The rapid advancement of automation and robotics has significantly transformed the light industry, particularly the textile and garment sectors. With the growing demand for efficiency, accuracy, and sustainability, companies are increasingly adopting automated production lines and robotic systems to replace labor-intensive processes. This article explores the theoretical foundations, current applications, challenges, and future prospects of automation and robotics in light industry. Emphasis is placed on smart factories, digital integration, and Industry 4.0 principles. Furthermore, the study highlights the socio-economic impacts of automation, such as workforce transformation, skill development, and productivity growth. Graphs and tables are provided to illustrate comparative efficiency gains, energy savings, and defect reduction in automated versus traditional production systems. The results suggest that a gradual but consistent integration of robotics leads to significant improvements in product quality, cost-effectiveness, and environmental sustainability.

automation, Robotics, Light Industry, Textile Production, Garment Manufacturing, Industry 4.0, Smart Factory, Efficiency, Sustainability, Technological Innovation.

Baines, T., & Lightfoot, H. (2014). Made to Serve: How Manufacturers Can Compete Through Servitization and Product Service Systems. Wiley.

Brynjolfsson, E., & McAfee, A. (2016). The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies. W. W. Norton & Company.

International Labour Organization (ILO). (2016). ASEAN in Transformation: How Technology is Changing Jobs and Enterprises. Geneva: ILO.

Kagermann, H., Wahlster, W., & Helbig, J. (2013). Recommendations for Implementing the Strategic Initiative INDUSTRIE 4.0. Acatech – National Academy of Science and Engineering.

Khan, M. S., & Turowski, K. (2016). A Perspective on Industry 4.0: From Challenges to Opportunities in Production Systems. International Conference on Internet of Things and Big Data, 441–448.

Lu, Y. (2017). Industry 4.0: A survey on technologies, applications and open research issues. Journal of Industrial Information Integration, 6, 1–10.

Manyika, J., Chui, M., Miremadi, M., Bughin, J., George, K., Willmott, P., & Dewhurst, M. (2017). Harnessing Automation for a Future That Works. McKinsey Global Institute.

Nahavandi, S. (2019). Industry 5.0—A Human-Centric Solution. Sustainability, 11(16), 4371. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11164371