Steel, telecom giants unveil Digital Lab, industrial Steel 5G Metal Tech News – July 7, 2021
Telecom giant Ericsson announced July 6 that it was selected by ArcelorMittal to provide 5G connectivity at its recently inaugurated Digital Lab in Dunkirk, France, the first of its kind.
The lab will pool together other manufacturers, start-ups, universities, and local digital competitors to bring the best of digital innovation to the steel and mining industries. Through the animation of the digital ecosystem, this lab is designed to accelerate the digital transformation of ArcelorMittal, the largest steel manufacturer in the Americas and Europe.
Following a 2006 merger between Arcelor and Indian-owned Mittal Steel, ArcelorMittal is the second-largest steel producer in the world and was ranked 120th in the 2019 Fortune Global 500 list of the world's largest corporations.
The Digital Lab, which is near ArcelorMittal's largest steel production site in Europe, will open its doors in September to a completely renovated and revitalized building in the heart of Dunkirk, covering more than 2,700 square meters (29,000 square feet).
And with:
• The potential to host up to 200 people.
• Five co-working rooms, three immersion rooms including one for virtual reality and one 200 square meter creativity room.
• An auditorium for training, conferences, and meetings (up to 60 people) and even remote meetings.
• 135 screens, including 12 giants and 11 touch screens.
• Two internet access providers and four 1 gigabyte per second internet lines.
• Two WiFi controllers and 13 WiFi terminals.
• 384 network ports, 750 patch cords, and more than 35 kilometers (22 miles) of network cables
A high-tech facility will benefit from a leading communications expert like Ericsson taking the wheel.
Participants of the inauguration ceremony were given a glimpse into the expected benefits of 5G, thanks to an Ericsson demonstration called Port of the Future.
In the presentation, or rather, experience, visitors put themselves – via virtual reality – in the shoes of a port operator connected to 5G. The demonstration showed how the connected port and, more generally, the logistics of the future are part of a sustainable development approach, which will benefit the efficiency of operations, the safety of people, and the environmental impact.
During the ceremony, ArcelorMittal also formalized the creation of the 5G Steel consortium.
Supported by the French government, this group plans to launch one of France's first industrial 5G networks. The network will enable ArcelorMittal plants to deploy autonomous vehicles and other technologies requiring high-speed mobile connectivity.
The inauguration of the ArcelorMittal Digital Lab and Ericsson's Port of the Future demonstration took place in the presence of Hervé Tourmente, sub-prefect of Dunkerque (Dunkirk), Franck Dhersin, vice-president of the Hauts-de-France region, and Patrice Vergriete, mayor of Dunkirk and president of the Dunkirk Urban Community, who supported the project and contributed to its realization.
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