Match each industrial manufacturing scenario on the left with its corresponding primary lo… — JAMB UTME

Match each industrial manufacturing scenario on the left with its corresponding primary locational orientation and Weberian economic principle on the right.

Sugar cane milling plant located at BacitaRaw-material oriented location dictated by a high weight-loss ratio ( $MI > 1$ ) during processing of bulky, perishable inputs.
Industrial beer brewing and bottling plant in IbadanMarket-oriented location driven by significant weight and bulk addition ( $MI < 1$ ) through ubiquitous water input during final production.
Precision micro-electronics and watch assembly facilityFootloose orientation where high product value relative to weight minimizes spatial transportation constraints ( $MI \approx 1$ ).
Petroleum refinery situated at the Warri port complexBreak-of-bulk transshipment node where pipeline networks intersect ocean transport to minimize intermodal transfer costs.

Answer

Sugar milling at Bacita matches raw-material orientation (

MI > 1

); beer brewing in Ibadan matches market orientation (

MI < 1

); micro-electronics assembly matches footloose orientation (

MI \approx 1

); oil refining at Warri matches break-of-bulk transshipment orientation.

The matches correctly pair each industrial sector with its underlying spatial transport law under Weberian locational theory: sugar milling reduces gross weight (

MI > 1

) requiring raw-material proximity; beverage bottling gains weight and bulk (

MI < 1

) requiring market proximity; micro-electronics exhibit negligible transport weight constraints (

MI \approx 1

) designating them as footloose; and coastal petroleum refining optimizes at the transport interface where pipeline and maritime modes meet (break-of-bulk).

Step-by-Step Solution

Analyze the weight-change characteristics of each manufacturing process using Alfred Weber's Material Index formula:

MI = \frac{\text{Weight of localized raw materials}}{\text{Weight of finished product}}

Identify weight-losing (

MI > 1

), weight-gaining (

MI < 1

), and weight-neutral/high-value (

MI \approx 1

) activities.

Determining the material index establishes whether transport costs pull the industry toward raw materials or consumer markets.

Evaluate the sugar milling process at Bacita.

Raw sugar cane loses a vast percentage of its gross weight during juice extraction and refining (

MI > 1

Weight-losing processes locate near raw material sources to avoid transporting heavy waste.

Evaluate industrial beer brewing in a major urban center like Ibadan.

Liquid volume increases heavily due to water added locally (

MI < 1

Weight-gaining processes locate near urban consumer centers to minimize transport of fragile or heavy finished goods.

Classify micro-electronics assembly and coastal oil refining at Warri.

Micro-electronics are footloose due to negligible transport cost impact; coastal refining benefits from break-of-bulk transshipment cost savings at port interfaces.

Footloose industries depend on skilled labor or agglomeration rather than raw inputs, while refineries at ports minimize transfer charges between ocean vessels and land pipelines.

Key Concept

Weber's Industrial Location Theory and Material Index (

MI

)

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Key Concept

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