<p style="text-align: justify;">At first blush, lights-out manufacturing sounds counterintuitive. Cutting the lights on a manufacturing floor seems like an extremely bad idea. But that&#8217;s not always the case, as several companies have discovered. What do you do if you&#8217;re a small manufacturer trying to produce more with greater efficiency? You automate and turn off the lights. From electronics to injection-molded prototypes, if you create a large volume of goods, you can find a way to benefit from the lights-out model. You just have to make sure you handle it correctly. Do your homework before you roll anything out and you&#8217;ll be able to scale up your output without dramatically increasing your payroll.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9299" alt="Lights-Out: Manufacturing In The Dark" src="https://medusamagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Oil-Refinery-Factory-anekoho.jpg" width="400" height="241" /></p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>What is Lights-out Manufacturing?</strong></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Lights-out manufacturing is the process of automating as much of the manufacturing process as possible — so much so that the machines require little, if any, human interaction to produce goods and parts. A company that implements lights-out manufacturing can leave its machines unstaffed the majority of the time without losing productivity. Roger Smith, former CEO of General Motors, coined the term lights-out in the 1980s. The practice allows companies to turn off not just lights, but HVAC systems as well.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>How does it benefit Manufacturers?</strong></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Lights-out primarily helps increase efficiency. Computers are far more precise than humans, especially for repetitive tasks, and they don&#8217;t tire, so they can do more work more reliably than humans can in the same timeframe. Some companies, like Makuta, a micro molding manufacturer, operate with only one manned shift, but create products 24/7. This reduces overhead by requiring a smaller staff, saving the business operating expenses and removing a large element of human error. The machines operate themselves most of the time and don&#8217;t make mistakes as long as their operators program and maintain them correctly. Vanderhorst Bros., a machining facility in Simi Valley, CA, can run its machines for days at a time unattended. Most of the work performed by humans is attending to the machines&#8217; needs, unloading finished products and refilling raw materials.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong>How do Companies Implement it?</strong></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">If the prospect of running your facilities 24/7 intrigues you, you&#8217;re not alone. What was once a pipe dream — GM&#8217;s efforts in the ’80s flopped — is now a reality to many companies. Robotics and computing have advanced to the point that ready-made machines have enough flexibility and precision to create most parts with little to no supervision.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">There are limits, however. No machine can make everything, no matter how many attachments you buy. To create the level of automation lights-out requires, you need to identify exactly what you can and should manufacture with robots. Only use machines to create things you know won&#8217;t change. Make sure whatever your machine is doing is necessary; don&#8217;t move a task from a human to a machine without identifying whether that action could be eliminated entirely.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Every manufacturer is different; each one requires different machines and processes, because they create entirely different components. That means there&#8217;s no single method for creating a lights-out facility. Absorb the ethos behind lights-out, evaluate what you&#8217;ve got now and what your goals are and then create a plan for your shift that&#8217;s centered around your company. Nobody outside your business can tell you the best way to operate.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Image credit: anekoho on Freedigitalphotos.net</p>