SIGHTS
A massive corrugated metal building with giant delivery bays in the back, smoke stacks pumping out white smoke, a large emblem or logo of the company on the exterior, a sales and administrations office or wing (desks, phones, computers, office staff), an office engineering department where equipment is researched and designed for production (mechanical and electrical engineers using computers with 3-D technology design simulation capabilities, drafting stations, etc.), a manufacturing center (an open and well-lit warehouse with technicians and specialists, tools and machinery, robotic machining cells, cement floors with painted lines to delineate walking paths, industrial shelving, an automated painting booth, pallets, raw materials, hoses, valves, molds, chains, tools, inspecting stations in a temperature-controlled environment, safety signs, buttons that activate flashing lights attached to poles in case of an injury or emergency shut down situation, eye wash stations, first aid centers with accessible kits), janitorial staff sweeping debris off floors or changing out trash bins, multiple stations with air hoses and industrial drills and wet or dry saws, a metal walkway over the assembly room floor for observation, an assembly and production center (on an assembly line, hardhat-wearing technicians making all connections and double-checking with diagnostic equipment, production managers, safety personnel), a packaging center (pallets, plastic wrap, cardboard boxes, forklifts, stickers and labels, delivery trucks)
SOUNDS
The whir and buzz of machinery, air compressors, metal clinking or the whine of metal grinding against metal, the clack of interlocking rollers or chains on assembly lines, the hiss of an industrial press, sounds echoing in the large space, backup warning beeps for heavy equipment or small manual lifts, the whisper of a push broom against the floor, heavy tools being dropped onto a workbench, the clank of heavy boots on a metal set of stairs
SMELLS
Smells will largely depend on what product is being produced. Motor oil, grease, metal, rubber, hot machinery, chemicals, wood, paint, and resin are common smells that might be present in more commercial, non-organic product factories.
TASTES
Coffee or bottled drinks are possible, but food and drink are usually not allowed on factory floors. If the factory produces food for consumers (such as a beer bottling plant, cookie or candy factory, a frozen pizza production line) there will be a quality control tasting center that does random tasting on products.
TEXTURES AND SENSATIONS
Sweaty fingers inside thick gloves, the pinch of a hardhat or hairnet on one’s scalp, running fingers along metal or plastic grooves to clear debris left over from the machining process, the grittiness of sandpaper, greasy fingers from fixing or lubricating moving parts, cold metal on the skin, being pinched or poked while assembling small components with one’s bare hands, wiping away greasy sweat from one’s forehead with the back of the hand, plastic or wood shavings coating one’s fingers, the squishiness of an ergonomic floor pad under one’s station, hot feet inside heavy work boots, tired feet after a long day of standing, sorting through a box of clips or fasteners to apply to a product piece
POSSIBLE SOURCES OF CONFLICT
An onsite injury
Sabotage from a disgruntled employee
Union worker strikes
Bad PR (Public Relations)
Unsafe or unsanitary processes
Nighttime vandalism or theft
Financial troubles
The plant shutting down and workers losing their jobs
Another employee wielding authority in order to intimidate or abuse others
New technology or mechanization that threatens factory workers’ jobs
PEOPLE COMMONLY FOUND HERE
Business administrators, factory workers, health and safety inspectors, investors, janitorial staff, management, truck drivers and delivery personnel
SETTING NOTES AND TIPS
Factories may look, sound, and smell different depending on where they are located, how much technology they use, and what they manufacture.
SETTING DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
Madeline moved in the rhythm she had established over the last five years—select a steel plate, slide it into the press, jam her thumb against the hanging button and watch the press drop down on the thin sheet of VG 10, stamping out the shape of thirty identical knife blades. Then she opened the press, removed the used sheet, and inserted another as the thirty cutouts rattled down a funnel and into a box for shaping and sharpening. Oh, the glamour of working in a knife factory. Still, after Ian had left her with a son to raise, she was grateful for a job. Callouses on her hands and black grime that never quite washed off was worth being able to put food on the table. Besides, the finished product was quite beautiful when you understood the work that went into it, and in a small way she found joy in being part of the process.
Techniques and Devices Used: Multisensory descriptions, passage of time
Resulting Effects: Characterization, hinting at backstory