The historical evolution of lights-out manufacturing

Purpose This paper aims to examine the historical evolution of lights-out manufacturing using the lens of technological S-curves and punctuated equilibrium theory. It analyzes how successive technological discontinuities shaped management approaches to automation and organizational transformation from the 1950s to the present. Design/methodology/approach This study uses historical analysis to unpack five distinct technological transitions in lights-out manufacturing. The research synthesizes various archival sources, including corporate reports, industry publications and scholarly literature. Findings The study finds that lights-out manufacturing historically evolved through five distinct S-curve transitions. Each transition represented a technological discontinuity, which challenged the taken-for-granted norms of existing management paradigms. The transitions appeared to follow punctuated equilibrium patterns, with periods of incremental improvement interrupted by periods of relatively rapid organizational adaptation. Originality/value This work provides a novel historical analysis of lights-out manufacturing that integrates technological S-curve theory with organizational punctuated equilibrium to interpret seven decades of automation history as a recursive sequence of technology-driven managerial reconfigurations rather than as linear progress. It demonstrates how technological innovations historically challenged management assumptions about automation feasibility and organizational readiness, offering strategic insights for automation in today’s business landscape.