The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word FACTORIES
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
F
A
C
T
O
R
I
E
S
More clues leading to the result FACTORIES
Buddy explains!

The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does FACTORIES mean?
FACTORIES noun- A trading establishment, especially set up by merchants working in a foreign country.
- The position or state of being a factor.
- A building or other place where manufacturing takes place.
- A device which produces or manufactures something.
- A factory farm.
- In a computer program or library, a function, method, etc. which creates an object.
- A police station.