Factory ZERO becomes first U.S. auto plant to install 5G technology

General Motors announced that Factory ZERO, Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center, the company’s all-electric vehicle assembly plant, is the first automotive plant in the U.S. to install dedicated 5G fixed mobile network technology. Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband service is operating now at Factory ZERO, with its exponential increases in both bandwidth and speed supporting the ongoing transformation of the plant as it prepares to begin producing EVs in 2021.

Verizon Business announced GM is one of its first enterprise customers to use 5G Ultra Wideband service. Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network has considerably faster download speeds and greater bandwidth than 4G networks.

Factory ZERO is being completely retooled with a $2.2 billion investment, the largest ever for a GM manufacturing facility. Once fully operational, the plant will create more than 2,200 good-paying U.S. manufacturing jobs.

“Factory ZERO will be GM’s flagship assembly plant in our journey to an all-electric future,” said Phil Kienle, GM vice president of North America Manufacturing and Labor Relations. “Installing 5G at Factory ZERO is an essential step in the transformation of this plant, and signals how important advanced manufacturing is in the ongoing race to an EV future.”

Today, the Internet of Things is transforming manufacturing plants, enabling connected devices to deliver important benefits to quality and safety. Countless systems and equipment rely on connectivity, such as robotics, sensors and the Automated Guided Vehicles that deliver materials across the factory floor.

“Our workers rely on fast and reliable communication and need to trust their tools, including digital tools,” Kienle said. “Factory ZERO is an ideal place for this kind of innovation, as it’s being transformed to become our most advanced assembly plant.”

GM’s Information Technology team partnered with Verizon Business to take advantage of the benefits of 5G technology.

“Factory ZERO’s new 5G connection will transmit critical application data securely and quickly for our manufacturing team,” said Randy Mott, GM executive vice president and chief information officer. “This is another example of cutting-edge use of technology improving quality and speed as GM accelerates its rollout of EVs.”

Key benefits of 5G in a manufacturing plant include reliability, speed and sheer scale. 5G’s massive bandwidth offers the possibility to manage thousands of devices across Factory ZERO’s more than 4 million square feet of space, with ample capacity to support emerging technologies.

“We believe our customers need the right technological infrastructure to provide a genuinely differentiated and superior service to set the stage for groundbreaking innovations,” said Sampath Sowmyanarayan, president of Global Enterprise, Verizon Business. “GM is among the first companies to harness the power of Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband to provide unique connectivity to employees and support new research and applications that will transform their business and the automotive industry.”

Both the upcoming GMC HUMMER EV and the Cruise Origin will be built at Factory ZERO on GM’s Ultium battery platform. Ultium is flexible enough to build a wide range of EVs — cars, trucks and more — and is the heart of GM’s future EV lineup.