罗兰贝格：2026“黑灯工厂”：劳动力短缺挑战的应对路径研究报告（英文版）（11页）.pdf

1、The lights-out factoryREPORTHow to address the challenge of labor scarcityLabor shortages and rising cost pressures have pushed automation to the top of the strategic agenda across manufacturing.Encouragingly,major advances in recent years often enabled by artificial intelligence(AI)have already ope

2、ned the door to lights-out operations in selected areas and time windows.Leading manufacturers are already running fully automated night or weekend shifts in selected parts of their operations.Despite this progress,full autonomy remains a long-term goal.Key challenges persist,especially in assembly,

3、where product variance and the handling of flexible components continue to limit automation.Similar constraints apply in back-office functions,where fragmented system landscapes and poor data quality still restrict progress.In neither area is a short-term breakthrough likely to occur that would clos

4、e these gaps.Manufacturers therefore need to move forward through a focused set of strategic levers.The first is process stabilization the foundation for reliable lights-out operations.Autonomous manufacturing depends on stable,well-controlled processes,supported by continuous improvement and select

5、ive AI use cases such as predictive maintenance and parameter optimization.The second lever is closing system gaps.To expand automation in back-office and support functions,companies need to improve system integration and data quality,focusing on areas with the highest operational payoff.The third l

6、ever is design for automation.Automation requirements need to be embedded early in product and process design to reduce steps that are difficult to automate,especially in assembly and handling operations.By addressing these levers systematically,manufacturers can expand lights-out capabilities step