Three characteristics of Foot Loose Industries:

(i) Foot loose industries can be located in a wide variety of places.

(ii) They are not dependent on any specific raw material, weight loosing or otherwise.

(iii) They largely depend on component parts which can be obtained from anywhere.

Large scale Industries choose different locations because these industries maximize profits by reducing costs. Therefore, industries choose to be located at points where production cost is lowest and benefits/profit is maximum.

Factors which influence the location of industries are:

1. Access to Market: Industries are located where there is a good market for the sale of their goods/products. The term ‘Market’ refers to an area where people who have a demand for goods and also have the ability to purchase, purchases goods from the sellers. The developed regions of Europe, North America, Japan and Australia provide large global markets as the purchasing power of the people is very high. The densely populated regions of South and South-east Asia also provide large markets. Other industries such as aircraft industries or arms industries also have a global market.
2. Access to Raw Material: Raw material used by industries should be cheap and easy to transport. Industries based on cheap, bulky and weight-losing material (ores) are located close to the sources of raw material such as steel, sugar, and cement industries. Perishability is also a vital factor for the industry to be located closer to the source of the raw material therefore agro-processing and dairy products are located close to the raw material source like farms.
3. Access to Sources of Energy: Industries which use more power are located close to the source of the energy supply such as the aluminium industry. Earlier coal was the main source of energy, today hydroelectricity and petroleum are also important sources of energy for many industries.
4. Access to Transportation and Communication Facilities: Quick and efficient transport facilities to carry raw materials to the factory and to move finished goods to the market are essential for the development of industries. The cost of transport is also an important factor in the location of industrial units. Western Europe and eastern North America have a highly developed transport system which has always induced the concentration of industries in these areas. Communication is also an important need for industries for the exchange and management of information.
5. Access to Labour Supply: Labour supply is an important factor in the location of industries. Some types of manufacturing industries still require skilled labour. Increasing mechanisation, automation and flexibility of industrial processes have reduced the dependence of industry upon the labours.

Tips: -

It is the smallest manufacturing unit. The artisans use local raw materials and simple tools to produce everyday goods in their homes with the help of their family members or part-time labour.

two groups of factors which Profitability of mining depends on:-

i. Physical factors

ii. Economic factors

High technology, or simply high-tech, is the latest generation of manufacturing activities.

(i) It is best understood as the application of intensive research and development (R &D) efforts leading to the manufacture of products of an advanced scientific and engineering character.

(ii) Robotics on the assembly line, computer-aided design (CAD) and manufacturing, electronic controls of smelting and refining processes, and the constant development of new chemical and pharmaceutical products are notable examples of a high-tech industry.

(iii) Neatly spaced, low, modern, dispersed, office-plant-lab buildings rather than massive assembly structures, factories and storage areas mark the high-tech industrial landscape.

(iv) High-tech industries which are regionally concentrated, self-sustained and highly specialised are called technopolies.

(v) The Silicon Valley near San Francisco and Silicon Forest near Seattle are examples of technopolies.