Smart factories are manufacturing plants that include technological advances such as the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, big data processors and/or artificial intelligence to automate and optimise their manufacturing processes. For communication, information exchange and integration of these new tools, 5G is essential – due to its low latency, high reliability and high data transmission speed. The fifth generation of mobile networks will be able to interconnect machines, robots, processes, self-guided vehicles, merchandise, and remote workers in real-time. No previous generation of mobile network technology had the capability to achieve this before.

The main advantages of smart factories are the technological integration of production components, robotisation of processes that are dangerous for humans, the possibility of conducting predictive analyses to increase efficiency, and the ability to automate systems to make simple decisions by themselves in real-time.

All of this will have a major impact on the job market. On the one hand, traditional industrial jobs will begin to disappear, but on the other, the demand for high-tech workers will increase. That is, functions that can be automated with some ease, such as production or office support, will decline, while those related to technical, research or automation roles will grow.