LEWISVILLE, TX — Ericsson’s first smart factory in the United States, located in Lewisville, Texas, is now producing 5G base stations to enable rapid 5G deployments, the company announced Wednesday.
Announced last year, the manufacturing facility is expected to be fully operational later this year, according to the news release. The first product manufactured at the factory is Ericsson’s millimeter-wave Street Macro base station that enables smooth, fast and cost-effective 5G deployments, the company says. All of the radio access components are housed in one lightweight enclosure, allowing service providers to rapidly grow 5G coverage in complex city environments, the release says.
The Street Macro solution, part of the Ericsson Radio System portfolio, is also helping to provide Ericsson’s 5G-enabled connectivity in the smart factory.
Erik Simonsson, head of the Ericsson USA 5G Smart Factory, says: “We’re excited to produce advanced 5G radio products for our U.S. customers, to meet the demand for next-generation 5G networks across the country. It’s also exciting to use our own 5G products in the factory for wireless connectivity to increase production efficiency. With the first 5G base stations now rolling off the production line, we are on target this year to have the most fully automated, sustainable 5G smart factory in the U.S.”
Ericsson’s fast and secure 5G connectivity will enable the smart factory with agile operations and flexible production, utilizing industrial solutions such as automated warehouses, connected logistics, automated assembly, packing, product handling and autonomous carts. Ericsson will initially employ approximately 100 people at the facility.
The new USA 5G Smart Factory complements Ericsson’s global supply strategy, which ensures the company is working close to its customers through its American, European and Asian operations, securing fast and agile deliveries to meet customer requirements, the news release says.
(Pictured: Niklas Heuveldop, president and head of Ericsson North America, and Börje Ekholm, president and CEO of Ericsson, sign one of the first products from the Ericsson USA 5G Smart Factory. Photo courtesy of Ericsson.)
