We explain what the manufacturing industry is, how it is classified and various examples. Additionally, the manufacturing industry in Mexico.
What is the manufacturing industry?
The manufacturing industry is dedicated to the transformation of semi-processed goods or raw materials directly into final consumer goods ready for immediate commercialization through distributors and other mechanisms that bring them closer to their consumer audiences.
Manufacturing industry and light industry can be more or less synonymous, as they are both considered part of the secondary sector of the economy of a nation, differentiated from the primary sector, responsible for obtaining and processing raw materials.
the word manufacture It comes from two Latin words: manus (hand) and facts (made, elaborated), since its original concept referred to manual work, characteristic of artisanal work, in which many people were employed working with their hands or with manual tools.
However, in the contemporary industrial context, after the Industrial Revolution, this term refers to the process of transforming raw materials into goods manufactured on a large scale. It requires the use of machines and the consumption of energy, instead of manual labor.
That is why today the word “artisanal” is preferred for those who still use manual labor in their production methods.
Types of manufacturing industry
Judging by its positioning within the economy's goods production chain, we can establish three types of manufacturing industry:
- Traditional Which converts raw materials into products ready for marketing and final consumption.
- Intermediate. That manufacture semi-finished goods to feed other manufacturing industries, such as parts for assembly.
- Mechanics. Whose final product is tools and machinery necessary for industrial processes of other types, whether or not they are in the secondary sector.
- Residuals. They use leftovers and waste from other industrial processes as raw materials.
Examples of manufacturing industry
Some examples of manufacturing industry are the following:
- Printing and publishing companies, which produce books, brochures, magazines or newspapers.
- Assemblers for technological, electronic devices or even vehicles.
- Factories of parts, supplies or tools of all types.
- Footwear, textile, clothing industries.
- Food, beverage and tobacco industries.
- Furniture factories.
- The electronic and photographic industry.
- Wood or paper industries.
- Recycling plants for cans, bottles, cardboard, etc.
Manufacturing industry in Mexico
The manufacturing industry in Mexico is mainly located in the central states of the nation, such as Coahuila, Querétaro, State of Mexico, Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, Puebla and San Luis Potosí; and in these regions its contribution to the GDP is one of the most important of all local industries.
As of the 2011 census, The food, tobacco and beverage industries produced 27.9% of Mexican manufacturing. On the other hand, the production of machinery and tools reached 26.9%.
Another fundamental sector is the export maquiladoras, in which numerous products are assembled or manufactured whose final destination is not to be consumed in Mexico, but in foreign markets near or far away.
Continue with: Production process
References
- “Manufacturing” on Wikipedia.
- “Manufacturing company” in Economic Encyclopedia.
- “Manufacturing industry” in INEGI (Mexico).
- “Manufacturing industry” in Cuéntame… economy.
- “Manufacturing industry” in Economy Watch.