Industry

Industry generates production, a critical resource, allowing you to develop your colonies and your fleet. The first Master of Orion uses planetary production to reflect the total production of a planet.

Master of Orion: Conquer the Stars
Industry is determined by planet size and biome. A planet can have as many workers as half its planet size's "max cells" value multiplied by its "productive cells factor". Contrarily to farming, all planets are viable for industry, though the more developed biomes are still better. Gaia and uber planets allow maximum industry on a planet.

However, the number of workers is not the only factor. Production is also greatly influenced by the planet's mineral richness. A single worker on an ultra-rich planet will generate more production, all other things being equal, than three workers on an ultra-poor planet.