Changing Locational Factors of Manufacturing Industry In the 20th century the factors affecting the location of industry within the UK changed

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Changing Locational Factors of Manufacturing Industry

In the 20th century the factors affecting the location of industry within the UK changed.  This can be seen as a change from an emphasis on physical factors affecting the location of manufacturing industries, such as raw materials, to an emphasis on more human and economic factors, such as labour and transport.

The growth of manufacturing in the UK began in the 18th and 19th centuries during the Industrial Revolution, making Great Britain one of the most industrialised countries in the world.  However, into the 20th century Britain’s greatly developed manufacturing industry steadily declined.  There were many reasons for this de-industrialisation and it caused a change of emphasis from secondary industries (those involved in the manufacturing of goods) to quaternary industries (those involved with the manufacture of high-technology goods).  These new, light industries used far fewer raw materials, than the old, heavy industries of the Industrial Revolution, and they had a much smaller reliance on bulky, heavy raw materials, such as coal.  This meant that a resource-based location was not necessary as it was for the 19th century manufacturing industries, which were located close to their raw materials to prevent difficult and expensive transport.  The new quaternary industries are therefore not locationally tied down by raw materials, and are called ‘footloose’ industries for this reason.  By the end of the 20th century this previously significant need to be located close to raw materials was no longer an important locational factor for most industries.

The decline of secondary industries was also encouraged by the decline in the coal industry in the UK as it became more difficult and expensive to mine.  As other sources of energy became more widely available and economically viable, industries stopped using coal.  This reduced the need for them to locate close to coalfields and mines, as they had previously, and this was therefore no longer a locational factor for industries.  The introduction of the National Grid in the 1930’s also meant that the electricity needed for industry was widely available from any location in the UK and location close to electricity sources was no longer required.

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As fewer physical factors controlling the location of industries were important, human factors, such as labour supply became increasingly significant.  During the 20th century industries began to locate in an area where a suitable labour force could be found.  This may have included close to a large urban area, where there was a large number of workers willing to work for a relatively low wage. However, as industry switches to quaternary manufacturing, more skilled labour is required to operate the high-tech machinery.  Therefore, an increasing number of industries are locating close to good universities, such as Cambridge, where there is ...

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