Smart Manufacturing
Private 5G networks for factory floors, warehouses, and industrial campuses. Mobile robotics, AI quality inspection, and massive IoT — with the reliability manufacturing demands.
Industry 4.0 depends on reliable, low-latency connectivity for autonomous robots, real-time quality inspection, and predictive maintenance across factory floors. WiFi struggles with interference, density, and handover in industrial environments. Private 5G delivers the deterministic performance that modern manufacturing demands.
What Private 5G Enables
Reliable, low-latency connectivity for every stage of production.
Mobile Robotics & AMRs
Autonomous mobile robots transporting materials between workstations need seamless, low-latency connectivity as they move across the factory floor. Private 5G eliminates the WiFi handover failures that cause robots to stop.
AI Quality Inspection
High-resolution cameras on production lines stream 4K video to edge AI servers for real-time defect detection. Private 5G provides the bandwidth for inline inspection at full production speed without cabling to every camera.
Predictive Maintenance
Thousands of vibration, thermal, and acoustic sensors on machinery feed ML-based predictive maintenance systems. Private 5G handles the density — a modern factory may have 10,000-50,000 sensors — with network slicing to prioritise critical alerts.
AR-Assisted Maintenance
Technicians using AR headsets receive real-time digital twin overlays, repair instructions, and remote expert guidance. Each headset needs ~100 Mbps with sub-20ms latency — requirements only private 5G can reliably meet wirelessly.
5G in UK Manufacturing Today
Private 5G is already powering Industry 4.0 across UK factories.
Worcester Bosch (WM5G)
Private 5G trialled for AGV coordination, quality inspection, and real-time production monitoring as part of the West Midlands 5G programme.
Manufacturing Technology Centre, Coventry
Part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, with a private 5G testbed for advanced manufacturing applications funded by Innovate UK.
National Manufacturing Institute Scotland
UK government-backed centre incorporating private 5G as part of its advanced manufacturing testbed infrastructure.
Why Aerix
Most private 5G providers sell to automotive giants and multinational manufacturers. But Industry 4.0 isn't just for the biggest factories. Advanced wireless connectivity can bring the same mobile robotics, AI inspection, and predictive maintenance to manufacturers of every size — with managed networks that don't require a dedicated telecoms team.
Related Reading
Wi-Fi 6 vs Private 5G on the Factory Floor: A Plant Manager's Decision Guide
A practical, question-by-question guide to working out whether your plant needs Wi-Fi 6, private 5G, or — most likely — both.
Why the Factory Floor Is Going Wireless
How private 5G is replacing cables and WiFi in manufacturing — and why it matters for Industry 4.0.
Common questions
Why pick private 5G over Wi-Fi 6 on the factory floor?
Wi-Fi 6 is fine for static devices in a single building, but it struggles with mobility (AGVs, forklifts, mobile workers), heavy machinery interference, and the consistent low-latency required by robotics and machine vision. Private 5G is engineered for these conditions: SIM-based authentication, predictable handover, and metres-not-millimetres of accurate positioning.
Will it integrate with our existing OT, SCADA or MES systems?
Yes. The private 5G network sits at the network layer below your OT estate. Existing PLCs, SCADA, MES and ERP systems see it as another secure transport. We follow Purdue model practice and keep IT and OT traffic appropriately segmented.
How long does deployment take?
A typical UK SME factory deployment is live within four to eight weeks of contract signature. Larger multi-building sites with custom integration take longer, but we use standard, repeatable kit so even complex sites avoid the 6–12 month timelines associated with capex builds from systems integrators.
What's the typical cost for a UK SME factory?
For a single-building factory with one or two indoor radios, a managed Aerix private 5G network typically runs from £500–£2,000 per month all-in (radios, core, spectrum, monitoring, support). Larger multi-radio deployments scale up linearly. There is no capex; the equipment stays ours.
Is it secure enough for IP and process data?
Cellular networks are structurally more secure than Wi-Fi: every device authenticates with a SIM that holds a cryptographic key, traffic is encrypted on the radio interface by default, and devices can only connect if the SIM is provisioned by the operator. For high-value process data we also support on-premise cores and fully air-gapped operation.
Ready to connect your factory?
Whether you run a production line, a warehouse, or an industrial campus, we can build a private 5G network that fits your operation.