Polymatech, a semiconductor unit located in Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu, has developed India’s first dark factory, where robots assemble circuit boards and chips with zero breakage and minimal human intervention. Engineers originally monitor the processes from outside observation rooms, stepping in only for maintenance. This highly autonomous system operates 24/7 and aims to shift absolutely towards precision manufacturing driven by machines rather than human labor.
India is gradually moving towards automation, having already deployed 9,123 industrial robots as of 2024. The arrival of dark factories, however, raises uncertainty about employment, as a major portion of India’s labor force is categorized as low or semi-skilled. Experts, however, predict that automation is necessary, but without expansive reskilling measures, many workers may be incompetent. For India, the real challenge is ensuring that the workforce remains prepared for an increasingly automated industry.
This comes against the backdrop of efforts to improve manufacturing, which has been stuck at 16-17 percent of the country’s GDP, stagnant since the 1990s despite government initiatives like Make in India, leading to a shortfall in expectation, while agriculture accounts for 18 percent of total GDP and employs half the workforce. The shortage of skilled workers and the lack of certified workers were seen as factors behind the imbalance.
