Secure 5G-Enabled Twin Transition for Europe's TIMBER Industry Sector

Project Information

5G-TIMBER

Grant agreement ID: 101058505

DOI

10.3030/101058505

Project closed

EC signature date 18 May 2022

Start date 1 June 2022

End date 31 October 2025

Funded under

• Digital, Industry and Space

Total cost

€ 9 935 115,83

EU contribution

€ 7 984 101,00

Coordinated by

TALLINNA TEHNIKAÜLIKOOL
Estonia

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - 5G-TIMBER (Secure 5G-Enabled Twin Transition for Europe's TIMBER Industry Sector)

Reporting period: 2023-12-01 to 2025-10-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Context:
Manufacturing remains the backbone of the European economy, employing nearly 30 million people across 2.1 million enterprises and generating EUR 1 710 billion of value added, representing around 20 percent of the EU non-financial economy.

5G-TIMBER focuses on the wood value chain, where digitalisation can deliver high economic and environmental impact.
The wood value chain market was estimated at EUR 139 billion in 2021, while the global wooden prefabricated housing market reached EUR 73 billion, with projected annual growth of 6.7 percent from 2022 onwards.
The EU wooden renovation market is expected to reach EUR 32 billion by 2026, supporting commitments to renovate 4 million homes by 2030.

From a machinery perspective, industry surveys show that companies prioritise digitalisation in training, product design and prototyping, and remote manufacturing processes, which are directly addressed by 5G-TIMBER.
The project also intentionally engages SMEs from the 5G domain, increasing market competition and expanding connectivity options for industrial users.

Overall Objectives:
5G-TIMBER’s long-term objective is to contribute to Europe’s decarbonisation by 2050 by improving material, manufacturing, and logistics efficiency in SME-driven small and customised production through data-driven processes.
A key focus is reducing material waste within a circular economy framework, targeting high material collection, recycling rates, and full lifecycle traceability, while enabling the substitution of CO2-intensive materials and fossil energy with forest-based alternatives.
In the long term, the project also supports the growing demand for climate-friendly wood and wood-based products.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Over the project duration, 5G-TIMBER developed and validated an integrated set of use cases (UCs), enabling technologies, and system-level solutions across the wood value chain, including sawmills, machinery and modular wood house manufacturing, construction and renovation, and wood waste valorisation.
Activities focused on technical feasibility, industrial relevance, and SME readiness.

Nine UCs were defined under three categories and refined in close collaboration with industrial stakeholders through interviews, workshops, and on-site visits.

Requirements and key performance indicators (KPIs) were consolidated and prioritised to reflect integration maturity and industrial value. Laboratory and field trials were conducted in realistic operational conditions.

A comprehensive requirements analysis covering technical, business, security, privacy, and regulatory aspects resulted in a complete end-to-end wood value chain framework, including a scalable architecture, data interoperability blueprint, and long-term deployment strategies for digital services and automation.

Key enabling technologies were developed and integrated, including digital wood material models, open-standard digital twins, AI-driven edge computing, high-precision localisation for safety, security-by-design approaches, and 5G non-public networks. These technologies were tested and validated through system-level dry runs.

Pilot infrastructures were upgraded and integrated using a cross-enterprise data exchange framework and 5G non-public networks. Eight of nine UCs were deployed at pilot sites across manufacturing and construction environments, while the remaining UC on wood waste valorisation was addressed through desk research.

Field trials under real conditions in Northern Europe validated KPIs and also revealed real-life limitations. Exploitation activities progressed to consolidated commercial planning, including IPR protection actions and business plans, and the creation of cluster to support market uptake.

The project contributed to standardisation through pre-standardisation inputs, recommendations, and white papers. Dissemination and scale-up activities ensured strong visibility through digital channels, scientific publications, and participation in industrial, scientific, and policy events.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

5G-TIMBER delivered a portfolio of Key Exploitable Results (KERs) that advances the state of the art by integrating 5G non-public networks, AI, IoT, digital twins, and data sharing across the wood value chain, with validation in SME-relevant industrial environments.

1. “5G Driven Automated Non-Conformity Detection and Machine Configuration System” enables real-time deviation detection and automated machine adjustment, reducing waste, downtime, and quality defects. The 5G Enabled Precision Localisation System improves worker and asset safety and logistics efficiency through high-accuracy real-time positioning.

2. The “AI-Based Hazard Detection and Dynamic Safety Demarcation System” adapts safety zones in real time based on operational conditions.

3. The “AR and Digital Twin Assisted Production and Assembly Method” improves accuracy, productivity, and safety in modular wooden building manufacturing.

4. “Advanced 5G Network Management Functions” address reliability and scalability challenges in private industrial networks.

5. The “Integrated 5G Enabled Digital Architecture for the Wood Value Chain” provides a reference model for secure and interoperable end-to-end data exchange.

6. The “IoT-Driven Structural Health Monitoring Service” enables long-term monitoring and predictive maintenance of timber assets across their lifecycle.

In addition, 5G-TIMBER delivered four datasets: 1) Results of scratch tests of green wood, scratch tests of timber components, and output database for selected wood parts and Timber Components, 2) Simulation data used in management CCL for RAN slice performance improvement by subslicing, 3) Forklift Positioning and Inertial Data Collected in the Industrial Environment, and 4) Dataset of Forklift-Deployed Multi-Sensor Setup for Indirect Tracking of Markerless Industrial Products.