In the foreseeable future, technology will cease to be a bottleneck for lights-out transformations, which dramatically reduce the need for human workers inside factories. As technology improves, the decision to pursue this goal will primarily depend on the factory’s economic considerations. Manufacturers that embrace automation and demonstrate agility in overhauling their operational strategies will be best positioned to capitalize on this wave.

For the last few decades, the manufacturing sector has eagerly anticipated the arrival of fully automated factories. In these factories, production would be seamlessly orchestrated by a network of high-tech robots, intelligent machines, and sensors, tackling widespread labor shortages while significantly reducing operating costs. With minimal human intervention, they could theoretically operate in complete darkness, earning the moniker “lights-out factory.”