NTT is working with Albemarle Corporation, a specialty chemicals company, to deploy a pilot private LTE/5G and Wi-Fi network at Albemarle’s lithium mine in Kings Mountain, North Carolina.
Operating mining and manufacturing facilities across three continents, Albemarle needed a network that would allow its global engineers to connect with technicians for remote site surveys and assists.
The use of private LTE/5G will enable Albemarle to enhance its hybrid working process and reduce the amount of global travel needed to operate.
Utilizing NTT’s global expertise in connectivity, Albemarle can now use integrated technologies to ensure that surveys, assists and maintenance activities can be conducted remotely. A private network provides the organization with enhanced security, high technology performance and coverage to enable IoT devices.
NTT worked closely with the manufacturer to determine the best use of connectivity dependent on the location or use case, enabling the best coverage. Following the pilot in Kings Mountain, Albemarle plans to roll out the network to additional sites.
“To enable collaboration and digital applications at our mining and processing sites, we require widespread, high-speed connectivity,” said Chuck Holley, Global Manager of IT Network Infrastructure, Albemarle. “A private LTE/5G network is a great way we can do this cost-effectively, and NTT was our first choice to pilot a design, prove the technology and show the value.
“With a private LTE/5G network, we’re able to continue to seek out innovative solutions to some of our most pressing challenges.”
Albemarle is also looking at additional use cases to leverage wireless networking at their manufacturing sites.
