Heavy industry. Types

How Heavy Industry Works

Transportation and construction, along with their upstream manufacturing supply businesses, comprised most heavy industry throughout the industrial age, along with some capital-intensive manufacturing. Traditional examples from the Industrial Revolution through the early 20th century included steelmaking, artillery production, locomotive erection, machine tool building, and the heavier types of mining.

When the chemical industry and electrical industry developed, they involved elements of both heavy industry and light industry, which was soon also true for the automotive industry and the aircraft industry. Heavy industry shipbuilding became the norm as steel replaced wood in modern shipbuilding. Large systems are often characteristic of heavy industry, such as the construction of skyscrapers and large dams during the post-World War II era, and the manufacture/deployment of large rockets and giant wind turbines through the 21st century.