Meaning:
“黑灯” means “lights out,” and “工厂” means “factory.” This term, translated from the English term “dark factory,” describes an industrial production site that is fully automated, so that production takes place without direct human intervention at the site. The term alludes to the fact that a production facility where no humans are employed could theoretically be operated without lighting. The entire production process — from the delivery of the raw materials at the factory to the delivery of the finished products — is carried out completely by automatically controlled machines. However, dark factories are not literally “dark” because the manufacturing process often makes use of image identification and the sensors need light to operate.
Example:
A: 听说你昨天参观了一家汽车制造商的黑灯工厂？
Tīngshuō nǐ zuótiān cānguān le yījiā qìchē zhìzàoshāng de hēidēng gōngchǎng？
I’ve heard that you visited an automaker’s dark factory yesterday?
B: 是的。太酷了，好大的生产车间里看不到一个人。
Shì de。Tài kù le，hǎodà de shēngchǎn chējiān lǐ kànbudào yīgèrén。
True, it’s awesome. You couldn’t see a single worker in the huge workshop.