Features of Modern industries

1. Mechanisation
 This is the use of machines and mechanical power in industries.
 The machines are needed for mass production (producing identical
goods in large quantities) to make products more perfectly and
reliably than people can.
 They are used for manufacturing secondary goods from raw
materials.
 Examples of machines which are found in modern industries are
weavers, brick moulders, conveyer belts and many others.
 In some countries agriculture has also become industrialised.
 Some of the machines that are used to improve agricultural
production are combined harvesters, threshers and tractors.

2. Mechanisation cont.
 Where modern industry is practised, you will realise that the machines are not only used
in the factories but even in the homes.
 These machines include lawn mowers, television sets, vacuum cleaners, fridges and
other equipment.
 Energy is needed for driving the machines in order to speed up the production process.
 This energy is usually extracted from oil, coal, gas, nuclear power station and water.
 So, at times, some of the factories are located near sources of electricity so as to cut
down transport and transmission costs.
 The availability of these sources of energy differs from one country to another depending
on the geographical location of the countries.
 For example, Botswana is rich in coal; therefore coal is the main source of energy used
in modem industries.

3. Advanced technology
 I hope advanced technology is not a new concept to you. Do you know what it
means, learner?
 Advanced technology refers to the use of complex machines and tools which
are usually operated by trained people.
 It needs skilled manpower to operate. This skilled manpower also produces
machines that are needed in industrial production and other things.
 This type of technology is used to increase production and to replace human
labour. Advanced technology
 involves understanding and organising production in ways that meet social,
economic and political needs of people.
 A lot of scientific knowledge is applied to improve quality and quantity of the
goods produced.

4. Advanced technology cont.
 Advancement in technology is a way forward towards
development; therefore, industrialised countries which
use this technology are also described as developed
countries.
 This is because it enhances improvement of people's
living standards.
 Examples of industrialised countries are Sweden,
United States of America, Japan, United Kingdom and
Korea.

5. Wide range of raw materials
 Modern industries use a wide range of raw materials.
 Raw materials are things that need to be processed or refined before they
can be used.
 For instance, sand as a raw material cannot be used as it is to build houses.
 It has to be mixed with water and cement. Then the mixture is moulded into
bricks, which are used for building.
 These raw materials are also described as primary products.
 This is because other secondary products cannot exist without the availability
of raw materials.
 Raw materials are therefore considered basic in the process of
industrialisation.

6. Wide range of raw materials
cont.
 There is a wide range of raw materials most of which are extracted from the ground.
 Some of them are agricultural products such as cotton, rubber, tobacco, maize, beans and others.
 Some raw materials are minerals like diamond, natural gas, iron ore, crude oil and coal.
 Animals are also raw materials when they become meat and it’s by - products are processed into
several consumer goods.
 For instance, blood is used for making polish and the elephant tusks are used to make jewellery.
 At times, modern industries are located close to raw materials to cut transport costs, especially when
the raw materials are too heavy.
 Modem manufacturing involves using several raw materials from different places; therefore effective
transport systems are needed. This practice was not common in the past.

7. Synthetic products
 Have you ever heard of synthetic products, learner? Synthetic products are
man-made materials which are not part of natural resources.
 Synthetic is from the word synthesis which means the combination of different
parts into a whole, or the production of a substance by the union of chemical
elements, groups etc.
 Synthetic diamonds, for example, are man-made diamonds, usually produced
by subjecting graphite to very high temperatures and pressures.
 Synthetic diamonds resemble natural diamonds in most fundamental
properties but differ in size, shape and the amount of impurities.
 They are used chiefly for industrial purposes. For example, in grinding wheels
for shaping and sharpening tungsten carbide tools.

8. Synthetic products cont.
 Learner, remember that you learnt about natural resources when you studied
about production.
 It was explained that natural resources are unevenly distributed and are not
enough.
 Did you remember this? I hope you did. This means that these scarce
resources cannot meet the needs and wants of people.
 Therefore, modem industries need to substitute them by producing synthetic
products in order to satisfy people's needs and wants.
 There are many synthetic products which are produced to suit and satisfy
people's needs and wants.
 These include textiles, minerals like diamond, furniture, leather and many
others.

9. Division of labour
 Division of labour is the splitting of the work into several small pails and each part is a special task of
one worker.
 In modern industries, a large work force is normally employed and each worker contributes a small
part to the whole production process.
 This enables a factory to produce many finished products within a short period of time (mass
production).
 Division of labour is determined by people's training, knowledge and skills.
 Special training is provided to workers so that they become specialists in particular tasks.
 This means that one cannot do any other task except that task he or she has been trained to do.
 For instance, a Development Studies teacher cannot teach Science.
 This is because he or she cannot demonstrate laboratory experiments.
 A carpenter cannot be a nurse as he specialises in carpentry, the job he has been trained to do.

10. Division of labour cont.
 Division of labour as such is done by people who are
educated and trained as it involves the use of skilled
manpower in modern production.
 Unskilled and semi-skilled workers also become specialists
at their work places through experience.
 At times they receive no or little education and training, but
since they do that particular work over and over again, they
become experts at it over time.
 Where a lot of unskilled labour is employed, skilled
manpower should also be provided to maintain quality of the
products and to enhance the smooth running of the
production process.

11. Automation and Robotics
 Automation and Robotics are two features of modern
technology that are also worth studying.
 Automation involves the use of automatic equipment
and machines to do work previously done by human
beings
 . Automatic refers to the act of a machine working by
itself without direct human control, e.g. an automatic
washing machine.
 One can simply set automatic equipment so that it
operates itself at given times.

12. Automation and Robotics cont.
 Learner, mass production can only be possible through the use of automation.
 This also indicates and explains why advanced technology is used in the production
process.
 Automation enables modem industries to produce for export while human labour
produces for consumption by the locals.
 Robotics act like a robot stiff and use electric power.
 A robot, which is also an automatic machine, can perform actions of a person when
operated automatically or by remote control.
 In modern production, almost everything is done by the use of machines which have
come to replace human labour.
 The introduction of automation and robotics in industrial production meant the loss of
many jobs that were initially done by people in factories.

13. Feminisation of the labour
force
 Learner, feminisation of the labour force means employment of women in
modem production.
 In the past, men could be offered employment while women were believed to
belong to the kitchen, therefore, they remained at home.
 Women were not given equal rights and opportunities as men.
 Today, as development takes place, women are also being recognised and
they are taking part in many activities including working in modern production.
 In a lot of homes today in Botswana, we have career women, some of whom
are sole bread winners in the home.
 There are also a lot of female-headed families as a result of deliberate
inclusion of women in the labour force in both the private and public sectors.

14. Sub-contraction
 Sub- contraction is when a company is engaged by an industry to carry out a
job.
 For instance, a timber company can be sub-contracted to provide timber by
furnisher industries.
 A plumber can be sub-contracted to install a shower. This practice of
subcontracting is very common in modem industries.
 It brings back the issue of division of labour that we discussed earlier on.
 This way the work is done much faster. This is because everyone involved
does her or his part and it is usually in her or his area of specialisation.
 The electrician comes in and does the electrical part of the project, then the
carpenter does the carpentry part, the plumber does the plumbing part and so
forth.

15. Cottage and co-ordination of
specialised tasks
 Cottage industries are industries whose labour force consists of
people working at home with their own tools or machinery.
 In Botswana this is very common amongst certain communities.
 They usually start small as they hardly get financial assistance from
the government.
 Co-ordination of specialised tasks is when skilled labour is employed
to make sure that the quality of the products is maintained
 and to ensure that the machinery is also working properly so that the
whole production process is efficient.
 Co-ordination of tasks helps a lot in the production of high quality
goods.