What factors affect the distribution of the Motor Vehicle

industry in Japan?

Syllabus

1. What factors influence the distribution of the industry?:• Map to show location• Relate to location of steelworks and ports• Consider also labour supply, market and land

reclamation for sites

2. Understand the nature of the industry – production techniques

• There are a few highly automate capital intensive assembly plants

• There are more smaller, labour intensive component manufacturing plants

• Just – in – time technique

Car manufacturing is an assembly industry• Components such as

are put together at an assembly plant

An automated car assembly plant (Nissan Motor Co.)

Huge TNCs dominate world car production

TNC = Transnational Corporation – large firms which own businesses in many countries

Where are Japanese Assembly

plants located?

Tokyo - Honda

Nagoya - Toyota

Kobe – Osaka and Hiroshima - Mazda

Case Study – Mazda

CAR FACTORY

SITE - Large areas of flat land for long assembly lines

Mazda has 2 large component and assembly works in Hiroshima covering 2.3km2.

Two assembly plants at Hofu 130km west of Hiroshima covering 1.3km2

MARKET

RAW MATERIALS

COMPONENTS

POWER

LABOUR

TRANSPORT COSTS

Steelworks have been built at Hiroshima –

•Deepwater port Sheltered Inland Sea

Iron ore from Australia and Coal from China loaded into blast furnaces

Car factory is located next to steelworks to reduce costs

Component factories located nearby – ‘just in time’ process

Located next to port – exports (60%)

Components built in SE Asia where labour is cheaper. Assembly plants at Hofu are next to port to import parts but near HQ for other parts and management

Electricity is available everywhere

Hiroshima has 1.1 million people – skilled labour

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Abroad - Europe

Tasks

• Read and complete handout –Q 3 & 4

• Complete Q3 a-d page 176