Industry
Industry refers to the process of transforming raw materials into products, particularly through mass production techniques employed in factories. The concept of industry has deep historical roots, dating back to early human society, but experienced significant transformation during the Industrial Revolution, which began around 1760 in England. This revolution marked a shift from small-scale, home-based production, known as cottage industries—where individuals crafted goods like textiles and food—to large-scale factory production involving mechanization.
Key developments included the invention of machines such as the spinning jenny, water frame, and steam engine, which catalyzed efficiency and production capacity. However, this growth came with challenges, including long working hours, poor labor conditions, and child labor, leading to gradual reforms over time. By the twenty-first century, industry has diversified into four main sectors: primary (raw materials), secondary (manufacturing), tertiary (services), and quaternary (high-tech and research). While factory production has diminished in prominence in some developed nations, various forms of industry continue to be critical to economic structures globally, with cottage industries still prevalent in developing regions.
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Industry
Industry is the process of using raw materials to create products, especially in mass-production processes such as by factories. Industries have existed for much of human history, although on a smaller scale before the Industrial Revolution that began about 1760 in England. In modern times, industries include tourism, transportation, and other services. Many types of traditional industries were known as cottage industries. These processes, which took place in homes or on small farms, included food production, textile and clothing production, carpet weaving, and rope making. Many moved swiftly from cottage industries to factory production when new manufacturing processes were developed. For example, individuals spun wool by hand into thread and then wove it into cloth on small looms. With the growth of large industrial production, massive spinning and weaving machines produced much more fabric far more quickly. Into the twenty-first century, cottage industries remain important in developing nations and some rural areas.
Overview
When individuals and small groups produced items, they used small machines. For example, they used spinning wheels powered by a foot pedal or farm equipment powered by animals. Larger machines required more power. Some operated using a water wheel that rotated with stream or river flow. Early large machines in England that relied on water wheels for power include the spinning jenny, which was invented by James Hargreaves in 1764; the water frame, invented by Richard Arkwright in 1769; and the spinning mule, invented in 1779 by Samuel Crompton. These machines put an end to many spinning cottage industries, but their need for waterpower meant they could only be built along fast-running rivers. While the efficiency of powered machines profited factory owners, workers earned little and worked long hours in difficult and often dangerous conditions. Many children were employed in factories; although over time, laws were passed that gradually ended this practice.
As inventors developed larger machines, more power was needed. The steam engine, which had been invented during the early seventeenth century, answered the call. Many smiths and inventors refined the engine, and by the middle of the eighteenth century, steam engines were powering many rotating mill systems in textile factories across England. When factories no longer required waterpower, they could be built anywhere. Logistical issues, such as transporting wool from farms to textile factories, were no longer a concern. The steam engine contributed yet again to industry when it was adapted to rail use and transported manufactured goods greater distances.
American factories began in Massachusetts, when Samuel Slater arrived from England and built a spinning factory. As in England, industry progressed quickly with the development of steam engines. By the twenty-first century, more than one hundred industries existed; however, factory production occupied a less prominent place in industry in many developed countries.
Modern industry is divided into four divisions:
- Primary industries, which involve raw materials such as fuels, timber, agriculture, mining, fishing, and produce.
- Secondary industries or manufacturing industries, which include factory production, such as the auto manufacturing industry.
- Tertiary industries or service industries, which include banking, education, retail services, entertainment, and healthcare.
- Quaternary industries, which involve knowledge-based high technology, such as research and development businesses.
These types of industries are interrelated. For example, many tertiary industries rely on quaternary industries for development, and secondary industries often require the products of primary industries.
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