1. Weber and Industrial
Location Theory
Industrial Activity and
Geographic Location

2. Factors of Industrial
Location (3)
– Transportation
• highly developed industrial areas are
places that are served most efficiently by
transportation facilities
• alternative systems
• container systems, break of bulk

7. Factors of Industrial
Location (3)
– Transportation
• for most goods, truck is cheaper over
shorter distances, railroads cheaper over
medium distances, and ships cheapest over
longest distances
• must consider loading/unloading, actual
transportation (cost of transportation
increases with distance at a decreasing
rate), and weight and volume

8. World’s largest
container ship

11. Intermodal Facility: Portland,
Oregon

12. Factors of Industrial
Location (4)
– Infrastructure
• transportation, telephone,
utilities, banks, postal, hotel
• China-inadequate local and
regional infrastructure
• Vietnam-inadequate power,
water, transportation

13. Factors of Industrial
Location (5)
– Energy
• used to be much more important
than it is today
• early British textile mills had to
locate near water power
• rarely a problem today, except
industries needing a huge amount of
energy--- metal processing and
chemical industries may locate near
hydropower (TVA or Pacific
Northwest)

14. Map showing location of chemical manufacturing facilities.

15. Other Factors
• agglomeration
• political stability
• regional receptiveness to
investment
• taxation policies
• environmental conditions
(Hollywood)