We explain what heavy industry is, where it is located, its characteristics and examples. Also, differences with light industry.
What is heavy industry?
Heavy industry or basic industry is the set of economic activities of primary extraction and transformation of raw materials. Manufactures necessary supplies for other industries and in many cases it is the first step in the industrial production chain. In this it is distinguished from other industries such as light industry, typical of the secondary sector of the chain.
Are the productive activity that requires the greatest investment in capital, energy and labor in addition to generally being the one that causes the greatest environmental impact, either directly or indirectly. Its name comes from the fact that its products are usually large in volume or size (such as machinery) and require enormous facilities.
According to their areas of dedication, heavy industries can be classified into:
- Mining or extractive industries. They obtain raw materials directly from the environment, generally from underground.
- cement plants. Producers of rock sediments and other minerals, as well as mixtures of them.
- Steelworks. Which process non-ferrous metals and minerals to create alloys.
- Chemical industry. Responsible for producing and processing chemical substances using controlled techniques.
See also: Production process
Characteristics of heavy industry
Heavy industry is one of the central economic activities of the world economy at present, and was fundamental for technological takeoff of humanity.
Today this activity is carried out through processes with a high degree of mechanization and specialized labor. It consumes enormous amounts of energy and leaves its mark on the environment, which is why it is an activity that has many detractors.
Heavy industries carry out tasks of a different nature, which allow the raw material to be separated from the elements that naturally surround it, or to transform it through physical or chemical procedures into some type of useful and transportable substance. To do this, they can resort to casting, freezing, washing, supercritical drying, liquefaction, etc.
Examples of heavy industry
Some clear examples of heavy industries are:
- Mining industries. They capture and transport minerals with some desired chemical content (gold, silver, nickel, etc.), or hydrocarbons such as oil, natural gas or mineral coal.
- The large steel companies In charge of smelting heavy metals and their alloy to form steel, iron and other forms useful in light industry.
- The cement factories They grind lime and other materials to form dry mixes used in the construction sector.
- The lumber companies. They cut down huge trees of useful or precious wood, which they transport after having felled, cut and processed them properly.
- The petrochemical industry. In which oil is refined and subjected to chemical procedures that allow numerous derivatives to be obtained from it, such as plastics, nylon, gasoline, etc.
Main countries with heavy industry
The main heavy industries on the planet correspond to the most developed nations on the planet, such as United States, France, United Kingdom, China, Japan, Russia and Germany along with emerging nations like Brazil.
However, many nations of the so-called Third World, whose economies depend mostly on the extraction and marketing of raw materials, invest more than anything in their basic industries. Among them are Venezuela, Nigeria, Peru, Chile, among others.
light industry
Light or light industry differs from heavy or basic industry in that is dedicated to the manufacturing or production of consumer objects objects that will go directly to the consumer. These industries usually belong to the secondary sector of the production chain. In general they are less intensive and ecologically risky than heavy industry.
References
- “Heavy industry” on Wikipedia.
- “Heavy industry” in Enciclopedia.us.
- “What is heavy industry?” in Economics Wiktionary.
- “Heavy Industry Defined” in Investopedia.
- “Heavy industry” in The Encyclopaedia Britannica.
