[softwaredoug]

If you built a real factory, you’d basically never want it to be dark. You’d want a culture of getting wrenches out to inspect the cars being built. You’d want to care about small details. Not because we need to build cars by hand. But because looking at the real product (cars, code, etc) is the best way to make the factory better. It’s the best way to know what problems aren’t being measured, what processes need to improve, and how automation can produce a better end product.

https://softwaredoug.com/blog/2026/07/09/write-code.html

[raincole]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lights_out_(manufacturing)

> Xiaomi has an 860,000 square foot factory in Changping, Beijing capable of manufacturing 10 million smartphones a year across 11 fully automated production lines.

> ASE Group, a Taiwanese company that handles outsourced semiconductor packaging and testing have 56 lights out factories.

It has always been the goal to make factories go dark.

[softwaredoug]

There are over 700 engineers that keep the ASE factories going

> By 2024, the company has established 56 lights-out factories, trained more than 700 automation engineers,

https://www.aseglobal.com/csr/sustainability-governance/smar...

[ffsm8]

> If you built a real factory, you’d basically never want it to be dark

This statement seems to be factually untrue as the fully automated factories in China are indeed not illuminated for most of the time

In USA/Europe we just don't have that level of automation

[softwaredoug]

The “fully automated” factories have humans involved in QA, maintenance and engineering.

They often have to stop the factory and investigate and troubleshoot.

[ffsm8]

i mean youre most likely not wrong (i dont have insider knowledge of those places), however your previous comment said "never want it to be dark" - when the reality is that its normal operation _is_ dark. only when the automated QA detects issues or theyre doing random inspections are the lights turned up/on

this is an outdated video for waht was state of the art a few years ago https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCBdcNA_FsI

again, i dont have insider knowledge so i cannot speak on whats SOTA in chinese automated factories beyond whats covered publicly

[dhorthy]

don't forget the andon cord