Examine the location distribution and factors responsible for such distribution of Engineering Goods industry around the world.

Engineering Goods industries are highly skill-oriented and they use the product of the metallurgical indus­tries as the raw materials. In fact several of the engineering industries use the products of other engineering industries to produce goods requiring still higher skills and involving additional manufac­turing or fabrication processes.

Machines and machine tools are the important products of this group of industries. The engineering industry has developed largely in countries with a developed iron and steel industry.

• An advanced level of technology is also necessary for the development of this industry.
• The US, UK, Germany, Japan and Russia are the leading nations in the field of these industries.
• The engineering industries consume a large amount of the products of iron and steel industry. Therefore they are generally located in areas where raw materials are easily available. Areas with a developed steel industry also have an accumulation of skilled manpower.
• The engineering industries of US are highly developed and this is the most important industry of this country. The heaviest concentration occurs in the north-eastern parts of the country, espe­cially in the steel producing regions. The automobile industry of US is world famous and is the greatest manufacturing industry as such. About one-third of the world’s automobiles are manufactured in US.
• The US produces a large variety of engineering products. A large number of specialised centres have grown in different parts of the country.
• In Locomotives, the leading nation in the field of railway engines is Russia. The US is the second important country in this field. Most of the locomotives are manufactured in the states of Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois and Ohio.
• Japan is the leading nation not only in Asia but also the rest of the world in the field of engineer­ing industry. Ship-building industry of Japan is the most advanced in the world.
• Among European nations, UK is one of the important manufacturers of engineering goods.  The important countries of continental Europe in the field of engineering industry are Germany and France. In Germany, steel manufacturing and machine building is carried on in Ruhr Basin and the chief centres include Essen, Dusseldorf, Dortmund, Bochum, Gelsenkinchen and Duisburg.

The last centre is famous for ship building also. Cutlery and tools are manufactured in Solingen and Ramscheid and the alloy steel is manufactured at Krefeld.

Topics: GS-I: Factors Responsible for the Location of Industries in Various Parts of World