Lights-out manufacturing is still not a reality but getting closer
July 5, 2023
The technology for fully autonomous facilities is maturing rapidly but will require changes in workforce and technology adoption and implementation
The fully lights-out manufacturing facility has yet to be realized, and the more customized products become, the less likely it seems that autonomous manufacturing will come to fruition. However, automation and digital technologies are maturing enough to do the job, but the jump to fully lights-out is likely too much for industry all at once. Instead, implementation of individual lights-out processes will start the movement piece-by-piece. Lights-sparse manufacturing can scale more realistically, and the move to implement lights-out concepts will ride on flexibility and ease-of-use through software, which will likely change the engineering workforce skillset dramatically.
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