The industrial revolution in Galar was made possible by an amazingly useful piece of metal farm equipment that enabled the region to produce vast food surpluses and feed its cities; I refer, of course, to the Cufant. As a work pokemon, provided there are no Gastly around to spook them, Cufant are second in strength only to their evolved form of Copperajah. A single Cufant and its trainer can do the work of over ten men, sowing fields by carrying seeds in their trunks and plowing them with their short, stubby legs.
It is curious that Cufant led to industrialization in distant Galar and not their native region; the reason why is among the most debated questions in world history. Without delving too deeply into questions of imperialism and premodern state capacity, one should note that agricultural Cufant are well-known in their native land; they are pictured in the region's earliest art, and some have suggested their efforts were what enabled the area to ever develop the surpluses necessary to create a civilization to begin with.
Cufant do not live forever, and the increased appetites of Copperajah make evolution rarely worth it for a farmer; they are seen sometimes today on factory farms, but are more often associated with aristocrats, kings, and pokemon trainers. But a Cufant who dies of old age is also a valuable source of scrap metal. Cufant, unlike other farm pokemon, are inedible, having no soft flesh under their tough skin. Whenever one passed away, its owner would load it up on a very thick, reinforced cart and drive the corpse to the nearest city; it is not an exaggeration to say that the earliest factories were Cufant graveyards.