Starter

What did you do this break?

Did you study something (EXTRA)

Weber’s Least Cost Theory

Where you going to put the factory/Plant

“Situation factors”

Alfred Weber

1909: Developed a theory to try to describe the industrial locations of certain industries.

​

Based on transportation costs

“Least cost theory”

Simplification of reality

Least cost theory

• Suggests….
• Companies building an industrial plant need to take into consideration the source of raw materials and the market for the product.
• Thus, the weight of the raw materials and the finished product will determine the location of the production facility for that company
• Sound familiar????

The triangle

• The base of the triangle consists of…
• Two raw materials necessary for the production of the product.
• The production point
• Market

Situation factors

​

Weber’s Least Cost Theory

Weight-gaining (Bulk Gaining)

If the product being produced is a weight-gaining industry, then the industrial production point will need to be located closer to the market to minimize the transportation costs associated with a heavy product.

​

​

Weber’s Least cost theory-Weight Gaining

Examples of weight-gaining industries????

​

Come up with your own triangle

​

See page 390

Weight-reducing industry (Bulk-Reducing Industry)

the industrial production point will need to be located closer to the raw materials.

​

Why???

​

​

Weight Reducing

Weight-reducing industry examples????? Come up with your own triangles!

​

Please note!

• Many of the resource-oriented industries are weight-reducing industries. Weight-Reducing industries try to minimize the costs of hauling heavy materials, such as ore long distances by placing their industrial production points closer to where the resources are located. MINES.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE7SXX04EGo

​

Brick Bunny

The brick bunny is built with two primary products: bricks and feathers.

​

Draw weber’s least cost theory triangle to illustrate where you would put the bricks, feathers, production point and market…..

Check your work

Weber’s assumptions...

• The industrial production point must be located somewhere within the triangle.
• All parts of the triangle must be uniform
• Areas inside the triangle have the same political, cultural, and economic values.
• (Sound familiar????)))
• The availability of transportation is equal in all parts of the triangle

More assumptions

• What happens when a variety of materials is needed for the production????
• He suggest that all of the industry occurs within the same national boundaries…. (think of supranational organizations and Transnational Companies???)

Single-Market Manufacturers

• Specialized manufacturers with only one or two customers
• Producer of parts for motor vehicles
• Auto alley

​

Other ideas

Perishable products

Located near markets. Sound familiar?

​

Newspapers

Page 393

Changing Distribution of world steel production

​

Compare maps on page 393

​

​

HW

Read key Issue 1

• What was the importance of transportation, textiles, chemicals, and food processing during the industrial revolution?
• How are fossil fuels created?
• What are the top three fossil fuels consumed globally?

​

On the maps you received in class today….

Copy down the following regions on your maps: Make sure you include what the region is known for.

Mid-Rhine, Rhine-Ruhr Valley, PO Basin, St Petersburg, Donetsk and United Kingdom

​

U.S

Mohawk Valley

Middle Atlantic

New England

Southern California

​

East Asia

China

South Korea

Japan

​

Day 2 Shipping

Starter read page 394 and examine the maps.

​

“Situation factors”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn7IoT_WSRA

FOR SITE FACTORS SEE KEY ISSUE 3

​

Just-in-time delivery

• Parts are delivered to the assembly plant just in time to be used, often within minutes, rather than weeks or months in advance
• Car seats
• Anything else?