On Record / Episode 10 · Automation
Lights-out is a people story
An automation lead on why the last 15% of a ‘unmanned’ cell is always a human who knows when the cell is lying.
The Industrial Brief with Tomasz Kowal, Head of manufacturing systems, European drivetrain plant · 2 September 2026 · 24 min
- 00:01What lights-out meant in the deck
- 07:40The 15% the integrator does not quote
- 15:12Who gets the night shift now
- 20:30A better question than unmanned
Kowal has run two ‘lights-out’ cells. Neither is unmanned. Both run a third shift with fewer people who are better trained, and a pager that still rings.
The 15% is not failure. It is inspection, recovery, and the moment the model disagrees with the part. Integrators quote the 85%. Operators live in the rest.
His better question: which hours of the week should a human not have to stand next to this machine — and what skill do you need when they don’t.