The company has partnered with Orange Business Services and Ericsson to test industrial use cases requiring high-speed cellular connectivity

5g-steel

The 5G private network will cover all of ArcelorMittal's complex industrial sites. (Credit: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)

ArcelorMittal France has partnered with Orange Business Services and Ericsson to launch 5G Steel to test 4G/5G connectivity at its industrial sites in France.

To be implemented over the next three years, the project will test industrial use cases adapted to ArcelorMittal’s challenges and business requirements.

5G Steel is designed to meet the requirements for industrial network performance and connected workers in a production environment on complex industrial sites.

The 5G private network will cover all of ArcelorMittal’s complex industrial sites, both outdoors and indoors. It is designed to meet the high-performance requirements of modelled processes, connected devices, production data and others.

The network will also support the deployment of autonomous vehicles and remote-controlled machinery as well as security in high-risk areas.

5G Steel is based on Ericsson’s technology capabilities within 4G/5G private cellular networks that are suitable for advanced industrial use cases and high-risk sites.

It is also backed by the integration and support expertise of Orange Business Services.

The project’s partners also include the Grand Port Maritime de Dunkerque, EasyMile and the Caisse des Dépôts.

ArcelorMittal’s plants in Dunkirk, Mardyck in Hauts-de-France and Florange in the Grand Est area will deploy the use cases, which are targeted to different business operations, as part of the project.

The use cases will include enhanced worker flexibility and mobility in different situations.

They also include autonomous rail vehicles in Dunkirk and Florange, autonomous road vehicles, remote maintenance, virtual or augmented reality and safety devices.

Initially, 5G Steel will cover the Grand Port Maritime de Dunkerque and ArcelorMittal’s Digital Labs in Dunkerque and Florange.

The tests are underway to extend the network to the Hauts-de-France and Grand Est regions.

Arcelor Mittal France digital transformation director David Glijer said: “ArcelorMittal is firmly committed to its digital transformation and is positioning itself as a leader in the digitalization of the steel industry.

“In production, maintenance, logistics and development, digital technologies have already begun to transform our processes, increase the reliability of our operations and improve the comfort and safety of our teams.

“The opening of our two Digital Labs in Dunkirk and soon in Florange is another illustration of ArcelorMittal’s desire to create an ecosystem at the crossroads of industry and digital.”

With 5G Steel, ArcelorMittal is expected to develop key industrial projects, including remote maintenance and autonomous vehicles.

By partnering with EasyMile, ArcelorMittal intends to launch the first autonomous train on an internal private network by 2023.