CAN INDUSTRY COEXIST WITH A
HEALTHY POPULATION AND
ENVIRONMENT
The 19th (1800’s) century brought change:
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Production of items became mechanized.
Factories produced a growing number of
goods.
Quantities of goods produced increased.
People left the countryside to move closer
to the factories in towns and cities (known
as urbanization).
During the 20th century…
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Agriculture and hand manufacture decreased
drastically and was replaced by Industry (factories
and mass production!).
An activity is ”industrial” when…
1.
2.
3.
Transforms natural resources into mass-produced
goods.
Costs money to manufacture these items.
Requires skilled labour.
What do industries produce?

Almost everything around us is manufactured
industrially, from airplanes to clothes, including
medicines and computers.
Four Types of Industries
1. Heavy industry:
 It involves extracting metals like iron,
aluminium, copper, tin and lead from ore.
 It also includes chemical plants and oil
refineries.
2. Processing industry:
 Transforms materials (metal, food, wood,
etc.) into goods (motors, plastic, paper to
be used by another industry)

3. Hi-tech industry:

These include all products manufactured in
pharmaceuticals, biotechnology,
computers and electronics, aerospace,
and telecommunications.
4. Consumer goods industry:
 Manufactures products such as processed
foods, clothing, house-hold appliances,
cars, furniture and toys (for individual
consumption).
What is a industrial territory?
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Activities in this space are mostly industrial.
St-Laurent has an industrial park.
Typical characteristics of industrial parks:
1. This area is comprised of industrial plants.
2. There’s a road and rail network for
transporting raw materials and finished
products.
3. There are ports and airports for exporting
products.
4. Energy transportation system to keep
factories running.
5. There is enough people to meet labour
needs.
Are industries in the North or the South?
Some of the wealthy countries that are usually
present at G7 or G20 meetings:
 United States
 Japan
 Germany
 United Kingdom
 France
 Canada
 Italy
Industrialization around the world

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The European Union, North America and
Japan are highly industrialised.
Other countries, like China, South Korea,
Singapore and Taiwan are considered
“emerging industrial powers”.
American Toys – made in China:
Case Study
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Barbie dolls are made by Mattel.
Mattel is a multinational based in the
United States.
The dolls, however, are made in China!
Why?
1. Reduce production costs
2. Increase profit

These multinationals relocate to other
countries where the cost of production is
lower than in developed countries like
Canada or United States.
Why move United Stated-based
companies to China?
1.
2.
3.
Chinese workers are paid less (lower
wages).
Chinese government offers better rates
on buying and transporting raw materials
and energy.
American companies pay less taxes (tax
reductions) and do not pay any duty fees
(tax exemptions).
Making dolls is an international effort!

China offers manufacturing site, labour, and
electricity.

Japan provides nylon
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Saudi Arabia offers oil.
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Taiwan transforms oil to ethylene to plastic.
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(doll's hair)
United States and Japan manufacture most of
the machinery and tools used to produce goods.
Is “offshoring” good for everyone?
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Relocating production to another country is
called “offshoring”.
Offshoring is closing down a plant in
American and reopening it in a foreign
country.
IN FAVOR
 Companies like Mattel benefit from
offshoring because it increases their profits
 Chinese leaders are also in favor of it
because offshoring to China has created
1.2 million jobs
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American employees are against offshoring
because it means job losses in the United States.
The Mattel factory in Kentucky closed down in
2002.
Humanitarian organizations have noted that
“offshoring” to developing countries can
sometimes lead to bad working conditions.
The Great Lakes automotive industry:
What of its future?
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American car companies are
concentrated in the Great Lakes region.
Detroit is home to General motors, Ford
and Chrysler.
Canada's automotive industry:
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Most factories are in Ontario between
Windsor and Oshawa.
En route to… relocation:
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Japan is a fierce competitor in the
automotive industry.
Since the 1960s, the rise of Japanese car
companies (Toyota, Nissan and Honda) has
affected the sales of American made cars.
Japanese cars were more compact and
consumed less gas.
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GM, Ford and Chrysler made the decision
to offshore (relocate its companies to
Mexico in order to remain competitive with
Japan by lower their production costs).
Relocating to Mexico meant closing many
factories in the United States and Canada.
General Motors, Ste-Thérèse (the end):
A monthly union meeting of former GM employees, TCA
local 1163, in their spaces in the town of Boisbriand —
despite the plant’s closing, bringing thirty years’ operation
and Quebec’s automotive industry to an end. The parking
lot storing the last Impalas, the only view one has of the
production as access to the manufacturing premises was
denied. We’re on the outside, and that’s where we’ll stay,
the factory having been torn down.
2004 Working, Mercer Union, Toronto.
The case of Detroit:
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It was once the automotive capital of the United
States.
Relocating factories to Mexico really affected
the Great Lakes region.
The region still manufactures cars however, it has
reorganized production by installing technology
that reduces the number of employees (labor)
and making cars that sell really well in America.