FEATURE Drives, controls & motors
SStone Junccti n E ion//Elect otro Mecchan nical Sy em Systtems – sstoc ENABLING A LIGHTS-OUT FUTURE B
y 2030, 35 per cent of large manufacturing companies will have fully autonomous facilities, according to Industry 4.0 solutions specialist, Intelligence Industrielle. Better known as “lights-out manufacturing”, fully autonomous facilities promise to sustainability.
In September 2025, the World Economic
Forum welcomed twelve new members into its Global Lighthouse Network, bringing total membership to 201 facilities across multiple industry sectors. Facilities are chosen to join the Lighthouse Network based on their pioneering use of Industry 4.0 technologies to drive measurable improvements in their productivity, sustainability and innovation. Among the most ambitious practices explored in some Lighthouse sites is lights-out manufacturing. Lights-out manufacturing refers to
production environments that operate around the clock with minimal human intervention. These sites rely upon automated and other Industry 4.0 technologies to assemble parts, manage assembly lines, perform inspections and handle logistics.
Even within the Lighthouse Network, fully unmanned production is uncommon. However, the success of one electronics manufacturing service leader in Vietnam and semiconductor manufacturer in Shanghai, whose operations have both minimal human intervention, demonstrates the transition of lights-out production from theory to practice. With lights-out manufacturing, factories can operate around the clock, increasing productivity by around 30 per cent, whilst
26 November/December 2025 | Automation ENABLING A LIGHTS-OUT FUTURE
Mike Davies, managing director of drive system supplier, Electro Mechanical Systems (EMS), explores how advanced motor technology enables lights-out manufacturing
reducing product defects by approximately 40 per cent. As fewer personnel are required hazardous tasks, overall risks to safety are minimised. Furthermore, through intelligent management of lighting, heating and ventilation, energy consumption can also be optimised, supporting sustainability goals and lowering overall operational costs. Despite these advantages, implementation can be challenging. Many sites still use legacy equipment that was never designed to integrate with modern automation or digital systems. This creates complex technical issues, potentially interrupting production, or presenting organisations with the high costs of equipping a factory for fully autonomous operations.
Beyond the challenges that lights-out
directly presents to organisations, it also places unprecedented demands on the technologies that enable it.
Robotic arms, conveyors, CNC machines, and autonomous guided vehicles are commonplace in facilities that utilise automated technologies. However, the expectation to continually operate, unsupervised, while maintaining consistent considerable strain on these machines. In a lights-out environment, the smallest fault in one system has the potential to ripple across a production line, disrupting logistics, compromising product quality or halting operations altogether. So, what’s the solution? At their core, the performance of automated technology is determined by its components. Only when components are engineered for reliability, precision and
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k.adobe.cocom do
Electro Mechanical Systems (EMS)
www.ems-limited.co.uk
automationmagazine.co.uk
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