deployment of the initial PoC into actual operational conditions.
Further details on these solutions can be found on our Innovation Challenges page.
For more information on how our networks and solutions could benefit your organisation, please contact us using our contact form. We would be delighted to discuss how our smart city capabilities can support you.