Untitled Flashcards Set

Major Manufacturing Regions

Q: What are the four major areas that account for approximately 80% of the world's manufacturing? A: North America, Europe, Russia, and East Asia

Q: What is the North American Manufacturing Belt and what does it account for? A: The North American Manufacturing Belt accounts for one-third of North America's population, two-thirds of its manufacturing employment, and one-half of its industrial output.

Q: What are the key manufacturing characteristics of Japan? A: Japan is the world's 3rd/4th largest GDP, focusing on automobiles, consumer electronics, computers, semiconductors, copper, iron & steel, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, bioindustry, shipbuilding, aerospace, and textiles. Despite being resource-poor, it succeeds through strong work ethic, education, and innovative policies.

Deindustrialization & Industrialization

Q: How has China's industrialization since the 1980s impacted global manufacturing? A: China has become the world's 2nd largest economy, with major sectors in manufacturing, services, and agriculture. Key industries include steel, cotton, finance, tobacco, automobiles, beer, high-technology exports, and coal. China is now the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases.

Q: What major shift occurred in global steel production between 1980 and 2016? A: In 1980, developed countries produced 81% of world steel and developing countries 19%. By 2016, this reversed with developed countries declining to 35% and developing countries increasing to 65%.

Q: What is a "minimill" and how does it represent deindustrialization? A: Minimills are highly automated, computerized steel production facilities that use scrap metal as input and produce specialized outputs for niche markets. They represent deindustrialization through reduced labor needs, lower costs ($30-50 million vs traditional mills), and non-unionized work.

Sector-Specific Dynamics

Q: How does the copper industry demonstrate bulk-reducing manufacturing principles? A: In copper production, inputs weigh more than final products. The industry minimizes transport costs by locating near input sources. Processing includes mining, concentration, smelting, and refining, with most facilities located near mines due to bulk reduction.

Q: How has the clothing industry's site factors changed globally? A: The clothing industry is labor-intensive and has shifted to developing countries due to lower labor costs. While production costs are lower in developing countries, workers earn only about 1% of final consumer cost, with most cost coming from retail markup.

Flexible Production & Labor

Q: What is the difference between Fordist and Post-Fordist (flexible) production? A: Fordist production involves assembly lines, simplified tasks, high wages, and strict division of labor. Post-Fordist/flexible production involves distributed production across multiple locations, seeks lowest costs, uses worker teams for various tasks, requires higher skills like computer literacy, and is less tied to specific locations.

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Q: What is just-in-time (JIT) delivery and how does it represent flexible production? A: JIT delivery involves shipping parts and materials to arrive at factories just before they're needed, requiring frequent deliveries. This reduces inventory costs and factory size but requires suppliers to locate near customers. Companies like Toyota, Apple, and McDonald's use JIT systems.

Q: What are the key characteristics of modern flexible labor in manufacturing? A: Modern flexible labor involves workers organized into teams performing various tasks and problem-solving, requires higher skills including computer literacy and college degrees, and emphasizes adaptability over specialized single-task expertise.