Modern Industry
To find out what a footloose industry is and
carry out a study into the M4 Corridor.
Market
Market
Raw
Material
Labour
Raw
Material
Iron & Steel
Market
Raw
Material
Labour
Ford Ka
Market
Raw
Material
Labour
Raw
Material
Labour
1664 Beer
Nokia Phone
Market
Market
Labour
GAP Jeans
Raw
Labour
Material Dairy Products
What is a footloose industry?
•Footloose industries have a greater freedom to
choose their locations. Footloose industries have a
low demand for raw materials and don’t need big
sites for their factories.
•The final product is always high in value and /or low
in weight and can be transported anywhere by road.
•The new factories have pleasant locations on the
outskirts of towns with lots of greenery around.
The M4 and Western Crescent
M4 Corridor - Area of development for Hi-Tech industry along the
M4 Motorway spanning from London to Bristol (South Wales).
Location factors:
•
Accessibility
•
Good road links (M4)
•
Good railway links
•
Heathrow Airport provides links to Europe and the rest of
the World
UGG Page 188
Research opportunities
Do Activity 1b
•
Close to science parks and Universities
Do Activity 2
•
Footloose - therefore they can locate freely
•
Government Incentives
•
Attractive Countryside
•
Marlborough Downs - attractive environment favoured by
educated people employed in Hi-Tech industry.
Example
Case Study
Hi-tech industry along the M4 corridor
(UGG Page 188-89)
New industrial regions in Britain have tended to
grow up along main communication routes. The best
example of this is the “Sunrise Strip”, which takes
in the area around motorways such as the M11,
M23, M3 and, most importantly, the M4. These
industries are described as being footloose. They
are not tied to the supply raw materials.
M4 Corridor - LG
• Lucky Goldstar – Located a large development in Newport, South
Wales
Why?
• Welsh Development Agency (WDA) secured the deal
• Government Paid £87 million of subsidies to LG
• Accessible, M4 Corridor
• Semi Skilled Labour Force – once employed in the now declined iron
and steel industry.
Skills practice opportunity
Case Study: Worton Grange Industrial Estate in
READING
UGG Page 189
Do Activities 2 a, b
and 3 a, b