Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), TIM Brazil (NYSE: TIMB) and Accenture (NYSE: ACN) have announced some of the outcomes of their joint 5G pilot program at the Stellantis automotive manufacturing plant in the Automotive Centre of Goiana in northeastern Brazil, which launched in July. Since the network’s launch, Stellantis says it has improved its manufacturing productivity, safety and business agility.
“This pilot is the first to integrate 5G technology into a Brazilian industrial plant,” said Antonio Filosa, president of Stellantis for Latin America. “It is an achievement that confirms Stellantis’ focus on innovation designed to improve customer satisfaction and our commitment to be at the forefront of new technology and the possibilities brought by 5G.”
The pilot layered artificial intelligence (AI), video analytics, cloud computing and Internet of Things (IoT) into Stellantis’ manufacturing processes on the shop floor, all connected by the private and secure 5G network provided by TIM Brazil.
One of the most successful use cases during the program has been Stellantis’ use of 5G and video analytics to capture images of vehicle movement along the production line. The low latency and high data threshold of the 5G network made it possible to automate much of the quality inspection process, the company said.
“We have created a flexible production line that efficiently serves the end customer, with immediate gains in quality and compliance of product mix,” said André Souza, CIO of Stellantis for South America. “With this new system, we can seamlessly visualize more than 100 different iterations of the four car models on the assembly line, customizing components and accessory specifications based on what the customer desires.”
Accenture has been responsible for integrating the TIM 5G network with image automation and video analytics capabilities through its Solutions.AI for Processing asset. The software reportedly improves the safety and quality of auto production in the plant and makes it possible to layer on future 5G use cases, as needed.
“Our partnership with Stellantis for the implementation of intelligent connectivity systems and for the future of 5G technology started in October 2020, and it has been generating important results for the development of the Brazilian automotive industry,” said Pietro Labriola, CEO of TIM Brasil. “We believe that 5G will revolutionize industries. To that end, we are investing heavily in projects related to the Internet of Things so that 5G can bring the digital transformation we want to see across multiple sectors of the Brazilian economy.”
