This is according to a report just published by the Scotland 5G Centre
Scottish whisky distilleries could save £30 million over five years by investing in 5G technology according to a new report by The Scotland 5G Centre. It commissioned Jacobs to explore the possible use of 5G in whisky distilleries and it found that a medium-to-large distillery could gain £376,500 of potential benefits from it.
The key findings are based on research and primary data from a distillery in Central Scotland which produces about 250,000 litres of whisky per year – and there are 146 malt and grain distilleries in Scotland producing around 401 million litres per year.
the installation of 5G technology could be significant in both modernising and futureproofing the sector – particularly for distilleries in more remote areas of the country.
Key findings from the report include:
- 5G-enabled geofencing could reduce health and safety incidents by 50% by sending real-time alerts to workers entering high-risk zones.
- Efficiently around managing cask-related processes could be boosted by 15% using RFID enabled by 5G for real-time data collection and to monitor the location of casks
- Distilleries could gain £125,000 from greater productivity around managing casks such as by reducing manual-record keeping, resulting in more accurate, reliable inventory
- 5G could support granular mapping and tracking of equipment and assets for better planning and sequencing of tasks to maximise work efficiency and reduce the equipment and asset-related downtime by up to 50%
- Whisky distillers could halve security using remote and automated security measures, like surveillance and monitoring.
Rick Robinson, Director of Smart Places at Jacobs added: “5G technology has the potential to revolutionise Scotland’s whisky distillery industry. Advanced communications like this could significantly change the way distilleries operate and enhance the efficiency and productivity of the industry as a whole – particularly rural distilleries.
“This study illustrates that 5G capabilities are relevant in every sector, and I believe we’re only skimming the surface of what this technology can do.”