"Helping Spread Smart Factories" SKT Launches Monthly Subscription Solution

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] SK Telecom is launching its big data analytics solution tailored for manufacturing companies, ‘Metatron Grandview,’ as a cloud-based monthly subscription service. This is expected to contribute to the spread of smart factories among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by not only enhancing manufacturing productivity but also reducing the initial cost burden through monthly billing.

On the 3rd, SK Telecom announced this at the ‘5G SFA Arena Live’ event held at the ‘Smart Manufacturing Innovation Center’ in Ansan, Gyeonggi-do. The event organizer, 5G-SFA, is an organization leading and promoting the standardization of 5G smart factory specifications, with a total of 34 companies, government, and institutional stakeholders participating. SK Telecom is the only telecommunications company within 5G-SFA and serves as its chair.

SK Telecom’s Metatron Grandview collects and analyzes various data such as rotation speed, vibration, and current through sensors attached to key equipment in factories, predicting the current status of equipment and the timing for maintenance in real time to support efficient equipment operation. It is estimated that the solution improves manufacturing productivity by optimizing equipment maintenance and achieves an average cost reduction of 15% upon implementation.

To coincide with the launch of this monthly subscription service, SK Telecom will provide the ‘Metatron Grandview’ service free of charge for six months to 100 small and medium manufacturing companies. Alongside this, it will support smart factory solution operation training and Internet of Things (IoT) device installation. ADT Caps will also participate in recruiting trial groups targeting small and medium manufacturing companies.

On this day, SK Telecom also shared smart factory collaboration achievements with Bosch Rexroth Korea, Korea Omron Control Devices, and Entels.

SK Telecom is currently utilizing a smart factory solution developed with Bosch Rexroth Korea for sluice gate operation, which is difficult for humans to perform directly. With Korea Omron Control Devices, it developed a COVID-19 disinfection robot that replaces tasks previously done by humans, such as temperature checks and disinfection using UV lamps, contributing to a more systematic and efficient COVID-19 response.

Choi Nak-hoon, head of SK Telecom’s Industrial Data Business Unit, stated, “29.3% of South Korea’s GDP comes from manufacturing, with small and medium enterprises accounting for a significant portion. SK Telecom will continue various efforts, including integrating manufacturing experts with our artificial intelligence (AI) and big data capabilities, to provide smart factory services that genuinely help small and medium manufacturers.”

At the event, SK Telecom, partners, government, and institutional stakeholders actively discussed topics such as ▲fields suitable for smart factory application ▲current status of domestic and international 5G smart factory projects ▲and ways to expand the 5G smart factory ecosystem.

Companies participating in the discussion, including SK Telecom and Ericsson LG, expected that 5G technology would greatly contribute to automating factory production lines and supporting autonomous robot movement by rapidly transmitting high-capacity data. They also suggested that as all manufacturing sites transition to wireless-based systems, device battery life should be extended accordingly.

The Korea Development Bank also stated it will not hesitate to invest in the adoption of smart factory solutions by domestic small and medium manufacturers. The government and institutions promised continuous cooperation in spreading and establishing smart factories through foundational systems, standardization policies, and related workforce development.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.