Concept of High Technology Industry

What Makes an Industry "High-Tech"?

High technology, or high-tech, is the newest generation of manufacturing. It is not defined by what it makes, but by how it makes things. The core of a high-tech industry is the intense application of research and development (R&D). This R&D effort leads to the production of goods that are scientifically and engineering-advanced. In short, high-tech is manufacturing driven by constant innovation.

The Workforce: White Collar Dominates

A defining feature of high-tech industries is the composition of their workforce. Professional, or "white collar," workers form a very large share of all employees. These are the scientists, engineers, designers, and software specialists. Crucially, these highly skilled specialists greatly outnumber the actual production workers — the "blue collar" workers who run the machines on the factory floor.

Examples and the Physical Landscape

The textbook gives several clear examples of high-tech industry in action:

• Robotics on the assembly line.
• Computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing.
• Electronic controls for smelting and refining processes.
• The constant development of new chemical and pharmaceutical products.

The physical look of a high-tech industrial area is also distinctive. Instead of massive, towering assembly plants and huge storage warehouses, the landscape is marked by neatly spaced, low, modern, and dispersed buildings. These are often a mix of office, plant, and laboratory space in one campus-like setting. Planned business parks designed specifically for high-tech start-ups have become a common part of regional development plans.

Technopolies: The Concentrated High-Tech Hubs

When high-tech industries become regionally concentrated, self-sustaining, and highly specialised, they are called technopolies. These are not just any industrial cluster; they are ecosystems where research, development, and production feed into each other.