Quanta Computer, the world’s largest manufacturer of notebook computers, has deployed Brocade-powered New IP networks at factories within its key manufacturing site. The deployment of Brocade IP networking solutions at both the company’s network edge and its data center, dramatically simplifies operations at the Quanta Shanghai Manufacturing City (QSMC) plants and paves the way for the company to employ Software-Defined Networking (SDN) as it diversifies into producing a broader range of digital products.
Quanta Computer has grown to become a US$31.5 billion business by delivering manufacturing excellence to major brands including Apple, Dell, Fujitsu, HP, and Sony. Quanta’s decision to adopt Brocade’s advanced switching and SDN solutions within its QSMC plants reflects its ongoing commitment to always providing the best-in-class ODM manufacturing facilities to its global partner brands.
“Competition in the notebook market is relentless and so is the demand to improve manufacturing quality and efficiency,” said Dave Chen, Associate Vice President of Quanta Computer. “Our factories are highly automated and that makes them highly network-dependent with a network edge of more than 10,000 ports now deployed at Quanta Shanghai Manufacturing City, which is a big network administration challenge. We’ve deployed Brocade networking solutions at Quanta Shanghai Manufacturing City because they provide a radically simplified administration model, which reduces costs and improves network availability, and sets us up for further improvements and increased production line flexibility by leveraging SDN.”
Quanta’s first major Brocade switch deployment was at QSMC Factory. The Brocade ICX 7450, ICX 6450, and ICX 6430 switches used within the plant support Brocade HyperEdge® Architecture, which enables consolidated management, shared network services, and scale-out networking to simplify network design, streamline application deployment, reduce management complexity, and save operational costs. Based on the operational benefits achieved at QSMC, Quanta has since deployed Brocade ICX switches as its next-generation network edge at additional QSMC plants.
“Leading-edge manufacturers are increasingly looking to implement Industry 4.0 strategies with smart factories that support strong customization of products under the conditions of highly flexible mass production,” said Henry Zhu, country manager for China, Brocade. “Quanta Computer’s deployment of Brocade SDN-ready network infrastructure on the factory floor, within its manufacturing core network and data center. opens the way for the development of software-defined production lines that are capable of virtual retooling on the fly to dramatically increase flexibility.”
With Brocade MLXe Core Routers deployed within the heart of the QSMC campus network and Brocade VDX 6740 data center switches in place, Quanta can now support end-to-end SDN. It has also recently deployed the Brocade SDN Controller and Brocade Flow Optimizer as a foundation for SDN application development, leveraging the OpenFlow support in true hybrid port mode, enabling a smooth transition to SDN without disrupting existing network operations.