The Irkutsk Aviation Plant, where MC-21-310 aircraft are assembled, is considering the promising concept of a so-called "dark factory". The idea is that some production operations would be performed automatically when there are no workers in the workshop.
A plant specialist noted that one of the goals could be to organize night work for automated systems.
I have a dream that in the future, work will be organized so that trolleys with units move during the night, so that everything is ready for work by the beginning of the new day. This is the concept of a so-called dark factory; for us, this would be a big challenge.
It should be noted that a "dark factory" implies maximally automated production. For now, however, technology has not reached this point, and some operations at IAZ are still done manually. Therefore, one should not yet harbor hopes for large-scale serial production of the MC-21, explained aviation expert Viktor Gorbachev.
Nevertheless, at the end of August, IAZ rolled out the second production MC-21-310 with serial number 0015 from the assembly line.