The private 5G Campus network at FSB will be used for laboratory and auditory exercises and for the creation of final, graduate, specialist and doctoral theses. One of the areas of application of the 5G network is also in Industry 4.0, as Hrvatski Telekom will set up a management execution system (MES) in the same laboratory, applicable for the digitization of machines of all technological generations and the digitization of the production process.

“5G technology is an indispensable part of every modern system and, due to its wide applicability, has become a prerequisite for the development of smart industry and cities. Hrvatski Telekom, in its effort to modernize and digitize the production processes of Croatian companies, sees the potential of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture as a knowledge hub and a key scientific participant in Industry 4.0. With the establishment of a private 5G Campus network and the practical application of the Smart Factory solution as part of Smart Factory labs, young engineers will be able to test their ideas, works, and new technological solutions on modern 5G technology. We believe that the cooperation between academia and business is key to further progress and raising the competitiveness of the entire Croatian industry,” noted Marijana Bačić, Member of the Management Board of HT and Chief Operating Officer Business.

“The faculty is working intensively on strengthening partnerships with innovative Croatian companies through mutual transfer of technology and knowledge, all in order to ultimately prepare future engineers for the contemporary job market, i.e. work with modern technologies and modern employers. In this regard, the role of FSB in the light of Industry 4.0 and smart factories is especially underlined. Through the partnership agreement with Hrvatski Telekom, the Faculty receives a private communication network using 4G and 5G technology, which will be installed in the newly founded Campus Network research and development laboratory, as well as an opportunity to intensify business and development cooperation. The provision of equipment will enable researchers and students to work on the latest communication technologies. All of the above significantly increases the capacities of our laboratories in the field of research, development, and innovation, thus also contributing to the advancement of teaching at all levels of the Faculty’s studies. In the end, the results of this research are doctoral theses and research papers in renowned scientific and professional journals, which contributes to the international visibility of the Faculty,” emphasized prof. Zdenko Tonković, PhD, Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture.

The FSB, in cooperation with HT, will promote projects in the field of Industry 4.0 which rely on the use of mobile networks, fostering more comprehensive work on scientific and research projects. Additionally, by implementing the management execution system (MES) of the Smart Factories project in the FSB’s educational production line, it will be possible to monitor the benefits of the digitization of manufacturing.

“At the end of 2019, the Faculty started a project to develop a modular expert system for establishing discrete manufacturing processes based on Smart Factory principles. The Department of Industrial Engineering installed the best and most recent equipment from the field of Smart Factory, which, after connecting to a private communication network, will enable students, postgraduates, businesspeople to develop new knowledge and experience that they will later apply in their workplaces and thus modernize the industry of the Republic of Croatia through digital transformation. In this lab, we expect the development of new innovative solutions, startup companies, and international EU projects that will secure a high position for not only our faculty but also the economy of the Republic of Croatia, in both Europe and the world,” said prof. Nedeljko Štefanić, PhD, Smart Factory project manager.

Hrvatski Telekom developed this project based on the model of campus networks that its parent company Deutsche Telekom develops throughout Europe, with the aim of developing and testing new communication technologies.